o denote worship paid to the
divinity, or in its name; for in worshipping the gods, wreaths of the
proper material were placed upon their statues in the sacred places, and
it was a regular industry in Greek towns to twine wreaths for this very
use. This import of the wreath is called to mind by observing that the
legend on the reverse of the three-dollar gold coin of 1854 is
surrounded by a wreath of the leaves of the tobacco-plant and cereals.

The obverse and the reverse of coins have always been read together, as
a whole. This rule was never more clearly exemplified than in striking
the old colonial shillings of Massachusetts, where the legend of the
obverse--"Massachusetts in"--was completed by turning the coin over and
reading on the reverse the rest of the sentence--"New England."

It remains now to look at a few examples of our national coinage. The
eagle of 1795 bears upon its obverse a head of Liberty, wearing a rather
high Phrygian cap. This cap, and the wand upon which it is more commonly
raised, are the symbols of this goddess. They are familiar enough in
Roman art and literature, if not in our own. The reverse of the coin
bears an eagle with expanded wings, holding in its beak a laurel-wreath,
and grasping a palm-branch with both talons. From what has already been
said in regard to the significance of these emblems to an earlier
generation of men, this inscription, as a whole, may be construed
somewhat like this: Liberty, through the power of Zeus, has secured
victory, and through the same helping power she now offers worship to
the genius of prophetic inspiration. With some such thought of his
country would an old Greek have scanned this coin when he bartered his
soul for its possession. In the coinage of 1838, this coin bears on its
reverse an eagle with a shield--which, by the way, is Roman--on its
breast, and having its wings uplifted. This eagle holds in its left
talon three arrows, and in its right an olive-branch.

The double eagle of 1850 bears on its obverse a head of Liberty. The
face is shown in profile, and the features are of pure Greek type. The
fillet about the head is such as was worn by the ancient priests. This
circumstance serves to connect our coinage with the earliest issues made
from the temples, under direction of the priests. The reverse of the
coin has a small eagle, nearly hidden by the shield upon its breast. Its
left talon holds three arrows, and its right an olive-branch. The