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An illustrated sheet music cover for a Unionist song, "God and Our Union," composed by Leopold Meignen with words by Louis Dela. The illustration features four maidens, each representing a section of the United States--North, South, East and West. The maidens stand around an altar and point to a scroll, the "Constitution of North America," which they unroll. Rising from the altar are two Corinthian columns supporting an arch, over which is draped a large American flag. Atop the arch sits an eagle. In the space between the columns appears a large, gleaming anchor, symbol of hope.
The scene is surrounded by dark clouds through which an eye appears. The vigilant eye was a familiar Masonic symbol, and a device adopted by the Wide-Awake Clubs of 1860. (See "Free Speech, Free Soil, Free Men," no. 1860-14.) Here it probably refers to the song's assertion of divine watchfulness over the Union. |
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