The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20
THE SEAL OF ILLINOIS.
n 10 Csusing Annoyance TO the Rsthetio' Citi
aens OF the Prairie State.

THE SEAL OF ILLINoLa
n 10 csusins Annoyance TO the Rsthetio' Citi-
nens OF the Prairie State.
sPRrNar1ELD, H., juno 19.-The Governors OF
Illinois have been, almost without exception. In
recent years, homeIy men. the products Of the
civilization OF the s,MM Ill towns Of tho State, and
with moro conct. usually for tho good will Of
the bucolic Inhabitants as demonstrated at
| county fairs and horse shows than for tho senti-
ments of those active in aesthetic and artistic
society. Everybody In Illinois remembers the
crude spartan directness of "Dick" Yates, the
war Governor, and many others remember
and admire tho venerable Uncle Dick"
oglesby. who served as Governor three
times. During tho recent Presidential can
vass the voters Of tho country became acquaint-
cd with the frank appearance and unobtrusive.
old-fashioned ways Of John NJ. Palmer -four
years Governor). candidate for the Presidency,
and Senator Cullom. q graduate of the red
schoolhouse-on-the-hill order of local statesmen,
who has gained moro distinction In the United
States Senate. in which he Is the veteran in
| service. by straIght-cut, clear methods than BY
any display Of those snowy qualities which arc
thought needful in q public official in monarchi.
| cal lands or in those in which tho national tradi-
lions are entwined with notions OF royalty and
aristocracy.
Fighting Joe" Fifer was a Governor of the
same type, and so. decidedly. is John NJ. Tanner,
the present Governor, who halls from that be-
nighted region known as Egypt and has little
regard for the amenities of official ceremoninl-a
blunt man, elected at q time Of great political
excitement. and not a Governor for dress parade.
While the Governors OF Illinois and the legis-
lators generally In this State have devoted little
attention to the matter Of the State seal. some
artistic spirits have made the humiliating dis
covery that the great seal Of illinois, Is o
fraud. 1t bears the date Aug. 20, 1918, and nli-
nois used this seal before 1t was q State. A
Constitutional Convention of Illinois held in
1918 was impressed with tho propriety of re-
taining as q State seal the Territorial seal,
which was based on tho shield Of tho United
By syAs Congress ross 'f IN July. TSsaeS had % p lev pssse q
thirteen pieces argent and gules; z chief
further detail Of this shield Of the nation. as
S io%s: Tn II ,t e.eutc Gesa on g the Breast st Of Of the the
American eagle displayed proper, holding in his
a bundle OF thirteen arrows, all proper. and in
his beak a scroll inscribed with this motto: e
Retaining the eagle, arrows, shield and olive
branch. the Illinois people made what may be
Instead OF an eagle with a shield before IL as q
screen. holding in one talon an olive branch ana
IN the other 4 bunch Of arrows. the ssthetie
VI Aiiio " ~ ~ Va iASouoih
vented from falling by tho shield. which, with
angle made by The side OF the rock, the side Of
the shield and the ground upon which both were
left in 9 heap. and upon the rock was the
date 1918. At some distance was represented a
f TSts S Sf TstSs b ISSsInS for ana al bah the OF gG ,hS, i W6,
the sun. the rising. sun. from which the eagle
was turned; though 1t is notorious that one OF
hRps 1t may be said to excel all other birds, 10 its
enviable power of looking, straight and true
Illinois. at the time OF It's admission into the
Union IA a State, was well known for the num-
though in recent years Indiana has eclipsed Il
in this regard; But the Illinois eagle was rep
resented dm on ,h the IS seal OF the 81 STATE as turning IN Its
: sSsIs dSss; ;I thS eagle ,ss Of %d Illinois s had in f. } Rf1d /
beauty Of the design. the word ':sovereisnty
Ga nae an nt erFor s ss1Tis Te 10 t% RSrsnfSSiG aef SRniiaii
employed by the Illinois Constitutional Conven
1lSs selected .I Sssif To d isS shi What Way was i 4 sl n ns !
piece OF artistic work Is not clear, but. In nd
d ! 2 to the mistake which bs he made about tn,
leaves for tho olive branch some persons Essay say
and have the hardihood e reiterate, that Il the
q ISIS was a Mexican .Siaeksmith,, ant
for cactus led him 70, substitute It fo'
the olive branch, emblem OF harmony
peace. concession, and reconciliation 1t Il
further commended by those who object to tn,
present State seal that when II wore out,
about fifty years ago. Its place was taken by
another. which bore a botter-looking eagle, will
arrows and an olive branch In better repair, bu'
with three stars in c~hief-why, no one has eve
discovered. for tho State Is the eighth In polnI
Of admission after the original thirteen-anC
with twenty-five stripes, thirteen red and twelve
white-for reasons equally mysterious.
Fault Is found further W It'll the present seal o
Illinois on the ground that what has been dc
scrlbed as a rock. the symbol OF solidity. Il
really, as closer observation shows, n prairie
boulder, such as Is to DO found In many parts o
this State, especially along the line Of railroad
tracks skirting mountains or bills, A still NOR
startling and unsatisfactory discovery has beef
that the Legislature OF Illinois never authorized
any change In tho original seal of tho State a
first adopted and never authorized the figure
1867 which have been chiselled above tn,
figures 1878 on tho rock or boulder. In othe
words, some individual has taken upon hims0l
to alter and improve tho sovereign seal of tn
great State OF Illinois. which has n population 81
large that different statisticians approach tn
total with caution.
Tho aesthetic citizens of Peoria, Pekin, Jack
sonville, East st. Louis. kankakoe. Golconda
Jerscyville, Joliet. Salem. and JonesborOugh ar
aroused by this reflection upon tho artistic poi
ceptions OF their legislators, and insist on wha
they call n reorganization OF the seal. which I
perhaps a matter more easily discussed than az
CompliShed, unless. indeed, an extra session o
the Legislature DO called for the purpose.