Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-08-24
Signing the Declaration.
Tie Men Dho Pledged their Lives, Fortunes
and Sacred Honor.

and Sacred Honor.
In looking at the signatures to the
Declaration, not one is written with a
trembling hand except Stephen Hop
kins. 1t was not fear that made him
tremble, for he was as true patriot as
any of them, but he was afflicted with
the palsy.
But one of the residences ofthe sign
ers is attached to his name, and that is
of Charles Carol. 1t is said that one
was looking over his shoulder when
he wrote his name, and said to him,
There are several of your name, and
if we are unsuccessful they will not
know whom to arrest" He immedi-
ately wrote of Carrolton," as much
as to say if there is reproach connected
with this, | wish to bear my share if
any danger, | am ready to face it..
There was genuine patriotism.
1t was rather amusing, after they
had signed their names, to hear Ben
iamin Franklin say to Samuel Adams /:
" Now, | think we will all hang to-
gether." eyes," said Mr.. Adams, " or
we shall all hang separately" Many
have supposed that all the names were
signed on the 4th Of July, 1776. Not
so. 1t was signed on that day only by
the President, John Hancock, and
with his signature it was sent forth to
the world. On. the second day of
August it was signed hy all but one of
the fifty-six signers whose names are
appended to it. The other attached
his name in November.
The signers of the Declaration of
independence were all natives of the
American soil with the exception of
eight. Sixteen of them were from the
Eastern or New England Colonies,
fourteen from the Middle, and eighteen
from the Sothern Colonies. One was
a native of Maine, nine were natives of
Massachusetts, two of Rhode Island,
four Of Connecticut, three of New
Jersey, five Of Pennsylvania, two of
Delaware, five Of Maryland, nine of
Virginia and four of South Carolina.
Two were born in England, three in
Ireland, two in Scotland, and one was
born in Wales.
Twenty-seven of the signers had
been regularly graduated in colleges,
or about one.hSlf. Twenty others had
received thoFough academic educa-
ton, and the remainder had each been
taught at a plain school.or at home. OF
the fifty-siX signers twenty-five had
studied the institutions of Great Britain
while sojourning in that country. Ali
had something TO lose if the struggle
should result in failure to them. Many
of them were very wealthy, and with
very few exceptions, all of them were
blessed with competence.
Thirty-four of the signers were law
years, thirteen were planters or farm
ers, nine were merchants, five were
mechanics, one was clergyman, one
a mason, and one surveyor. The
youngest member of Congress when
the Declaration was signed, (Rutledge)
was twenty-seven years Of age; the
oldest one DIR. Franklin) was seven
ty. Forty-two of the fifty.six were
between thirty and fifty years of age;
the average age of all was forty-three
years and ten months.
They all lived to a good old age.
The average Of fifty-three at the time
of their decease was over sixty-eight
years. The last survivor was Chas.
Carol, of Carrolton, being over ninety
when he died. Fourteen signers lived
to be eighty years old, and four past
ninety. The pen used by the signers
is preserved in the Massachusetts His
torical Society at Boston. What tales
that pen could speak What histo-
ry there is connected with it!
Not one of the signers ever fell from
the high estate to which that great act
had elevated him. 1t had been we'll
said that " the annals of the world can
present no political body the lives of
whose members, minutelv traced, ex-
hibit so mgch of the zeal ofthe patriot,
dignified and chastened by the virtues
of the man"