I found this utterly bizarre graphic on page 242 of the 1929 abridged edition of "Scouting For Girls." In other words, it was in a Girl Scout handbook. It was in a section titled "Totems in Town," which included eyeglasses for an optician, a mortar and pestle for a druggist, a thistle for Scotland, crossed swords for an army, an anchor for the navy, the logos of every railroad they could fit on the chart (Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, Pennsylvania RR, Santa Fe RR, Salt Lake RR) and this ram (identified as the Greek mythological figure, a golden fleece) hanging in the air. What, you say? You don't think of commercial success when you see a picture of a ram hanging in the air? Have you ever walked down the street and seen a picture of a ram hanging in the air at all? (Uhm, well, neither have I). But it got better when I tried to read what they were teaching these girls. I thought selling cookies and camping were in the girl scout curriculum. Seems they were covering the history of warfare instead. Out of this use of totems as owner marks and signs grew the whole science of heraldry and national flags. Thanks to the fusion of many small armies into one or two big armies, that is, of many tribes into a nation, and also to modern weapons which made it possible to kill a man farther off than you could see the totem on his shield, national flags have replaced the armorial devices, and are the principal totems used today. The book goes on to say that the chart on the previous page features common ones in use which "any wideawake Woodcraft Girl will be able to find...by careful observation." Somehow, I don't think, no matter how wide awake I stay, I will not be seeing a hanging ram out front of any stores or offices, any time soon.
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Petal Signature Cotton®
Design #2195463Everyday-use cotton for quilting, crafts and apparel
- Estimated shrinkage: 5-6% in length and 2-3% in width
- Perfect for quilting, craft projects, costuming, toys and accessories.
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Please click the New tab to enter my curated Cuisinart of abstract mirror designs borrowing from Victorian, Edwardian, paisley, and art nouveau, and my orphan cars, and very old ads.
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