Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-04


pleted, and it is quite likely that he will be
able to throw still further light upon this
subject.
INDEPENDENCE-H
1t is encouraging to see that the enthusi-
asm of the people abates not in celebrating
each annual return of the natal day Of our
great Republic. Thus is handed down from
sire to son patriotic devotion to the great,
free principles which underlie our political
fabric, and which are calculated to conserve
the great rights of man. There are import
ant, touching "reminiscences clustering around
the origin and history of tie great struggle
which resulted in the establishment of our
national independence. Old Independence
Hall, at Philadelphia, where Hancock
presided, and where the old
historic worthless pledged their
lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor,
to maintain the principles Of The great dec
laration, has become shrine where liberty
loving pilgrims pay their devotion and their
| VOWS, and tread reverently within the walls
consecrated by nations birth-throes. This
is well. It bespeaks people jealous of their
rights, with courage and fortitude eqnal to
their maintenance.
But there are other localities less promi-
nent, less generally known than Independ-
ence Hall, made honorable by the sin
gular devotion of the early fathers
of the Republic, consecrated by an unselfsh,
patriotic devotion, worthy to be held in rev.
| erential remembrance in all coming time.
| fsOf such is CARPENTERS HALL, on Chestnut
street, between Third and Fourth, Philadel-
phia. This was the real "cradle of liberty
the real birthplace of American Independ-
ence. The building is in good state of
preservation. In 1857, the Carpenters COM
pany, with q reverence for their old hall
which has SO well stood the test of time,
being connected with SO many stirring Incl
dents in our national history, in belief that
| its story is instructive and valuable, withdrew
| it from from the purposes of trade and COM
MERGE, and devoted it to their
own use and the recollections of the historic
memories that cluster around it, as the ma
TONS birth place.
The Carpenters company of the city and
county of Philadelphia is one of the Oldest
associations of Pennsylvania, being insti-
tuted about forty years after the settlement
| of the province by William Penn, and main
| tanning an uninterrupted existence from the
year 1924. The hall of the company was
erected ITO, at the time Great Britain's per-
sistent attempt sto bind the colonies in all
cases whatsoever had resulted in general
| demand for union OF the colonies.
In the excitement of the period, the State
House, (now the old Independence Hall,
being used by the then existing Govern
ment, the Carpenters Hall became the
great center of gatherings for the redress of
grievances, or the assertion of rights, and al
most all the clown Meetings of that event
full period were held on the lawn in front or
within its walls. Among the early events in
the history of Carpenters Hall were the
memorable sessions of the COMMITTEE of
the City and County of Philadelphia .
to initiate measures for calling
the first Continental Congress. By sing
ular coincidence, this committee appointed a
subcommittee on the 4th of July, 1774, to
prepare instructions for tho provincial
committee when itshould meet.
Here assembled the first Continental Con-
gress. Its members convened at the sMer-
chants Coffee House, on Second street
near Walnut, and walked in body to Car
penters' Hall. Thus in CARPENTERS HALL
commenced that series of deliberations,
which eliminated on the 4th of july
l776, in declaring the Colonies FREE AND IN
DEPENDENT. The following interesting and
touching Renaissance of the first American
Congress in the old Carpenters Hall, from
the pen of the great revolutionary leader,
John Adams, cannot be read without deep
emotion:
when the Congress met, Mr.. Cushing made
a motion that it should be opened with prayer.
1t was opposed BY Mr.. JAY, Of New York.
and Mr.. Rutledge, of South Carolina,
because we were SO divided in religious senti-
ments-some Episcopalians, some Quakers,
| some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and
some gregationalists-tha we could not
join in the same kind Of worship.
Mr. Samuel Adams arose and said 'that he
was no bigot, and could hear prayer from any
gentleman Of piety aud virtue, who was at the
same time friend to his country; he was a
stranger in Philadelphia, but had heard that
MIR. Duche pronounced Duchay) deserved
that character, and therefore he moved that
MIR. Duche, an Episcopalian clergyman, might
be desired to read prayers to Congress to-mor-
| row morning. The motion was seconded. and
passed in the affirmative.
Mr.. Randolph, our president, waited on
Mr.. Duche, and received for answer, that If his
| health would permit, he certainly would. Ac-
| cordingly, next morning he appeared with his
clerk, and in his pontifcals, and read several
prayers in the established form and then read
| the psalter for the 7th day Of September
| which was the 35th Psalm. You must remem-
| Der that this was the next morning after we
| had heard of the horrible cannonade of Boston
1t seemed as if Heaven had ordained that
psalm to be read that morning.
after this, MIR. Duche, Unexpectedly to
everybody, struck out into extempore prayer,
which filed the bosom of every man present.. /
must confess never heard better prayer, or
one SO well pronounced Episcopolian as he is,
DR.. Cooper never prayed with such fervor, such
ardor, such correctness in pathos, and in Ian
guage SO eloquent rnd sublime, for America,
for Congress, for the Province of Massachu-
sets Bay, especially for the town of Boston.
1t had excellent effect upon everybody
here. / must beg you to read the Psalm. If
there is any faith in the Sortes Virgtlli-
ance, or H0naerica or especially the
1SoTteS Biblic0e it would have been thought prov.
idential
Here was q scene worthy Of the painters