Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-06-30
MACE IS ANCIENT
SYMBOL OF. POWER
Instrument Now Used in
House Had Origin in Courts
of Roman Republic.

There is probably nothing that SO
attracts the attention of sight
s"ers at the Capitol and about which
80 little is known. as the mace, which
is the symbol of authority in the
House.
When the House is called to order
zach day an assistant sergeant-at-
arms, whose sole duty it is to pre-
serve order on the floor, places the
mace, which is his emblem of author
lty, on cylindrical pedestal of pol
1shed green marble at the right of
the Speakers desk. When the House
"djourns he removes it to the office OF
the sergeant-at-arms for safekeeping
until the House meets again
While the mace is the symbol of
authority for the Sergeant-at- arms
Joseph G. Rogers. it has for the past
'iNc years been cared for and carried
daily to its place in the House cham
Der by y. c. Jordan OF Lyons. Kans.,
:. man OF imposing physique and
- NAL disposition. Although he is
The police authority on the floor of
IN" House. where members in the
heat OF debate sometimes allow their
nNcrWrouSht zeal to get the better of
their tempers. Mr.. Jordan has at all
Times enjoyed the good will and
fIitltuiiNrSS OF AT members OF the
House.
Nace Very Ancient.
The mace is of very ancient and
honorable origin. In the old Roman
republic the magistrates. proceeding
on foot from one place to another, set
up their little court where they ad-
n!nistered justice. tried public OF.
lenders and imposed penalties and
Funishnents. Each of these magis-
rates was attended by 4 small body
If men. known as lictors. whose duty
II was to make way for the officers OF
-he law. preserve order, make arrests.
and infiict punishment on condemned
citizens. Each of these 1ctors car
RED with him bundle of rods las
t"ne6 together with thongs and haV-
ing an AK bound to the outside. These
rods were used for SCourSing and the
TX for beheading.
The mace in the House of Repre-
>cntatiyes is made in facsimile of the
bundle OF rods carried by the iictors-
These bundles of rods were Known
as faSces and came to he recognized
as symbols of authority which every
citizen had to respect. AS the magis-
trates proceeded along the thorough
fares, the lictors. bearing the faSceS,
preceded them while the citizens
made way. When there was any dis
order the faSceS were brought for
ward and quiet and peace were re-
stored. So it is today in the House,
where the mace as a symbol of au-
1hority demands and is accorded in
stant recognition by the most bel
1igerent members.
Symbol of Authority.
The Romans when they conquered
Britain brought with them the fasceS
AS an emblem of authority, which
like many other Roman customs re-
manned with the British people and
subsequently was introduced into
American institutions. While no
longer used for inf1icting punishment,
the fasces continued as a symbol of
The early English magistrates.
The great councils of the early
Sayons developed into one general
body, which in the fourteenth century
came known as the House of Com
mons and the fasces which preserved
became known as the mace. which has
since remained as the emblem of
Legislative authority.
AS the House of RepreSen tatiyes of
The United States was modelled close
" after the House of Commons by
Gse of the mace was borrowed from
this English custom which harked
back to the ancient Roman republic.
The first mace adopted by the
House was destroyed by fire when
the British burned the Capitol in
make-shift mace of painted wood did
service, but in 1912 the present mace
was made in reproduction of the
original mace. 1t is a little over three
feet in height and consists of a
1undle of ebony rods, representing
the states of the Union, bound to-
gether with a band of silver in imita-
rasces. From the center of this
-