The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-03-31
OUR NATIONAL BIRD
The Eagle Was Selected In Spite
of FrankIin'S Protests.
HE FOUGHT FOR THE TURKEY
In His Judgment the Barnyard Dig
nitary Was the Better American snc
More Truly Typifed the Young Ma
ton Than Did the Bully of the Air.

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More Truly Typified the Young Ma
tion Than Did the Bully Of the Air.
Few probably have ever given II u
thought as to why we adopted the
eagle as our national bird, and mol
many are aware that our forefathers
gave considerable thought to the sub
ject. The eagle Is I'm no way signif
cant of America and Is not a purely
American bird. When the subject was
mooted at the beginning Of our exist
ence as n nation there was considerable
preference for the turkey as the na
uonal bird, and II Benjamin Franklin
who was called upon to discuss and de
eide many tickllsh questions. had had
his way our bald eagle would never
have arisen above the status Of a hawk
robber, while the barnyard dignitary
would have aired his vanity on every.
thing from the national seal down to a
quarter.
Even with all our republican ideas
when this nation was born. we still
possessed a tQuch Of heraldry. and the
fathers regarded the selection of prop
er heraldie arms as most essential
feature Of the conception OF nation
In the earliest days the eagle was not
considered, and Mt last when Franklin
heard that It had been chosen he was
sorely displeased.
John Hancock, Immediately after the
Declaration Of Independence, turned
his attention to the creation Of ma.
tional flag and seal. He was an ardent
antiquarian and had made an exhaust.
I've study of heraldry, 80 he was care
full to select such Of his friends as he
knew were competent to design and Sc
lect the proper symbols. They were
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and
Benjamin Franklin.
When Hancock's distinguished com.
mittee presented its first set of sugges-
tions the congressional body was not
satisfied with any Of the devices,
though they had developed them In
numerous conclaves and with much
laborious and conscientious study. JEFF
ferson had worked out shield divided
into six sections. each containing some
thing symbolical Of one Of the peoples
that entered into the making Of Amer.
lea.
There was the English rose. the
French 6eur de lis. the Scotch thistle,
the Irish harp. the German eagle and
the Dutch lion. Virtue and Justice sup
ported the shield; above was the eye OF
Providence and below the motto, &c
Pluribus Unum."
John Adams had the government rep
resented as powerful. herculean fig.
ure, with a giant club and standing be-
tween Virtue and Vice.
Franklin adopted the story Of Pha.
raoh pursuing the Hebrews into the
Red sea, with the pillar Of fire before
the latter.
None Of these was pleasing, so the
committee was dismissed, and In the
ensuing years five distinct groups Of
men submitted over forty suggestions
before the eagle. with his olive branch
In one claw and his arrows In the
other. finally satisfied congress, much
to Franklin's dissatisfaction.
In June Of the year 1882 congress
finally permitted itself to acquiesce to
the eagle design. and by that time the
only thing that was left Of the Frank
lin idea was the "E Pluribus Unum"
that he had suggested to Jefferson In
1778.
Franklin. with his ideas Of the fit-
ness OF things. could not approve OF a
bird which he knew from his observa-
tions to be rascal among the denizens
Of the uppex air. He affirmed that the
eagle was a lazy bird and a great big
bully, neither one OF which he believed
typifed the young nation. He said
that the eagle would not go out In
watched for the more industrious birds
who would do so. and he would then
attack them and take the food away
from them.
Had Franklin had his way we should
doubtless be Offering premiums for the
pelts Of the bald eagle In the places
where he is so fortunate as to survive
and on the other hand would permit
the aboriginal turkey to strut our for
ests and fields In peace and pride.
1t was not In many things that the
taste and will Of Franklin did not carry
with the colonial representatives. for
there was no man more highly respect.
ed than he, SO II Is no speculation to
say that we came very near having
had the turkey on our seal instead Of
the eagle. Considering the fact that
Franklin opposed the eagle. II is most
surprising indeed that II was ever
adopted at all.-Philadelphi Press.