CHAPTER XV. 



The Rise op Herai,dry— Totemism and Herai,dry — Herai<dic Signifi- 

 cance oE The Beaver — Canada's Inheritance — Omission from 

 THE Present Armorial Bearings— Suggestions for a Complete 

 National Coat of Arms. 



Standing before the monuments of ancient Egypt and contem- 

 plating the curious hieroglyphics by which its history was recorded, 

 the mind is led to contrast the apparently complicated symbols for- 

 merly used to depict ideas, with the code now employed, which is so 

 much more simple and more comprehensive. But the Egyptians did 

 not rest content with their achievements in "picture-writing ; " they 

 progressed through the ideographic and phonetic stages, and two 

 thousand years ago reached a system almost as complete as our 

 own, indeed, with all our matter-of-fact ways we have not yet dis- 

 carded the methods that were common in the days of Egypt's great- 

 ness, for even now do we not sign and seal important documents ? 



The ' ' seals ' ' in use at the present time are the outcome of the 

 modern science of Heraldry, and a brief survey of the rise and de- 

 velopment of this science will serve to show how very general, even 

 now, is the use of the old art of ' ' picture-writing." 



When the princes of Europe joined in the Crusades or Holy 

 Wars of the twelfth century — the age of purest chivalry — all per- 

 sons of dignity or rank possessed elaborate armor and were skilled 

 in the uses of the sword and dagger, lance, and battle-ax. In the 

 cap-a-pie armor every possibility of identifying the wearer was pre- 

 cluded, and a necessity for some means of recognition arose. This 

 led to the decoration of the shield, which hitherto had been plain, 

 and the movement soon extended to the decoration of the helmet 



