The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-08-28
Old Time Statesmen.
A LARGE NUMBER OF THIN WERE YOUNG
MEN.
THE REMARKABLY YOUTHFUL SET OF
MEN KNOWN AS THE "FATHERs OF
THE REPUBLIC"
IN THE DAYS OF OUR
REvERED ANCESTORS.

The "fathers of the Republic" were
not the sexagenarians and septuageL-
arians of their era, writes Edward p.
Clark in the Chicago american. On
the contrary, they we're, as a rule, a
remarkably youthful st of men. 1t is
the "wigs, queues and kneebreeches'
which havel caused the misapprehen-
sion. The pictures in the school his
tory show white-haired men who bear
every appearance of being "well up in
years." and the child instinctively
thinks of them as old. Almost super
human wisdom was required to dis
charge their almost impossible task,
and it consequently seems as though
they must bave possessed the requisite
wisdom and experience of the world.
If the question were asked which of
the two bodies, the convention of 1888
or the United States Senate of 1888,
showed the highest average of age
doubtless nine persons out of every
ten would answer that the trainers of
the constitution were much the older.
Forty-one deputies from the various
States subscribed their names TO the
constitution on the 18th day of Sep
tember, 1887. The birthdays of all
but four are known. OF these thirty
seven there were but five who wer, as
old as sixty, and, In truth, one of these
FIVE did not complete his sixtieth year
until the month after the convention
dissolved. The Nestor of that body
was Benjamin Franklin, who was more
than eighty-one when it met Roger
Sherman came next in seniority, at
sixty-six. Then followed two mem
bers each in their sixty fourth year,
and the deputy who was just turning
sixty. But only one sixth of the
whole number were entitled to ue
called old men.
Turn now 10 the extreme. Jona-
tn IN Dayton, of New Jersey, lacked
several months of being 27 when the
convention met William jackson, of
Pennsylvania, was but 29; Charles
Pickney, of South Carolina, only 20 ;
Alexander Hamilton, of New Yo'k,
was but few months past 80 Rufus
King, of Massachusetts, 32 Gouver-
neuer Morris, of New York, 35 and
James Madison, of Virginia, 36.
Twelve of the thirty seven were under
40, and twenty less than 45 years old.
A full third were thus within the class
which, in speaking of age nowadays,
we call young men. The average a se
of the whole number::fell just inside of
AS years.
1t would be a waste of speech to ar
que that the young men of the conven-
tion did their full share of the work.
1t is enough to have cited the great
names just mentioned and to add that
the committee to which the instrument
was referred for final revision consis-
ted of johnson, aged 60 Hamilton,
80 Gouverneuer Morris, 35 Madi-
son, SO, and King, 32. Bancroft calls
Madison "the chief author of the con-
stitution." Hamilton's work in the
Federdlist is conceded to have been
the most potent agency in commenting
the instrument to the country and Sc
curing ITS adoption. Marshall, then
only 3S, furnished the powerful assis,
tance without which Madison could
not have secured the narrow majority
by which their state was persuaded to
accept it.
The Constitutional convention was
not unique as a field for youthful ach,
levement. Jefferson had been only 3s
years old when he wrote the "Declara,
ton of Independence" Hamilton was
made Secretary of the Treasury by
Washington, and began his great ca
reer as a financier at the age of 32
At the same time King, who had be.
come "carpet-bagger" to New York
l--since he represented Massachusetts