Another Boston Novelty

A novelty for me, not for Boston.  In my touring Sunday, I passed by a statue of Benjamin Franklin that stands about a hundred feet away from the sidewalk plaque that celebrates the first American Public school.  I walked back to look at it and as I was exiting the fenced in area, I saw a statue of a donkey.  Now, this was odd.  I knew of the bull on/near Wall Street, but this donkey had no apparent explanation.  Walking closer I looked for an explanatory plaque.  I saw embedded in the pavement the object I sought, or so I thought.  Looking at it, it took me a moment to decipher what I saw.  There were two shoe-prints in each of which was the drawing of an elephant and at the base of this plaque, behind one if one were to stand in the shoes was the inscription--Stand in Opposition. 

I realized what it was, but still didn't know why it might be there.  Then it occurred to me (and I would have to find the dates of the statue to affirm) but I thought that plausibly this was a highly symbolic anti-slavery advertisement.  Because, as we well know, it was the Republican Party that stood in opposition to the Democratic and slave-holding South.  Now, I could be wrong, it could have been a robber baron produced piece of laissez-faire propaganda.  But for now, I'll hold on to the idea that it was a very clever and clear symbolic statement.

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