The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-06-20
SOME DISTINGUISHING SIGNS.

SOME pIsTlNo6lsHiNc SIGNS.
Origin of Emblems Used BY Various
Glasses of Tradesmen.
The last survivors of the old trade
signs are few, but they cling to life SO
tenaciously that the probability IS they
will stay for good. The old style swing
ting signs that protrude from the sides
Of the houses, and on windy days had
ah unpleasant habit of crashing down
on the heads of any citizens who hap
pened to be struggling home, have hap
PLY been swept away by the march OF
progress. But we still have with us the
BARRIERS pole, the pawnbroker's golden
globulaf triplets, The tobaeconist's
wooden Indian and the goldbeater's
gilded arm, with shirt sleeve rolled up
20 the shoulder, disclosing massive
muscle, with sinewy fingers grasping a
goldbeater's hammer. The origin OF
these signs are matters Of GREAT interest
to the people who pass them daily and
know nothing of the significance OF
their construction.
An interesting story is told in con-
nection with the familiar red, yellow
and green vases that brighten the win
dows of drug stores. The custom ct
placing them there originated with an
apothecary who found himself one night
minus the red light with which trades
men OF his class were accustomed to Or
hainent their store fronts. TO make up
the deficiency he got bottle OF red
liquid and placed candle behind 1t.
| The effect pleased him SO well that he
decided to Improve it by placing sec
ond rel light in the window with the
aid of another bottle of red mixture and
an additional candle. This sign made
such brave showing TINT an entious
rival cast about for means of i'm
proving OH thS sign. He hit upon
the scheme of placing bottle eolored
with yellow fiuisl beside The red one,
and then surpassed his previous efforts
and carried oil before him by placing
green bottle beside the yellow. The
three made sign that caught the town,
and all the druggists quickly fell into
line. The bottles were in time replaced
with handsome vases at present in use,
and the druggists sign was here to stay
to brighten the dingy streets OF town
and villages.
Few among the many unfortunates
who pass beneath the three gilt balls
int6 the sorrowful interior of \ pawn;
brokers' shop stop to consider the mean
ing of the yellow sign, and they would
find little comfort in the Investigation
if they did. The pawnbroker's symbol
came from the sign used by the LON
bard bankers, who took il from the sign
used by the Medici family of Florence.
The founder of the house had beeh q
medicas; or physician; his descendants
became bankers and brokers; and the
sign they adopted was based on the pills
that were dispensed by their ancestors
As they had become rich in their calling
it was necessary that THE pills shoiild
express something more than the mere
decoctions of physician, so they were
; done in gold and in that shape the three
pills" can be seen swinging over the
premises of every pawnbroker to-day
The golden pills are USED as d coat o.
arms for the descendants of the Medic
family, who became mobiles, but it j:
not probable that any family of noble
birth and up-to-date ideas has continued
the Use 5f the three balls as its heraldi'
device.
Among the armys of unshorn indi
J viduals who daily seek the familiar ret
and white sign of the bar Der, few know
l the meaning of the parti-eoler on thu
pels: Probably not one in hundred
could tell you himself what the color
, signify. The origin of the sign date
back to the days when bleeding was TIL
! favorite remedy of physicians for mos
! of the ills that flesh is heir to. When
little biood-lettihg was prescribed tn
! barber wns the man to do it, as he com
bined the business of tonsorial arts
). with that of surgeon.
The BARRIERS sign was adopted, as
: is in existence to-day, becatise the re-
symbelizes the blood that the barbe
,. drew from his patients in the interes
: of the public health, while the white o.
;, the poles stood for the white bandag
!. with which the wound was bound u
|, after the clumsy operator had drawn tn
!, prescribed quantity of red fluids
| lol, To