Connecticut western news., 1888-09-05
FOUR FATHERS"
False Ideas About the Framers of the Constitution.
They were a Youthful Set and
 not Venerable Stages.

not tho sexagenarians and 'septuagcn- arians of their era. On the contrary, says B. P. Clark in America, they were as rule remarkably youthful set of mon. It is the ''wigs, queues ard knec- brooches" which havo caused the misap- sprehension. Tho pictures in tho school history show white haired men who bear every appearance of being "we.l up in years," and the child instinctivcly thinks of them as oil. Almost super human wisdom was required to dis charge thelr almost impossible task, and it consequently seemed as though they must havo possessed the requisite wis dom and expcr1ence of the world. If the question were asked which of the two bodies, tho convention of 17S7 or tho United States Senate of 1888 showed the highest average of age, doubtless nine persons out of every ten would answer that tho framers of tho Constitution wero much the older.
 Forty -ono deputies from the various states subs cribed their names to tho constitution on the 17th of September, 17s7. Tho birth days of all but four arc known. Of these 37 there wero but five who were as old as 60, and in truth one of these five did not complete his sixtieth year until the month after the convention dissolved. The Nestor of the body was Benjamin Franklin, who was more than 91 wh ,n it mot. Roger Sherman camo next in seniority, at 66. Then followed two mem bcr., each in their sixty-fourth year, and tho deputy who was just turning 60. But only one.sixth of the whole number were entitled to be called old mon. Turn now to thu other extrome. Jon- athan Dayton of Nv Jcr ey, lacked several months of being 27 when the 1 convent tion met; William Jackson of PeansylYania, was but 2s; Chrlcs PincknsB of South Carolina, only 29; ! Alexander Hamilton of New York, was lut a few months past 30; Rufus King of Massachusetts, 3s; Gouverneur Mor- ris of New York, 35; and James Madi. son of Virginia, 36. Twelve of tho 37 were under 40 and 20 less than 45 years old. A full third werc thu, within tn e class, which, in speaking ofage nova days, we call young mon. The average ago of the whole number fell just inside | 45 years.
 It would be waste of space to argue that the young men of tho convcntio did their full share of the work. It is enough to have cited the groat names just mentioned and to add that tho committee to which the instrument was referred for final revision consisted of Johnson, aged sixty; Hamilton, thirty Gouverneur Morris, thirty five; Madison, thirty-six, and Kiag, thirty-two. Bau- croft calls Madison 'the chief author o1 the Constitution" Hamilton's work in the Federalist is conceded to have been the most potent agency in commenting the instrument to tho country and so curing it's adoption. Marshall, then only thirty-three, furnished the power full assistance without which Madison could not havo secured the narrow ma jority by which their State was per suadcd to accept it.
 The Constitutional Convention was not unique as field for youthful achievement. Jefferson was only thirty threo years old when he wrote tho "D:clation of Independence. Hamil ton was made Secretary of the Treasury by Washington, and began his career as finan cier at tho age of thirty two. Al the same time King, since ho repre-. sented Massa chusetts in the Constitu- tional Convention, was elected United States Senator at thirty-four. Thirty l had been fixed as the minimum age fol Senators, and half of those first lectod were between thirty and thirty-fvc A few years later Henry Clay camo te the Senate aud was admitted without thought that he was not eligiblc-the fact being that he d id not roach tho age of thirty until moro than three months later.
 No limit of age for the judiciary was fixed in tho Constitution, but if there be any place ia the government where maturity is demanded, it is on thu bench of tho Supreme Court. Wash ington appointed as ono of tho early justices James Iredell, who was lu 39 years old; John A lams gave place to Bushrod Washington at 36, and Jeff erson named William Johnson at only 32. This was simply the adoption by the Federal government of tho samt principle which the States had applied to tho choice of judges. John Jay, who was mado first Chief Justice of tn, United States at 43 had been appointed Chief Justice of Nv York when bu 31. Ircdcll had been jul lgc of tho Su pcrior Court of North Carolina whc1 only 27.
 The truth is that what wo have como to consider tho especial era of old mc= was really tho most remarkable period in our history for young mon. They enjoyed chance q century ago such a |; young mon hay, never hel since tn, civil war brokc dow, temporarily, som of the barriers agai ,st youth in pu >lic life, but tho controlling forces were ! wicldcd by mon whose average age wa number of years greater than that o their grand fathers, who held sway dur