Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-07-05
The Americans S
Coat of Arms
When IT. should and When fs
Shouldn't be- Used.

~ n highly regarded book ofr social
II usage recently published we are m
formed in tho chapter on note paper
and note writing that one pf the aeas
se3ections for note paper is that On
which a crest or monogram is produced
in raised white letters or m dark ink
or one color. And as a matter of fact
there are a good many Americans who
10 make Use or fneir coat OF arms or
crest IN tHis way. Trey Ike this little
harmless assumption Of arfstocrati.
Importance and. after all. even A. g "a
not entirely American IN principle. IL
does no one any harm. But since they
are borrowing an old world practice u
seems only consistent that they should
conform to the old-worid way of doing
Il. And the rule is that woman may
lever bear a crest. ! believe In Eng
land only the Queen Regent Is ever
entitled 20 use a motto. though there
are thousands OF American women grho
assume this royal prerogative al fhs
time.
We are really extremely carelsrs
about cur use OF coats of arms and
newly rich American families who havs
gone TO England displaying elaboFats
coats OF arms borrowed or manufac-
tured TO order after their acquisition
OF this worlds goods have caused mors
than one smile on the faces OF English
folk. who are Inclined to take fhs
proper use OF coats OF arms quite seri-
ously Stationers in this country arc
not always sticklers on the proper
form in this matter and they VIII FREE
quentlY suggest tho use OF n crest for
women customers. Moreover. they DO
not realize that a single woman Or
widow must bear her arms on
1ozenge. not on a coat OF arms. and
thus stationary bearing shicll-
shaped device is recommended for tns
use OF the entire family. One thing.
however, that is not considered ia
good taste in this country and tnat -
to have the device embossed IN more
than one color, although the original
may have been in two CT three -tinc-
lures. or colors As 4 matter of fscf.
varicolored emhossing is extremely
and no one with an 80
for the fitness OF things would want
to reproduce his bearings tn fan glory
OF their proper eolors.
In a measure. among Americans or
the best taste and traditions coats q
arms are dispensed with. OF courre.
ff they are found engraved ora old f.1;-
ily silver or stamped on the seals q
old family documents they arc valued
as interesting and rare family relies.
Likewise an ancient painting OK ths
family 5--F,blszonmenr IS treasured. ane
sometimes displayed with the sars
pride that onc.wouid show q portrait Il
a colonial ancestor But when we 70
member that in colonial times AZ.
since then painters OF coats % arms
have been willing 70 manufacture de-
vices on the spur OF the moment o. q
take them out Of English herailrles
without The slightest idea as 60 whether
the persons desiring them had ang
right to claim kinshsp with tho En-
glsh families that bore them. thcy
really possess very little value except
as relics So II you are tempted -
have your new dining-room cmtei-
lsshed with panels bearing paintings q
the arms OF some dozen families "a
which you are allied--as has occn lous
by more than one supposedly sood
and think wh~fsr7
YOU viii not be making Yourself r.dic-
nlous rather than mose worthy os res
gDcct