Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-19
SHINING THE DECLARATION.
The Men who Pledged Their Lives,
fortunes and Sacred .HenOr.

In looking at the signatures to the
declaration, not one is written with a
trembling hand except Stephen Hopkins
1t was not fear that made him tremble,
for he was as true a patriot as any of
them, but he was afflicted with the
palsy.
But one Of the residences of the sign
ers is attached to his name, and that is
of Charles Carroll. 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 Immediately wrote "Of
Carrollton," as much as to say if there is
reproach connected with this, wish to
bear my share; if any danger, lam ready
to face it. There was genuine patriot
ism.
1t was rather amusing, after they had
signed their names, to hear Benjamin
Franklin say to Samuel Adams: "Now,
l think we will all hang together. "
Eyes, said Mr. Adams, cor we shall all
hang separately" Many have supposed
that all the names were signed on the
4th of July, 1776. Not so. 1t was sign
ed 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 by
all but one of the tifty.six signers whose
names are appended to it. The other at
tached his name in November.
The signeIs of the declaration of indie
pendence were all natives of the Ameri.
can soil with the exception OF eight. Six
teen of them were from Eastern or New
England Colonies, fourteen from the
Middle, and eighteen from the Southern
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 Pennsylva-
MIA, 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-half. Twenty others had received a
thorough academic education, and the
remainder had each been taught at
plain school or at home. Of the ffty-six
signers twenty-five had studied the in
situations of Great Britain while sojourn-
ing in that country. All had something
to lose if the struggle should result in
failure to them Many of them were
very wealthy and with very few excep
tons, all of them were blessed with
competence.
Thirty-four of the signers were law
yers, thirteen were planters or farmers,
nine were merchants, five were physi-
clans, two were mechanics, one was
clergyman, one mason, and one sur
veyOr. The youngest member of Con-
gress when the declaration was signed
(Rutledge) was twenty-seven years of age;
the oldest one Or. Franklin) was seven
ty. Forty-two of the fifty-slx were be-
tween thirty and fifty years of age; the
average age of all was forty three years
and ten months.
They all lived to good old age. The
average of fifty-three at the time Of their
decease was over sixty eight years. The
last survivor was Charles Carroll, of
Carrollton, being over ninety when he
died. Fourteen signers lived to be
eighty years old, and four past ninety.
The pen used by the sinners is preserved
in the Massachusetts Historical Society
at Boston. What tales that pen could
speak! What history there is connect
ed with it!
Not one of the signers ever fell from
the high estate to which that great act
had elevated him. 1t had been well
said that 1.-THE annals of the world can
present no political body the lives of
whose members, minutely traced, ex-
hibit so much of The zeal Of the patriot,
dignifed and chastened by the virtues of
the man"