Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09

1Oo gu1neaS, when an engraving of the
| same figures and inscription might have
! been beautifully done on plate of sill
| yer the same size for two guineas.
A Good Idea.
| Speaking at some length of the custom Of
| the ancient peoples to make their medals
| coin of the realm, Mr.. Franklin continued:
THE man who is honored only by a single
| medal is obliged to show it to enjoy the
honor, which can be done only to few, and
| often awkwardly. l therefore wish that
the medals of Congress were ordered to be
money. Like many other wise suggestions
1t seems, however, that Congress only par
TALLY acted upon it,
Showing the care and thought which was
put into the bestowal and purchase of these
first Anglican medals, it is interesting to
turn to the letters of Col David Hum
phreys, under the supervision of whom
those for Generals Washington, Greene
Gates and Morgan and Lieutenant Colonies
Washington and Howard were arranged
for. From these we find that upon receiv-
ing from the United States the commission
he made 1t his business to seek out the
most capable men to carry out the task
Being directed by Frenchman of standing
to the Academy Of Inscriptions and Bellies
Lettres, he wrote to that institution solicit
| ing its aid in the selection of artist. This
letter is quantity worded, and sets forth at
great length the desire of the United States
to confer special honor by the medium Of
these medals. This letter was translated
into French by Col Humphreys friend, the
Marquis de la Fayette," and we are told
that the academy entered on the discussion
with the same alacrity as If the subject had
been designed to illustrate the actions of
their compatriots, or to immortaliZe some
glorious event in the annals of their own
nation" AS result, contract was made
by Col Humphreys with NJ Augustin Du-
pre-, the father of the famous painter, by
which he was to execute the dies for Cen
eral Greene's medal at cost of 2 400 livres.
Colonel Humphreys leaving France before
the medals were completed, Thomas Jeffer-
son undertook to see that the commission
was properly fulfilled, and on February IA,
1887, he wrote to Secretary John Jay that
the dies were ready for use; suggesting at
the same time, Enthusiastically, that it
might be desirable to give series of each
to every crowned head in Europe and one
Of each person to every college of the United
States"
To this the secretary replied as follows:
LAS these medals were directed to be
struck in order to signaliZe and comment
crate certain interesting events and con-
spicuous characters, the distribution OF
them should be such as may best conduce to
that end. The secretary therefore thinks
that both of Mr.. Jefferson's hints should
be mproved-presuming that Mr.. Jefferson
does not mean that any should be presented
to the King of Great Britain, for 1t would
not be delicate; nor that by crowned heads
he meant to exclude free states from the
compliment, for to make determinations
would give offense."
A Generous Distribution
Accordingly these medals were dealt out
generously to every monarch Except his
Britannia majesty, to every sovereign and
independent state in Europe, to the en-
perors of Morocco and China, and to dis
tinguished universities and individuals. So
short, however, is flames little day that
half a century later scarcely one of these
many medals was to be found in existence.
Indeed, when in 1866 the director of the
mint was authorized to strike off copies in
bronze of all the medals issued by the
United States, which might be sold at q
nominal price, u was discovered that the