may
be looked upon as a talisman designed to assure good fortune and long
life to the sovereign, as well as prosperity to the state over which he
rules. This sword, which was made by Tiffany & Company, is even
more noteworthy because of its artistic merit than on account of its
intrinsic value. Another talismanic embellishment of the sword is an
inlaid didrachm of Alexander the Great (356-323 b.c.) ;
it is a well-known fact and one frequently recorded by ancient and
medieval writers, that the coins of this monarch were often treasured
up as amulets or talismans.44 In the present instance,
indeed, the charm, if charm there be, should work most effectively, as
we can imagine no more appropriate guardian of the present ruler of
G-reece than the greatest hero and the mightiest conqueror the Greek
race ever produced.
This sword was presented to His Majesty Constantine XII, King
of the Hellenes, by the Greek residents of the United States, to
commemorate his defeat of the Turks at Salonika and Janina. By these
victories of the Greek armies under King Constantine, who was at that
time the Crown Prince of Greece, the Greek people of Macedonia and
Epirus were liberated from the Turkish yoke, and these rich provinces
were added to the Greek crown. The Committee of Presentation consisted
of Mr. Caftanzoglu, Chargé d'Affaires of Greece in Washington; Mr. D.
Vlasto, editor of "Atlantis"; Dr. Breck Trowbridge, president, and Dr.
T. Tileston Wells, vice-president of the Society of American
Philhellenes, with the cooperation of Dr. George F. Kunz, a member of
the council of the above society.
The
green variety of microcline, a potash-feldspar, is known as the ' '
amazon-stone. " It is found at Amelia Court House, Virginia, at Pike's
Peak, Colorado, at Rockport,
u See
the writer's '" The Curious Lore of Precious Stones," J. B. Lippincott
Company, Philadelphia and London, 1913, p. 125; also pp. 68, 96.
