Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-08-05

piece of wrought iron, shapeless and rusty
every year, without stopping TO reflect fol
one moment on its glorious mission
Eighty-threc years ago, my friend, it start
ed a vibration which tiuglcs through your
nerves at this day as you reflect on your
glorious inheritance. Should the sad
event ever come, it is a consolation to feel
that 1t will be spared the office of tollinga
knell for cur sacred trust betrayed, aad
the deeds Of our forofathers forgotten in
the grave of our liberties
But the prominent Object is the Old
Bell itself It stands on an emblematicsl
pedestal in the middle Of the room, and is
protected from chipping, whiting, thiev-
ius vandalism, By an iron railing, What
grand old relic it is We havc been
familiar with it since many years before
it was brought down to the hall when it
used to hang away up in the stccple, un-
der the stairs, in dark little sort Of cock
loft, and where very few ever saw it. Some
years ago it was brought down to its pre-
sent quarters, after an attempt had been
made to restore its tone, and here it rests,
at last accessible to the public How we
have sat and unused over the old rusty
thing ill we could fairly sec the old shad-
I.llT 1 l., l.. L..
memorable afternoon, eighty-three years
ago, and hcar the shouts of the quaint mob
gathered in this passage and under the cid
walnut trees, while the joyful words went
from mouth to mouth, "They have done
it . they have done it ~ Done it. Yes,
they did it-nobly, boldly and this old
bell first told it-no pun, my dear friend
to the world.
The history of the bell itself is interest
ing, and will tell it briefly. Its original
was bell imported from England for the
State House, in 1872, which was cracked
on its first trial after its arrival. 1t was
re,cast in Philadelphia, in 1913, by Pass
and Stow, undor the direction of Isaac
Norris, Esq. then Speaker of the Colonial
Assembly. Around its crown, together
with the names of the founders and date,
j; bears this prophetic motto
"H0claim liberty throughout all tie a9d
unto all lie inhebitdnts Mereoc"
And it was the first to proclaim that
liberty. have not the data at hand, but
| think it was again cracked, either on the
Washington centenary, or the election
of Jackson to the Presidency, and it has
been silent ever since. When the British
army approached Philadelphia, in l777, it
was taken down from the old wooden bel
fry aud hidden till the danger had passed.
Shall invading foe ever threaten it with
destruction again!
The wonder to me, at this moment, is,
that, through so many years of neglect it
has escaped utter annihilatlon, and that it
has not long ago been made into cane heads
and vest-buttons for common council-men
and their friends.
These are the principal "relics' in this
venerable chamber, at present, belonging
to the locality itself. There is one other
which | had almost forgotten, but which
| will dug in" here-a piece of the "Char
ter Oak" As some of your young readers
may not be familiar with its history, | will
briefly transcribe it. In 1853, James the
Second, one of the smallest men morally
and intellectually who ever sat on the
throne Of Great Britain, Issued writs of
quo 'roraato, requiring the several colo
MES Of North America to appear by repre-
sentation before His Majesty's Council, to
show by what authority they exercised
certain privileges, &c.-in short, to show
why the Charters of said Colorics should
not be given up, and they formed into a
number Of Provinces, over all Of which
should be placed Governor General
creature of the said delcctable monarch,
who was afterward drubbcd at the Boync
by the Prince of Orange-who should
make laws and collect taxes more in accor-
dance with Jimmy's ideas of government
than these North American, Protestant
hcathen were likely to do.
The Colony OF fConpcc:ieutremonstra.cd,
but to no purpose, for a decree had gone
forth to anuul the Charters, and one Sir
Edmund Andross was appointed the first
Governor General. Connecticut positively
refused to give up hc. Charter. Sir Ed
mund was determined TO have it, and while
the Assembly was in session, in Hartford,
he went down there from Boston, with
of soldiers, aud demanded the
document. The members received him
with the greatest respect, and cooly deba-
ted the subject till night, while the Royal
Governor waited, cursiug their cool imper-
durability l have no doubt. After dark,
the Charter was brought in and laid on the
table around which they sat Sir Edmund
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