ct is
a paperweight (fig. 17) designed by William Jennings Bryan when he was
Secretary of State. The weight, in the form of a plowshare, was made
from swords condemned by the War Department. Thirty of these weights
were given by Secretary Bryan to the diplomats who in 1914 signed with
him treaties providing for the investigation of all international
disputes. The shaft of the plow bears the inscription:
"Nothing is final between friends"
"Diplomacy is the art of keeping cool"
The blade is inscribed
"They shall beat their swords into plowshares"
Isaiah 2:4
On the base is engraved:
"From William Jennings Bryan to the Smithsonian Institution,
August 13, 1914"
TO MR. AND MRS. ROBERT TODD LINCOLN
Among the pieces of presentation silver acquired in 1960 by the
Smithsonian Institution is a covered urn that was given to Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Todd Lincoln by their children on the occasion of their 50th
wedding anniversary.[30] Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the President,
became a prominent lawyer in Chicago and later served as president of
the Pullman Company, as Secretary of War in the cabinets of President
Garfield and President Arthur, and as Minister to Great Britain under
President Benjamin Harrison. The silver gilt urn has two handles,
measures 13 inches from the base to the finial on the cover, and 7
inches at its widest point. Bands of ornamentation feature both the
grape design and the acorn and oak-leaf design. It is inscribed:
Robert Todd Lincoln--Mary Harlan 1868-1918
The gilt wash, although almost completely polished off the outside
surface, still covers the inside of the urn and its lid.
TO CONGRESSMEN
A silver tureen and tray[31] were given to the Honorable James R. Mann,
Republican leader of the House of Representatives, by the members of the
House in 1919. Mann was elected a Representative from Illinois in 1897,
and he remained a member of Congress until his death in 1922. In 1912 he
became minority leader. In addition to the Mann Act, his name is
associated with other important legislation of the period such as the
Pure Food and Drugs Act and the Woman Suffrage Amendment.
The tray, which holds the tureen, is inscribed:
James R. Mann Republican Leader from House Members of the 65th
Congress, March 3rd, 1919.
It is marked on the back with "W. Sterling, 4086--16 in." The initial
represents the Wallace Silver Company.
The oval
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