The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 46, November 14, 2004, Article 15

NATIONAL TREASURE: THE RIDICULOUS PREMISE

  Regarding last week's item about the upcoming film
  "National Treasure," Dave Lange writes: "I suppose
  there's nothing profound in noting that the entire
  premise of this movie is ridiculous. Anyone who has
  done some reading about the Founding Fathers' struggle
  to finance the revolution, repay America's resulting
  debts and establish the nation's credit will laugh
  at the notion that this wealth would have been
  squirreled away. Any such treasure would have been
  drawn upon immediately."

  [I am shocked, SHOCKED! to learn that a Hollywood
  film plays loosely with historical facts.  One can
  only cringe at the forthcoming garbled explanations
  of the symbolism on our currency in the name of
  entertainment.  Still, any publicity to the general
  public that makes more people actually LOOK at their
  money is probably a good thing.  Thursday evening I
  learned another plot detail from a television promo -
  that the time shown on the clock atop Philadelphia's
  Independence Hall is significant.   So, can any of our
  sharp-eyed readers tell us the time"  More importantly,
  has the time changed as the design evolved over the
  years"  One of the numerous holes in the film's plot
  is undoubtedly the fact that many subtle changes are
  made over the years to the engraved images on our
  currency, such as the "disappearing fingers" of Andrew
  Jackson on the $20 bill.  Any clues placed there by
  government employees could well be obliterated in the
  march of time. "Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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