Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-19
AMERICAS GREAT SEAL.
Emblem Designed by an Englishman
for United States.
From st. Nicholas.

IL - q tact not generally known. and yei
one OF peculiar significance. that the great
seal Of the United States. which was adopt
ed in 17S2. was suggested by a citizen OF
country with which our own was then at
war.
The history OF the great seal. and the
difficulties which beset those having In
charge the matter of selecting a suitable
and satisfactory design is full OF interest.
Soon after the Declaration of Independence
was signed, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas
Jefferson and John Adams were appointed
committee to prepare great seal for
the infant republic. They employed a
French West Indian named Du Simitiere,
70 furnish designs and sketches. but, al
though number were suggested, none
proved satisfactory
Then each member Of the committee was
asked 10 submit design. Franklin pro-
posed for the device Moses lifting his wand
and dividing the Red sea, and Pharaoh
ana MS hosts overwhelmed with waters.
and TOT motto the words of Cromwell.
Rebellion to tyrants Is obedience to Cod
Adams proposed the choice of Hercules,
the nero resting on a club. Virtue point
ing TO her rugged mountain on the one
SIDE and persuading MIN to ascend. and
Sioth on the other side, CHANGING at her
howery beds and persuading him into
vice JEFFERSON proposed the children OF
israel in the wilderness. led by a cloud
- NNJ anu pliiAT OF urS Dy night, ana
on the reverse side Hengist and Horsa.
the saxon chiefs. from whom we claim The
honor OF being descended and whose po-
ilticai principles and form of government
we nave assumed Jefferson was then re-
quested by his colleagues to combine their
separate ideas into one design which he
oiu, ana this description in his own hand
writing IS still on file in the State Depart
with six quarterings. The first. gold. with
an enameled rose, red and white for Eng
land: the second, white with a thistle IN
its proper color for Scotland: the third
green. with harp of gold. for Ireland
the fourth. blue. with a golden uly. for
france the fifth. gold, with the imperial
black eagle of Germany and the sixth
goid with the Belsic crowned red lion
LOT Hoiland. These denoted the countries
nom which America had been peopled.
he proposed to place this shield within q
req border. on which there should be thir-
teen white escuteheons. linked together by
Z oio chain. each bearing appropriate mi
tlals IN black OF the thirteen original
states. There were supporters on either side
OF the shield, the one on the right being the
Goodess OF Liberty in a corselet OF armor
IN aiiusion to the then state OF war and
hoioing spear and cap in her right hand
while the left supported the shield. On the
ieft was the Goddess of Justice leaning ON
ner sword In her right hand. and in her left
balance The crest was the eye of Proyi-
oence, in radiant triangle whose glory
extended over the shield and beyond the fig
ures. The motto was "E Pluribus Unum''
tone out Of many. For the reverse he pro-
posed the device Of Pharaoh sitting In an
open chariot. crown on his head and
sword IN his hand. passing through the
waters of the Red sea in pursuit of The Is
raehtes-rays from pillar Of fire in a
cloud, expressive of the divine presence ard
command. beaming on Noses who stands
on the snore and. extending his hand over
the sea causes 1t to overwheIm Pharaoh
and his followers. Motto: Rebellion to
tyrants Is obedience to God"
JeneTson's device met with the unouay,esd
approval OF his associates, and the commit
tee reported to the Continental Conpress n,
August 10. 1778 but for soma unaccounto
Bile reason their report was never acted
upon. "''ou
Nothing further was done in the matter
tee. composed of Messrs. Lowell NJ Massa-
chusetts, Scott of Virginia and Houston of
georgia, was appointed to make another
device.
They suggested a design four inches in
diameter. one side Of which should be COM
posed of shield with thirteen dia eonaI rad
and white stripes This shield was support-
ed on one side by a warrior holding a
sword. and on the other by the figure of
Peace bearing an olive branch The crest
was q radiant constellation of thirteen
states: motto. "Bello vel Peaca''-''For wa r
or Peace: and the legend Seal of the
United states On the reverse the figure Of
and cap. Motto. "Semper',-"Forever" ana
underneath "MDcCLxxvI."
This device met with the same nerIect at
the hands of Congress as the former. and
the matter remained in allegiance until 1TS2
when another committee was apuouted
they reported substantially tire same de-
vice as the former committed but this be-
ing sun unsatisfactory, Congress. on June
3. 17s2 referred the whole matter to Its
secretary. Charles Thomson. He in turn
procured several devices. but they met with
no better fate than their predecessors and
after vainly trying to perfect a seal which
should meet the approval OF Congress
Thomson received from John Adams. then
In London. an exceedingly simple and an
propriate device which was suggested nv
Sir John Prestwfch a baronet of the west
quarian and warm friend of America
1t consisted of an escutcEeon bearing thtr-
teen perpendicular stripes alternate red
and white with the chief blue and spangIed
with thirteen stars And to give 1t greater
consequence he proposed to place the escut-
cheon on the breast of the American eagle,
displayed without support, as emblematic
of self-rellnce
This device met with general approval In
and out of Congress. and was adopted in
1872 1t remains to this day the great
seal of the United States unchanged in the
slightest degree from the day of its adop-
ton. Stripped of heraldic technicalities
1t may be described as follows:
An escutcheon of thirteen perpendicular
stripes. alternate red and white; a blue
field; this escutcheon on the breast OF an
American eagle. displayed holding In its
right talon an olive branch and IN its left
a bundle of thirteen arrows: in its belk
a scroll inscribed with tie motto, "E Pluri-
bus Unum." For the crest over the head
Of the eagle. which appears above the es-
cutcheon. golden glory breaking through
a cloud of surrounding thirteen stars form
ing constellation of white stars on a blue
field.
The reverse Is an unfinished pyramid: In
the zenith Is an eye In triangle surround
ed with glory. Over the eye are the
words. "Annuit coeptis'-which may be
freely translated as God has favored the
undertaking. On the base of the pyramid
are the letters In Roman numerals
MDCCLxXyI. and underneath IS the
motto. MENUS ordo seclorum" "a new order
of the ages" denoting that a new
order of things had begun in the western
hemisphere.
Thus, after six years of fruitiess effort,
very simple seal was adopted and yet
remains the arms of the United States.
SUPERSTITIONS OF SAILORS