The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-04-01
SIGN OF AUTHORITY
WHAT THE MACE MEANS TO AZ.
ht sEMsLEo coNoREsss 4.
Insignia 10 Of the Most Ancient and
Honorable orISvn--Wss FIrst
Used Under the Roman
Republic.


IN the hall OF the house OF represcn.
tativcs in the capitol at Washington
stands a large cylindrical pedestal
made of highly polished green marble.
When the house is called to order
each day the sergeant.at-arms, or one
OF his deputies, places upon this pcdes.
tai the mace, which is the symbol Of
authority in the house. When the
body adjourns, says st. Nicholas, he
removes it, and keeps II In safety until
the house meets again.
This mace is OF very ancient and
honorable origin. Under the old Ro-
man republic. the magistrates passed
on foot from one place to another, ad-
ministcrfng justice, trying public Of
Tenders and imposing penalties.
Each of these magistrates was at
tended by a small body of men known
as lictors, whose duty II was 10 make
way for the officers of the law, pre-
serve order, make arrests and infIict
punishment on condemned citizens.
Each of these lictors carried with
him bunch of rods tied together with
thongs. and having an ak bound to
the outside Of 1t, The thongs were
used for beheading Sentences i'm
posed by the magistrates were at once
carried out.
These bundles of rods were known
as fasccs. When the magistrates
passed along the thoroughfares the
lictors preceded them, bearing the
fasces aloft, and the assembled citi-
zens Immediately made way for. them.
When any disorder arose nearby,
the lictors appeared with the fasces,
upon the sight of which quiet was in
stantly restored. No Roman citizen
ever ventured to question the author
ity of this emblem
When the Romans conquered Brit.
ain the use of the fasccs as symbol
WAS brought with them, and like many
other Roman customs remained with
the British people.
While II was no longer used for in.
f,icting punishment II continued to be
used as a symbol by the early nglish
magistrates, and when an officer ap.
peared carrying the fasces his au.
thority was Immediately accepted by
eli. It was, in effect, HIS badge OF Of
ficc
The English form OF the fasces was
slightly changed In that the ak was
placed inside Of the bundle of rods,
with blade protruding from the top.
The great councils of tho early Sax.
ons gradually developed into one gen.
cral body, which in the fourteenth
century became known as the house
OF commons. In all these earlier
councils the use of the fasces was con.
tinped, but it then came to be known
as sthe mace, which has remained as
the cmeblem Of legislative authority
In that body down TO the present day.
Tho house Of representatives Of the
United States was modelled closely
after the house of commons by the
trainers of our constitution and the
usage Of the mace was borrowed from
the English custom.
The first mace adopted by the
house was destroyed by fro when the
British burned the capitol in 1914.
From 1914 until 1912 a mace OF paint
ed wood did service, but In the lat.
ter year the present mace was made
after the model Of the original one.
1t Is about three feet in height and
consists of a bundle, of ebony rods,
hound together with baud of silver
after the fashion Of tho fasces. From
the center Of this bundle of rods pro.
trides a silver stem. on which is a
silver globe four or five inches In, di.
ameter. This globe is an eagle OF
solid silver with outsprcad wings
This mace is the emblem of author
ity In the house, and when, as some,
times happens. that body becomes
unruly and seems quite beyond the
speakers control. the sergeant "A I.
arms appears. and. lifting the mace
from the pedestal, bears 1t up and
down the aisle Of the hall. Instantly
every member sinks into his seat, or,
der Is restored at once. and absolute
silence prevails. Any members who
dtsregards the mace Is IN contempt
and 10 liable to censurc or even cxpul
nd