Evening star., 1924-08-10
Capital Sidelights
by WILL p. KENNEDY.

dependence, which was signed about
Continental Congress, desiring to
complete the evidences Of the inde-
pendence OF the United States by
formally adopting an official sign of
sovereignty and a national coat of
arms, at O'clock on the same day,
named DR.. Franklin, John Adams and
Thomas Jefferson (three of the fve
men who had drawn up the Declara-
tion) as a committee to prepare. a
device for seal OF the United States.
This committee called to its as
sistance Eugene Pierre Du Simitiere,
West Indian Frenchman who lived
In PhtIadelphfa and who had a repu-
tation as an artist and author. Papers
Preserved In the Congressional
made for this committee. which re-
ported on August 20 This report
was not acted upon and for four
years the United States existed with
out coat Of arms and Congress did
business without an official seal.
The American Minister to- France,
Silas Deane, complained of the infor-
mality and improperly of the repre-
sentatives of a sovereign nation be-
ing without a seal with which to au-
thenticate their oficial acts. A COM
mittee of Congress Of which William
Ellery Of Rhode Island was chair
man urged Congress to act upon the
device for public seal, but 1t was not
was taken up. Then another COM
mittee composed of James Lowell of
Massachusetts,, John NORM Scott Of
Virgins and William c. Houston of
Sew Jersey was appointed.
Lowell was a Boston school teacher,
"A Harvard graduate, had been i'm
prisoned by the British after the bat
tie OF Bunker Hill, but later ex-
changed. he entered Congress and was
chairman OF the foreign affairs COM
mittee.
The report of this committee met
the same fate as that of the first
committee, but Is important because
IT shows for the first time the use Of
the constellation Of 13 stars. the
shield and the red and white stripes,
IT'D. and the olive branch as an
emblem of peace.
Nothing further was done until
May. 1882, when Arthur Middleton of
South Carolina, Elias Boudinot of
New Jersey and Edward Rutledge of
South Carolina were appointed a
committee to design a seal. They
called In William Barton of Philadel-
phia- This Barton and Charles Thom-
son. secretary Of the Congress-. to
whom Congress had turned over the
report of this committee with the
Barton design. worked out the first
design approved by Congress and cut
as s the great s;s. seal Of the United States.
arms cannot Justly be accorded to
either. but belongs wholly TO both.
with the larger share of distinction
TO the secretary, Charles Thomson.
This seal was adopted on June 20,
-
The different features of the seal
had all been in common use in Amer
lea In the North Carolina paper cur.
rency Of 1775 appears a bundle of 13
arrows; in the Maryland currency of
the same year q hand grasping an
olive branch with - leaves; on q $50
Dill issued in 177S Is An unfinished
pyramid with the motto 'Perennis"
IN tne Massachusetts copper penny
OF !77s are Is stars, surrounding ar,
eagle; the nag had the I3 stripes and
SO had the seal Of the Board of Adj
miraity adopted Maya, 1880.
-
Soon after the seal was adopted
the diverse was cut in brass: but the
identity Of the engraver is unknown.
1t was intended to be impressed in
wax over paper wafer, and is found
on q commission dated September Is,
i1SZ, granting full power and au-
thority to Gen. Washington to ar
range with the British for exchange
o. OIL prisoners Of war; This commits
Monv,snd ston Is signed pny by John Hanson of
countersigned by Charles Thomson.
secretary. the seal being affixed in
the upper left-hand corner, instead Of
the hower left-hand corner, as is now
the custom.
This. the first great seal to be made.
continued In use for SO years.
When the Congress under tn. Ar.
ticles OF Confederation ceased to exist
and the new Government went into
operation Charles Thomson continued
In charge OF the great seal until re.
lieved OF that duty by President
washington on July "a. 17gs. who
oifected him to turn the seal and
reeords .,s into the custody of Roger
vas created and the Secretary Of
State named as Official custodi,n ~
the great seal.
When Daniel Webster was s..,..
tafy OF State that department in
1881 discarded tho seal Of ITS. and
without authority from Congress had
new die cut by Edward Stabler Of
SANDY Spring, Nd, where he was
postmaster. This is known as "the
unoficial seal"
theodore F. Frelinshuysen, when
secretary OF State in 1888, took the
matter up with Congress, which on
July Z. 1884. authorized a new seal II
was then determined not to cut m.
reverse. which had been prescribed
as part Of the seal by the act of 17s.
but went unnoticed: again the act of
September Is, 1873, continued the seal
as prescribed in 1882, but no effort
was then made to design or cut the
reass.se when the seal Of 1st1 was
and in 1888 It was definitely deter
mined. after designs had been drawn.
" 70 abandon It. The design of the OBJ
vSree OF tne seal OF 1884 was deter
mined upon with great care. It was
an enlargement with some modifica-
tons OF the seal of 1882, the modifica-
!ions being closer adherence to the
law creating the seal. -
+ X
The seal now in use was cut June
Is, 1893. after John Hay. while secre-
tafy OF State, had asked Congress to
provide funds for this purpose. It
was then written into the law that
the great. seal should be recut from
the original model. -. - -
This seAl--of which there 10 no du-
plicate anywhere--is kept In q spe.