The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-11-11
The State Seal.
Its Interesting History Told by Miss Jessiea
Haskell of Hallowell.

Haskell of Hallowell.
At the recent meeting of the State D
A. R. Council in Pennington the follow
ing paper on the State Arms of Name
was read by Miss Jessica j. Haskell of
Hallowell, Regent of Mary Hilton Dunn
mer Chapter:
Loyal daughters as we are of the ma
ton for whose life our forefathers
fought and died, broad and catholic as
are our patriotic interests, yet to US here
assembled, as to every son and daughter
of Name, the flag of the Pine Tree State
is hardly less dear than the red, white
and blue of Old Glory. Other States
may be as great, other lands as fair. but
none so loved, none so longed for.
The flag of Maine, with its deep blue
field, its bazoned arms, and its motto of
aspiration, stands ever as the symbol of
the homeland we love. Yet just how
that flag came to bear the shield it now
displays perhaps few of US can tell.
For the earliest use of crest and mot
to to mark identity we must 60 beyond
colony days, back to the middle ages,
when knight fought knight and the vic
tor claimed the shield of the vanquished.
The earliest State seals were often sim
ply the personal crest of king or emper-
or. Such were some Of the earliest
arms to which Maine can lay claim, the
early seals of her parent State, Massa-
chusetts. Chief amo G these colonial seals
was that of the well.nated governor, Sir
Edmund Andres. Under the Georges, a
separate seal was provided for the col
ony business. In Revolutionary days, a
soldier, sword in right hand and Magma
Charta in left, replaced the crest of the
Georges. Then followed the earliest
Massachusetts State seal, the Indian
grasping bow and arrow. Perhaps some
of you may be cherishing that very seal,
imprinted on the buttons Of the uniform
of some soldier of Maine who fought be-
fore 1920.
Such was our State seal until our for-s
NAL separation from Massachusetts.
But the State must have arms worthy of
its coming greatness, so early IN the hrst,
legislative session, June 2. 1870, to be
exact, the matter came up for consider
alton. The laconic statement of the
House Journal under that date reads;
"a Joint committee was appointed to
prepare suitable seal and device"
No mention is made in the Journal of
the men who composed that commit
tee but search of the files of the Secre-
tary of State reveals their identity. From
the Senate, William Moody of York, first
president of that body, and William D.
Williamson of PenobscCt, who succeeded
him in that honorable office; from the
House, John F. Scammon of Saco, rep
resentative of fine old Maine family;
Silas Estes of Westbrook and Stephen
burlington of Harpswell, men no less
we'll known; Colonel Isaac G. Reed of
Waldoboro, veteran of 1872; and Alfred
johnson of Belfast, lawyer and states
man. One only needs to run through
the list to realize that here were men of
education and ability, in whose hands so
important work might safely be left.
Account of their deliberations is lack
ing, but prompt they certainly were for
June 9, 1920, just one week after the
naming of the committee, Colonel Reed
presented its report. That report is
printed in full in the "Resolves Of
Maine" 182O-1S2S, and consists of de-
scription in exact heraldic nomenclature
of the device proposed, followed by
rather full and ornate explanation OF Its
terms. The description reads as follows:
"a shield, argent charged with a Pine
Tree, Moose Deer at the foot of it, re-
cumbent. Supporters: On the dexter
side an Husbandmar, resting on
scythe; on sinister side, Seaman, rest
ing on an anchor.
''In the foreground, representing sea
and land, and under the shield, the name
of the State in large Roman capitals, to
wit: NAME The whole surmounted
by crest, the North Star. The motto,
in small Roman capitals, in label, in
terposed between the Shield and the
Crest, VIZ: 'Dirigo.' "
The report of the committee pleased,
was accepted, and three days later the
governor was authorized to provide
suitable press for the same. Thus ends
the records, so far as any is available, of
the adoption of the arms of our great
Commonwealth. Behind these terse
State records lies wealth of personal
history, much of which is lost to US. but
some of which tradition has preserved.
Just whose is the credit of the idea
for this beautiful seal has been mat
ter of dispute. An item from the Port
land Gazette for June, 1920. throws
some light upon this problem:
I'VE understand that the emblems
for the seal of the State were proposed
by Benjamin Vaughn, ESQ.,, of Hallow-
ell, that the sketch was executed by a
young lady in this town, and that the
motto, description and explanation are
from the pen of Colonel Isaac G. Reed,
a member of the House of Representa-
tives from Waldoboro."
There is no doubt that the emblems
were suggested, as the Gazette" says,
by Mr.. Benjamin Vaughan. o. a fine
old family, educated, cultured, with the
tradition of noble descent, he was well
fitted for such an und rtaking. His
daughter, Elizabeth. who later married
Samuel Grant of Gardiner, made the
first tentative sketch of the arms.
Mary Kelton Dummer Chapter feels
particular pride in Hallowell's share
in this patriotic work. The actual
drawing up of the report was, as we
know, the work of Colonel Reed. The
motto, Dirigo, l lead or direct, might
well have been the motto of the colonel's
own life. Certainly, he was as much in
the forefront of every struggle, mill
tary or civil, as the more famous "Colo-
mel" Of our own day. 1t is said that the
final sketch presented with the report, a
parchment copy of which is in the office
of the Secretary of State, was the work
of Bertha Souse, step-daughter of the
doughty colonel. We can imagine with
what pride and with what anxiety that
sketch was made. And even in 1920. a
woman's work was found of use to the
State!
NJ oL 6