Evening journal., 1904-09-24

h4. ,..., -. . -...s... has appropri'
ated the bear ana Indiana the buffalo.
Judged by numbers, the deer is the
most popular of heraldlc animals, sec
ond only to the ubiquitous eagle. Lou
isiana displays its ingenuity in domes
tlcating the pelican, while Wisconsin
has surmounted It's shield with what Is
probably intended for a beaver. but
what looks uncommonly Ike a lizard
walking a rope. Even more misleading
than the fora and fauna Is the topog-
raphy Of the various shields. These
might be supposed to represent the
typical landscapes Of the states, and
often this is the case. But while we
might approve Of a mountain chain on
shields Of the Rocky mountain states II
Is certainly misleading TO find In the
background Of the shields Of Florida,
Ohio, Indiana, Kansas and Nebraska
series Of juttlng and precipitous
peaks which might fairly astound the
denizens OF Chile or Peru
In the matter Of costume the task OF
our self taught heralds was more than
uncommonly difficult The tlmeless
universally which from the artistic
standpoint Is so great a recommends
ton Of the undrapcd human figure for
coins or statues they could not utilize
The unconscious nuditles Of sculpture
shocked the pioneer, and even the cul-
tured descendants OF the Purltans OBJ
jected 70 the Bacchante out Of doors.
In consequence OF our strong national
feeling which Identifies clothing and
responsibility the designers studiously
avoided the undraped figure and Of
course found great difficulty in hitting
upon substitute costume at once stat
uesque and appropriate.
Free flowing drapery, supposedly
classic. infoIds the goddesses who sup
port tile shields OF New York and New
| Jersey. Similar dlvinities on the shields
Of virginia and California are supplied
with helmets and coats Of mail. On
the Maryland shield the human figures
wear the uniforms Of the beefeaters
Of the Tower Of London, while on the
shield Of Georgia the cooked hat anc
knee breeches Of the Georgian epocl
appear. Then comes the delugel Rec
/ shlrted plowmen, smiths, miners an'
the ubiquitous pioneer, with hi
trousers tucked into his boots, decorate
II that term may be so desecrated, full
a dozen coats Of arms. The approve
style Of headgear is the derby with
low crown, known in the vernacular Q
r a past decade as "the gumdrop style.
+ Variations upon this typical pionee
l costume are found in the traditiona
r long cape oyercoat worn by our soldier
II in the civil war and occasionally b.
our recognized senatorial toga. Bot
Of these variants appear on the shiel
b OF Kentucky, where two maudlin look
, ing individuals literally exemplify th
state motto. United We Stand; Divid
ed We Fall"
A certain bathos OF conception FIRE
quently manifcsts itself either in IN
scene portrayed on the shield or i
the appended motto. Thus Virginia
nttitudinizing armor clad goddess, wit
her sword drawn, stamping on a pros
tratc figure and exclaiming "Slc sempe
J, tyrannis' is rather sophom0ric TO sa.
the least. The shield of Arkansas POI
trays scene which suggests an M
. tutored darky's picture Of the secon
|, advent. A goddess In heaven surround
:. ed by circle OF stars bears I'm he
: hand n wreath, while below her an M
: gel grasps an eagle, who holds in hi
: mouth n scroll bearing the legend, "P'
puli Regnant." on the shield of wy
oming are emblazoned two monuments
p pillars surmounted and infolded by
= scroll on which one reads, In letter
of the same size, Equal Rights-Liy
! stock -Mines-Oil." This Is III
a pleasantly suggestive Of an implie
s parity Of values.
h The causes OF the artistic failures al
u primarily a lack OF unity and simpli
y ity in design and an attempt TO su
d charge a limited area with bewilde
II ing wealth Of inharmonious detail. III
e secondary causes have been a civic e
D. uberance that will submit to no arti
N tic check or control and an effort
e preserve historical associations wit
Ie out first idealizing the symbolism
N hygone epochs.-New York Post.