Evening star., 1933-04-09

for its and care Is CIanSIeTTeQ Nucu Iiic
position of Secretary of State sees change in
occupancy.
BY some quirk of a democracy's mind, the
circular device necessary to final effectiveness
of major governmental affairs, long has been
permitted to remain under the shroud OF COM
parative inattenton.
Treaties, formal communications to heads oil
foreign nations presidential proclametions, COM
missions of cabinet and diplomatic ofhcerS-aH
these would be merely pieces of paper and with
out consequence unless they came beneath pres
sure of the Great Seal. Yet that instrument
rests quite ob5curely in a room known to few,
its history dismaying chronicle OF apparent
indifference.
Were this lack of interest in the emblem of
this country development Of our day alone,
it might be dismissed with the comment that
present time complexities leave small space for
the study and full appreciation of a symbol
Stark fact, however rises to testify that apathy
toward the Great Seal was born before the
nineteenth century
Members of the Continental Congress, after
attaching their signatures to the Declaration
of independence early In the afternoon OF July
f. IT'S moved almost Immediately to considera-
ton of a matter second only in their estimation
to the action by which the Nation was estab-
lished Before night descended over that his
toric day, they appointed committee to sub
init "a device to complete the evidence OF the
independence Of the United States by formally
adopting an official sign of sovereignty and
national coat of arms
With that speedy start approval of design
and adoption of seal might have been ex-
pected to arrive within few days or, perhaps.
few weeks.
But speed faded into languor. Not until
1782-six full years later-did Congress move
to adopt the seal which the Declarations sign
ers had deemed to be so important.
Between that distant year and the present
rests a period of four decades during which
OF Stam urith a which
was Illegal in that 1t differed radically from
the design authorized by Congress. Also, the
reverse of the sealEthe rarely-seen side which
bears the depletion Of an uncompleted pyra-
mid-never has been cut for official use.
Adding its share to the evidence of COM
placency is the fact that the seal stands with
little statutory protection against broad repro
duction or unsanctioned use. Beyond that
records of the sternly official sort show the
Government has issued at least one copyright
covering a reproduction based upon the SEAL
This was issued to the man who engraved the
die now in the custody of the Secretary OF
State. Trademark law raises a lone hand
against promscuous use of the seal design
And thick legal tones may be searched dill
gently without revealing provision of any
penalty for unauthorized possession of the OH
cial die or for exact duplication of that en-
graved piece of steel.
CASUAL thought, ordinarily exercised,
~ would picture the all-important seal of
the Nation being carefully protected in
large vault, with precautions and safeguards
all around it. Likewise, mention Of the seal
brings to mind something on the order OF q
notary public's equipment, long -handeled, TO
apply pressure and produce depresSions and
reliefs sheets of paper.
Each of these ideas is far removed from the
state Of things as they are.
First Of all, the seal is located in q room
used for Office purposes occupying space be-
tween filing cabinets and the door through
which clerks in the appointment section Of the
Department Of State pass TO and from their
desks The room, 50 far as general appear
ances 90. might be any Of the hundreds Of
others with which it shares space in the State.
War and Navy Building.
As for the seal itself, or, more precisely, the
installation to which the steel die Is attached,
the top Of which protrudes . metal IT, made
of round bars The horizontal bar, approx
mately two and one-hal feet in length termi-
mates at either end in solid sphere.
The upper portion Of the wooden case fitted
with a small lock, is divided from top to bot
tom into equal sections which are hinged and
fold backward to reveal the interior.
The vertical bar Of the "T' is seen to lie
grooved spirally and to have at its lower end
one of the two discs between which state papers
are placed when they are to receive the i'm
print of the seal. Approximately three inches
in diameter this lower die bears the image of
the American eagle with outstretched wings
and the other details Of the seals design. The
raised portions Of this disc match the recesses
In the die attached to the vertical bar
When the horizontal bar Of the IT, is
whirled sharply, grooves IN the vertical bar
cause it to descend, forcing the discs together
and npressing the seal upon the paper be-
tween them
The engraved disc and the die against which
II is forced well anchored in the metal
framework which supports the IT and which
weighs more than half ton. They have not