Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-29
Historic Mace
Continued from Third Page

sapphires and pearls. The crown is Of four
crosses alternating with four feur-de-lis. This
relic of antiquity is only used upon rare oc-
caSions of great ceremony, such as coronatlonS
and the annual election of the chief magistrate
of the city. History records that the Mayor
of London carried a very ornate mace as early
as 1852, and the present crystal and gold
scepter of the Lord Mayor of London may be
that mace.
There are eight massive silver-gilt maces Of
great antiquity kept in the jewel house Of the
Tower of London. The University Of Oxford
has three very ornate maceS that date back to
the sixteenth century, and at Cambridge there
are four of the seventeenth century. These were
altered at the Commonwealth and again at the
Restoration.
The origin of the mace is shrouded in an
tiquity, but 1t is fairly certain that 1t has
evolved from the Roman fasces, a bundle of
elm or birch rods fastened together with a red
strap with an ak protruding from the end.
The rods were for scourging, and the ak was
for beheading The mace in the United States
House of Representatives strongly resembles the
Roman fasces, except, of course, there is no
ak for beheading belligerent members.
In the days of the ancient Roman Republic
the magistrates went on foot from place to
place proceeded by the lctors bearing the fasces,
the symbol of authority that every citizen must
respect. These magistrates set up their court,
tried offenders. administered justice, imposed
fines and punshments The lctors went in
them. They preserved order in court very
much as the sergeant at arms does in the
House of Representatives today. They also
made arrests and inflicted punishments on con-
demned citizens. While the fasces, or hctor, as
1t was sometimes called, was carried ceremoni-
ously in the left hand and across the left
shoulder it was also ready as weapon should
the occasion arise, just as policeman keeps
his club in readiness for any disturbance. The
faSceS was also carried behind the bier of a
magistrate or other high official
The Fascist party in Italy has adopted the
ancient fasceS as the emblem of its party
The name of the party is derived from fascio
which means a bundle bunch, from which
comes the ancient motto, "in union there is
strength" The celebrated Houdon statue of
Washington at Richmond shows the first Presi-
dent standing beside great fasces as a symbol
of his high authority.
When the Romans conquered Britain they
brought with them their ancient emblem of
authority, which, like many of their customs,
became modified in one form or another but
has continued in use to the present day. In
the fourteenth century the General Assembly
OF the early SaXons became known as the
House Of Commons, and the fasces became
known as the mace. The word mace is closely
akin to the word "mallett"
The mace as an original weapon of offense
was made of iron, steel or latten, and was
capable Of breaking through the strongest
armor. The kings sergeant at arms carried
his war mace at all times to defend the life
and limb of the king He always marched
in front of the royal procession.
The mace was carried in battle by medieval
bishops instead of swords, since the ecclesiasti-
cal law forbade bishops to shed blood. The
venerable Bayou tapestry which represents the
main events in the conquest of England by
the Normans, and is now thought to be a con-
temporary work of that time shows Ode, the
Bishop Of BayeuX, carrying mace. The mace
was used in Europe as a weapon of war by
the cavalry as late the sixteenth century
and it is still used by savage tribes in various
parts of the world.