Evening star., 1933-04-09
AFFIXING THE NATIONS FSIGNATURE'

passing through the divided waters of the
Red Sea in pursuit of the Israelites: rays from
q pillar of fire in the cloud, expressive of the
divine presence and command reaching to
Moses who stands on the shore and, extending
his hand over the sea, causes 1t to overwheim
Pharoah. Motto: Rebellion to tyrants Is obedi-
ence to God"
The committees three members soon realized
they were handicapped by their inability to
draw so they called upon the services of q
consultant Eugene Pierre Du Simitiere, West
Indian Frenchman who lived in Philadelphia
and had a reputation artist and author.
He developed a fourth design as follows:
The arms of the several nations from
whence America has been peopled as English.
Scotch, Irish, Dutch, German, etc, each in
shield On one side of them, Liberty with her
pileus; the other, rif1er in his uniform,
with his rifle gun in one hand and his toma-
hawk in the other: this dress and these troops
with this kind of armor being peculiar to
America unless the dress was known to the
Romans
The committee report submitted in
August, 1776 calling for a modification Of the
artists design on the diverse and Franklns
suggestion for the reverse.
IN 1777 committee appointed to examine
the files of Congress selected certain papers
Congress the report on device for a public
seal being among these. Not until $780, how
ever, the matter again given consideration,
a new committee then being appointed This
committees report produced first suggestion
Of the of 13 stars the shield, and the olive
branch. But that report recommitted and
the country continued to be without seal
til 1882. Then another committee ap-
pointed. William Barton, a private citizen of
Philadelphia, was called for consultation. He
presented two designs the second of which was
an approach to the present form of the seal.
Then the whole matter placed in the
hands of Charles Thomson, secretary of Con-
gress, and revisions Of the Barton designs for
the diverse and reverse faces finally were
adopted
Soon thereafter, the diverse was cut in brass
by engraver whose identity is lost in the
past. The intention of the time was to impress
it In wax over a paper wafer but this practice
long ago was discarded.
Use of this brass seal during SO years term
mated in series of incidents which centered
in the casual engravings done by Edward
Stsbler, of Sandy Springs Md, where he was
postmaster from 1928 to 1888.
The Department Of State wished to impress
the seal directly upon paper without use Of
wax. This required the cutting of a die to
replace the venerable piece of brass which had
begun its service in the eighteenth century.
Lie WOIk was OfucIeQ WITHOUT any SPECIFIC
appropriation being made for the purpose by
Congress" states the official record. which
shows the task 1 cutting the die was in
trusted to Mr.. Staoler. This in 1841. when
Daniel Webster Secretary of State.
He (Mr. Stabler) doubtless permitted
to design the seal in his own way the authori-
tative recital declares, "and it accepted
without notice being taken of its palpable def
ciencies from artistic and heraldic point Of
view and its failure to satisfy the plain re-
quirements of the law in the important par
ticular Of the number Of arrows in the eagles
The history of the seal issued by the De-
partment of State in 1909, after indicating the
illegal seal was cut while Mr.. Webster
head of the department, proceeds:
"A fair explanation of it's (the seals) def
ciencies is that he knew nothing about the
details of the prescribed design and intrussed
the business Of securing new seal to his sub
ordinates. who were equally ignorant. and they
In turn intrusted 1t to the engraver
"Unquestionably the Secretary of State has
no authority TO change the device of the arms
it is prescribed by law in the slightest de-
gree could the President himself properly
authorize such change. As the seal was
created by Congress. it would require an act
Of Congress to alter it."
Two years beyond . century after hrst ap-
proval of the seal-in 1s84-Consress decided
to do away with the design which failed to
meet the law full in the face Authorization
was given for the cutting of both the diverse
and the reverse Of the seal originally de-
signed, The diverse was cut and was in use
until 1902. when it was replaced by the seal
disk which now is in service.
The reverse was not cut 1T may be added"
the official record states. that when the
hibit of the Department of State was prepared
for the Chicago Exposition in 1892, large EN-
blazonments Of the diverse and reverse Of the
seal painted, but the appearance pre-
sented by the reverse was SO spiritless. prosaic
heavy and inappropriate that it was never
hung"
Necessity for use Of both sides of a seal yir-