Snt,—I think Mr. MacColl is unnecessarily severe on " Janus."
I am sure that his suggestion that our stamps should be used for national advertising was not meant to include advertising like that of one Central American Republic which recently decorated its stamps with the inscrip- tion (in English) " We grow the best coffee in the world."
Mr. MacColl's contention that portraits are the only national symbols suitable for stamps is very sweeping. He supports it by reference to coins, but the beautiful portraits on Greek coins are those of deities, and it was only when Roman emperors took on quasi-divine authority that their portraits ousted those of Jove, Apollo and the rest. The great prestige of the Roman empire and of Roman coinage induced countless later monarchs to imitate the practice, but many coins even of monarchies have borne other symbols, and Mr. MacColl's suggeition that Republics should use their President's face as a national symbol on stamps (and presumably also on coins) would be a novel idea to nearly all such countries.
Our present stamps are not perhaps very good, but they might be a lot worse. Would Mr. MacColl not consider turning his powerful fire against another target: our dreadful Treasury notes for one pound and ten shillings, the design of which is surely a national disgrace?— Yours, &c., STEPHEN BONE. 26 Portland Place, Leamington Spa.
Previous page
