The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-01-31
On crests in America.

Back in the days when men fought
with spears and axes it was considered
polite, not TO say sensible, to incase
the entire body in steel. Ali fighters
looked pretty much alike when 50 in
cased. and from the custom spraEg
heraldry with all its glory and ex-
pSuse. Fighters got in the habit 81
placing on their shields or helmets q
Distinguishing mark, so that after you
put a man out you could tell who he
was without calling q blacksmith. IL
was a useful thing in those days.
The system of adopting crest, which
was the name applied to the mark on
the helmet still exists, but il has been
varied somewhat, especially in this
country. The knights of ancient days
adopted a device which symbolized
some great performance of the wearer
or his ancestors. This is where the va
ration comes in. The average Aneri-
can who sports a crest on his--Or, more
frequently, her-stationery, does not
pay proper respect to the dead. Thus
It is that picks, washtubs. handouts.
mortar hods, spades, moccasins, etc. do
not figure cOnsDiCuousiy in the modern
crests. On the contrary, we sec crowns,
corOnets, helmets, spears and the like,
coupled with Latin notices, not gen.
orally susceptible Of translation by the
one who owns the crest and which
would remain q mystery should the
translation furnished by the man who
sold the crest be lost and forgotten. .
But crests in America have their
value, as duplicates are seldom sold IL
the same town. Most Of those who purE
chase erests are long on coin and shOf t
on learning Thus one can tell by the
crest who wrote the letter even though
crest generally indicates that the SYn-
or Oft has money 70 burn, because the
man who peddies crests In America
does for the purchaser OF his goods
what the free library il doing for An
drew Carnegie In the few cases
whore the crest does not typify we lth
il may be assumed that its poss- ssor
got It from the old country, and then
you may be sure that its present owner
or an ancestor got to the boat a few
laps ahead of the police, because people
who own crests abroad do not leave
home except IL cases Of Indictment
The crest is a patriotic Institution in
America, because il stands for what
the founders Of the country ran away
from and what some OF the weather.
occupants of space in this country t-y
to run back to as soon as they get rich
enough to bear the expense.
There is no simpler way for a person
Of means to get ancestry than through
the purchase Of a crest. A crest-that
relates you to an earl can be had at
quite reasonable figure now. One re-
lating you TO a duke COM 3 higher, of
course, and a crest that takes your
line right back TO royalty viii probably
cost quite a bit Of money. Don't VERY
about your name. 1t viii be dropped
into the middle or attached TO one end
Of another name in a manner that con-
elus yev e-t7 iish S the connection, or
else changed to suit your changed cir
Gums lance Fl wing a crest you Will
no longer need TO 5 gn your name b
mark. but can just draw your pen 81
rate course aeross tie bottom of the
sheet after the hired girl has written
your letter for you. and the crest win
show at a glance that the letter is from
you.
OF the great value of a crest 20 those
who aspire to move In the higher social
circles Of this country nothing need be
said here. It's long period of valiant
service tn Ihis field of endearor has
been It's vindication. Be careful 10 have
the motto consist Of Latin words. and
many Of them. Then nobody In your set
except yourself wiz know what il
means. and it win therefore carry great
weight
No one who has the price should be
without crest.