Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1900-01-17
SOME NEW DOLLARS:
FRESH DESIGNS ADOPTED Foe uNcLE
SANS PAPER MONEY.
The Treasury Dissatisfied With the
cart Notes" Now in Circulation.
How the New Pntterns Are I3eina
Turned Out

art Notes' Now In Ckfcoiatlon.
How the New Patterns Are Being
Turned out
The people Of this coantry will be-
spending several new kinds OF money
soon Already few specimens OF
II have been printed Ia Washington.
but the Treasury win not be prepared
10 issue "a for white yet. because Il
takes a good many millions OF notes
and certificates to mi the demand, ana
after they have gone through the
presses they have TO dry for weeks
very slowly, so that the ink on them
may not blur in handling. Besides. onlyl
tho one-dollar and two-dollar silver
certificates are finished. the first de.
ion for the five-dollar certificates has
lepn rejected by the Secretary OF the
Treasury. and the other denominations
ire 10 come.
The reason FOR preparing these new
designs for the paper currency In sim
ply that those which adorn the pllis
now lp circulation are not considered
satisfactory. As one Treasury Official
said the other day. "rhe pattern of
the present One-dolnr note wouldn't
make decent newspaper cut a
couple Of years ago che Government
Bureau OF Engraving * lded that
what the country really wanted was
artistic money aud IL hired some we'll
known artists To execute designs for
the various denominations OF certih-
Gates and notes il was q beautiful
idea. but somehow il has not proved
success. These high-art bills now Ia
circulation. with their allegorlcal pic
TIRES and ornamental shields, wreaths
and things. have excited nothing but
0erision on the part of the public and
most particularly disgust I'm banks and
counting rooms. where their obscure
numbers have made them difficult 70
3 eckon.
"A money note Is a piece OF work
purely technical" said the Treasury
oHicial above quoted, "and the purpose
at its design Is as far as possible away
from an idea which an artist has Ia
mind when he sits down 10 make a
letty picture. One hangs picture On
! be wall, or II may be suitable for .
! portfolio: the design of "A bill requires
rst of all the quality Of enduring
wear with least possible injury. IL mas
pass through the greasy hands OF the
butcher. aud across the sloppy counter
Of tn bcel-seller Il Is crumbled IN the
pOctrt OF the ear conductor. and there
"a NJ sort of abuse that 1t Is not liable
TO undergo Accordingly, every ele-
ment IN the makeup OF the pattern
ought 10 have special reference to dur
nbleness The principal lettering should
he bold and black. so as not 10 be easily
Obliterated. and q good strong partrait
l. not only hard TO obscure, but Is the
best safeguard against counterfeiting.
About 80 per cent. OF the surface OF
the now hills ON both sides viii be left
blank-firstly. IN order to show the
fihres of the paper better, and, second
IL. designs more wildly and clearly.
one trouble with the Fart notes is
that their designs confuse the eye
making it more easily actually for O
counterfeit to pass. The paper money
about to be issued, on the other hand
is almost severely plain. An eagle Will
outspread wings is the principal orna
ment Of the face OF the one-dollar silver
certificate, 2 portrait Of Lincoln being
engraved underneath Il. The figure
and the Treasury seal are In bright
blue. and both seal and denominations
number win be Of this color on all OF
the new certificates, so that the latter
may be distingulshable at glance
from United states notes and bank
notes. The two-dollar certificate has Q
head Of Washington.
The Treasury people say that The
value of the Portrait as safeguard
against oounterfeiting. lies In the faci
that we are all Of as more familiar
with human faces than any other OBJ
jects In the world We are accustomed
TO recognize our friends, and very soor
with a face on a new bill as TO notice
the smallest alteration in its expires
! sion. A steel engraved portrait cannoi
We perfectly initiated, and the differ
nnce of a line win produce a change
IN the expression which any one vii
perceive 40 a glance. The "art notes
nave portraits on their backs, but thes'
Icing printed In green are comparative
ly obscure and the face OF bill, any
. way. g. the side usually examined.
Experts admit that note can b.
J made handsomer by engraving Il al
! over, but they say that few scat
/ tered fragments Of design, very elabor
b ate. are most difficult 10 counterfeit
) successfully The new bills have com
2 ! paratively simple patterns on thel
backs. but the geometrical lathe worl
, nsod Is at the same time very com
nllcated IN It's tmceries so as almos
10 defy imitation. al denominations
/ figures are made large and plain. cspe
, cially nc the corners OF the face. SO a
+ tn render counting easy. In some q
J.. the art notes" these all-imp0rtant tig
/ ures are actually ohscured in an OF
:. tempt 10 make them decorative.
!. The fibre paper viii be retained il
r the new bills, Notwithstanding obje'
]. lions made 10 il by some experts. VIII
Z urge that it Is practically worthless q
q q protection against CONTRIBUTING.
e WIS used long ago for considerahl
:. time by the Government, but was dis
!. .1ntinued because the people WI
o owned the patent for II demanded q
v axorbiiant royalty for the privilege q
a ( employing It. In the issue Of Unite
g States notes of 1869 the ingenlou
,cheme was originated Of placing
band Of colored fbres on the left han
.ide OF the denominations under 81
. and on the right hand side Of the lar.
J, / or denominations, the object Of this b.
u iug 10 beat that enterprising gentle
Il