The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-06-27

ira postage stamp Ia the letter, or 1t will
receive no attention.
Jefferson Ia the Continental ,ongr,,..
Sixty gentlemen, In silk stockings and
pigtails, sitting in a room Of no great size
in a plain brick building up narrow al.
loy--suoh was the Continental Congress;
the Honorable Congress, as it, constitu.
ants made a point Of calling it; the Gen
oral Congress at Philadelphia, as Lord
Chatham styled 1t, when he told an in
crednlous House Of Lords thnt no body
Of men had ever surpassed it in solidity
of reasoning, force OF sagacity, and wis
dom OF conclusions. phe present genera
ton Of Philadelphians had seen the hall
wherein Pcyton Randolph presided and
Patrick Henry spoke, secondhand fur
niture salesroom, and none too large for
the purpose; while the committee rooms,
up stairs, TO which Franklin and Samuel
Adams repaired for consultation, were
used for school, The principal apart.
ment must have been well filed when all
the members were present; and we may
be sure that the Society of House Car
penters, to whom the building belonged,
did not violate the proprieties Of the
Quaker City so far as TO furnish it sump-
tuously.
The Congress was not an assembagc
of aged sires with snowy locks and
aspect venerable, such as art has repre-
sented the Roman Senate. Old men could
neither have done the work nor borne the
journeys. Franklin, the Oldest member,
was seventy-onc, though still ruddy and
vigorous; and there were two or three
others past sixty; but the members gen.
orally were in tho primo nf their yaaro
and noweFs with oond gni-inklr~ oc
young men among them as there must be
i'm representative bodies which truly rep
resent. John Jay was thirty, not too old
to bo little vain of the papers he drew.
Maryland had sent two young men
Thomas Stone, thirty-two, and William
Paca, thirty five. From South Carolina
came eloquent John Rutledge, thirty-six
and his brother, Edward llutledge, TWEEN
ty-six. Patrick Henry was not quite
forty; John Adams, only forty; John
Langdon, thirty-iive; and jefferson thirty
two. Nor could the Congress be called a
learned body, though about one half of
the members had had college and profess
sion training. by various paths these
men had made their way to the confidence
of their fellow citizens and the four
powers that conjointly govern the world,
knowledge, character, talents, and wealth
were happily combined as well in the
whole body as in some individuals.
Franklin had them all. +. Henry welded
one most brilliant aud commanding gift !;
and there were two or three members
now dropped from biographical diction-
aries, who fulfilled the definition good
company" reported by Crabb Robinson,
persons who lived upon their own estates
aud other peoples ideas. Some sturdy
characters were there, who had fought
their way from the ranks like Roger shcr-
man OF Connecticut, farmers son, shoe
makers apprentice, store keeper, sur
veyor, lawyer, judge, member Of the Com
gress; or Ike John Langdou Of New
Hampshire another farmers son, mariner
and merchant till the British cruisers
drove him ashore and to the Con-
gress. II was indeed, wonderful body
OF men, that could send forth to command
its own armies one Of is own members,
and retain orators like Lee, Henry, John
Adams, and John Rutledge; writers oi
the grade Of Dickinson, Jefferson, VIII
I lam Livingston, and jay; lawyers ike
Sherman, Wilson aud Chase; men Of
business such a. Hopkins, Langlou and
Lewis; philosopher ike Franklin and
such an embodiment Of energetic aud ma.
I tiring will az Samuel Adams.
( The new member from Virginia wus
most welcome ID the Congress. Beddes
being the bearer Of encouraging new
FROM home he brought with him Kind
Of reputation which then gave perhap.
even more prestige tban it does at pres
eul, a reputation ~ Joah Adamf record.
for for literature, science and Aapps
talent for composition Even now q NON
Der Of good presence ANA liberal louurt
wonld be regarded as an acquisition tf
Congress, and q tie Capital. concerning
whom il should BE- Whispered about that
besides the Hsual Latin and Greek, ii
had acquired French, naiian, and Spauisl
and was going TO learn GeFman aud cget
Gaelic II be could only get tie book irou
Scotland o gentleman oflbirtg-lwo wbt
could calculate au eciipse, survey aa e.
tate, tie an artery, plan an eclipse, try
eauge, break a horse dance minuol, aus
play q violin. Ths papers which be has
/ written for the Virginia Legislature, 0ui
of which be bad brought with Aim aHl
another u which had Deea widely scat
tered In both countries, were Known 4
members Moreover DE- wa, al acge -i0i
to the radical side. Ills mind was heep
ing pace with Tie march of events Then
were orators enough already and no lagI