Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1908-12-19
Cross OF Our Saviour Figures On
the Stamps of Many
Nations.
The Remarkable Series Issued
BY the Government of
Portugal.
SUBJECT WORTHY OF STUDENTS


less familiar with the fact that MANY
Christian nations present the cross
of Christ, the Child Jesus and his
immaculate mother on their postage
stamps. The tiniest and most
highly priced Christmas card ever
received at the White House, and
thousands go there every year dur
ing the Christmas season, was one
sent to the wife of the late President
Mckinley ten years ago. 1t was
merely a postage stamp sent to Pres
ident Mckinley. 1t was enclosed in
an envelope, but it was the first
stamp especially designed to COM
memorate Christmas day. 1t was
ent to President Mckinley by a Cana
dian, by whose Government it was
issued.
The stamp is printed. in three col
ors and shows a map of the world
and inscribed beneath, Xmas.
1898" Britain in that year present.
ed its possessions lower postage
rates, effective Christmas day, and
the Canadians issued this stamp in
celebration of the occasion. All the
British possessions of this stamp map
are done in bright scarlet, the re-
mainder of the land in white, the
oceans in blush green and variations
and the frame in black. There is
also this inscriptions: I'VE hold a
vaster empire than has BEEN" so that
while it is generally referred to as
the Xmas stamp" thee are some
irreverent persons Who call it 1.-The
has been stamp" 1t was printed for
the Canadians by an American firm.
The. cross, the symbol of Christ.
has a peculiar appropriateness for
Christmas, or Christ day, and there
is a wonderful variety of these dis
played on stamps that must be in
teresting at this season. Some of
these cross stamps were designed
by missionaries. Those of the Ton
gan stamps bearing the Greek cross
were designed by the Rev. S. w.
Baker, missionary. Another mis-
sionary designed the Samoan stamp
that is a reproduction of the flag of
the island, which flag he also de-
signed as member of the pro-
visional government Stamp and
flag are quartered by cross.
The Greek cross adorns the early
Swiss stamps. All the stamps of
Abyssinia show the cross. Some of
the stamps of Italy reproduce the
arms of the house of Savoy showing
a cross on a shield, and the very first
stamps issued by the Servian Govern
ment in 1866 bore a cross. Stamps
of British Africa have a cross en-
blazoned on a black shield and be-
meath the inscription, Light in
Darkness" Crosses of the Maltese
type decorate some of the stamps of
the island of Malta. The Latin cross,
in which form the cross piece is near
the top, is portrayed on various
stamps.
1t is on stamp of Portugal that
the picture of the youthful Christ is
presented, and this forms one of a
most beautiful and elaborate set is
sued by the Government in 1896 in
commemoration of the tooth birth
day anniversary of st. Anthony of
Padua. The Christ stamp is of the
lowest denomination of the set. it's
value being two and one-half refs,
or little more than one-fourth of
an American cent. The printing is
in black on white paper and repre-
sents st. Anthony kneeling, with
arms outstretcbed to the heavens
where Jesus, as a child, appears in
a cloud. The picture is regarded as
a masterpiece and the stamp is
highly treasured, though it is not
rare or expensive. A characteristic
of the stamp and the others of the
set that are not possessed by any
other postal products is that there is
printed on the back of each in Latin
prayer of thanksgiving to God for
his manifold blessings.
The other designs in the st.
Anthony series of stamps continue
the Christian idea and are equally
well executed from an artistic stand
point. One tells in picture the in
teresting story of the sermon
preached to the creatures that live in
the deep. In the course of his wide
work st. Anthony is said
to have come to the town of Arimini,
where his diligent labors to turn the
many heretics from the error of their
way were met with rebuff, the unbe-
levers even refusing to hear his gos-
pei. In sheer despair the saint re-
paired him to the shore of the sea
and called upon the fishes to hear
him. 1t is narrated that at once all
the inhabitants of the deep appeared
upon the surface of the water and
there remained, the large and the
small alike, until the preacher had
finished his eloquent discourse. The
story goes that when this news
reached Arimini the hearts of the
people were changed and they sought
)ut st. Anthony, who expounded to
hem and finally converted them. An
other stamp of this series shows the
saint ascending to heaven attended |
by two angels, while the fourth and |
last is portrait of st. Anthony |
aiken from rare painting in a
French salon.