The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-05
RELICS OF OTHER DAYS.
Independence Hall and its Curiosities-ihe
Mint and Some of It's Ancient Coins.

PHILADELPHIA, January 2G.-The
humble scribe has been in the city four
months. In that time a great deal has
been seen-so much in fact The Herald
and News could not hold it il written
in detail. Philadelphia takes in
whole county. Can you grasp that?
Suppose Newberry was as large as this
county, what an inland city there
would be. am fifteen miles from the
heart of the city and still within the
corporation by one and half miles or
more. To 60 to the top of the City
Hall tower and look northward as far
as the eye can see, red brick houses
seem to rise upon each other. Look
east, and one sees marble, granite,
brown stone business houses running
up FIVE, six and seven stories high, and
beyond the historic Delaware river lies
the more modern historic city Of Cam
den, n. J., made so by being the home
of Walt Whitman, so says Bob 1nger-
soil. For this fling Camden is not re-
sponsible. I hardly think there is
vein of mutual admiration existing be-
tween these remarkable men.
Of all the places of note in Philadel-
phia, Independence Hall still holds the
lead on the hearts of the people, and
justly should it. Who can stand under
that memorable bell as it now hangs in
the hall and not think of the time
when its intonations declared to an op-
pressed people that there is now liberty.
With boyish pride used to gaze, when
at school, upon that venerable pile in
picture and co4;:;re up in mind those
men who had long before purchased
that liberty I was then enjoying, l
would wonder also if I should ever see
the bell, the Hall and the chair in
which the President sat, when his
name was affixed to the Declaration
of Independence. All these have been
realized, for twice have 7 been around
to see the curios. I have stood in
front Of the table on which the parch-
ment lay and seen the President and
all the signers. John Hancock was the
only one who signed the paper on the
4th of July, 1875. The chairs used on
the occasion have been returned and
now occupy the space they did over
one hundred years ago. In another
room are great many relics carefully
guarded as treasures of the United
States. A drum used at the battle of
Germantown, swords, guns, rifles,
pistols and daggers, gun-locks, lam
rods, scabbards, all sacredly guarded |
day and night. Dresses, robes of va
rious hues, slippers, corsets, different
from those worn to-day. Knee panta-
looms, waist coat, curious sandals, and |
suit Of holy clothes, made for, and |
worn by John @. Adams, who thought |
then he would one day be President.
Settees, camp stools and tables, spoons,
jars, army chests, all find last resting |
place here. The compass young Wash
ington used when surveying, and the
spectacles he wore when old age cane
on, occupy promiaent places. Pictures
painted by West and other artists are
here. Plaster casts OF Washington after
death, and large number of other |
relics no less interesting.
All these are interesting to the aver
age American because they and the be-
holder are in sympathy. To-day men I
would fight and die for these very |
things and the iconoclast who would |
dare destroy one relic must nidst do so
at his own peril. Our patriotism has
not died, and so long as there is bull
wark Of human breasts around these
elnblems of past success and glory DO
foe dare attempt their destruction.
No less interesting than 1udepen-
derce Hall is the Mint. To some this
may seem little strange, bit if you
could only pass within its doors aud !
see what revelation is in store, Just |
briefly will the contents be outlined,
because, to do more would require |
careful investigation and accurate |
data. In this mint all the different |
denominations Of our money are
made-gold. silver, nIckels and copper. |
The sweepings from the floor Of the
smelling are worth $4,000 per Year.
The silver is rolled out into thin bars
just the thickness Of the particular coin |
To be made, then put under a punch
ing machine, from there they go to an
other press where the eagle ard face Of
the woman are made, then again to an
other machine where the milled rim is
put on. Now it is finished and in APP
pearance is bright and shining and
ready for circulation. One million two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars are
made daily. You ask where does it all
60 to- That is what l would like to
know.
But the most interesting room in the
one called the numiSmatic room. In
this room coins from all the countries
Of the world can be seen. Coins Of the
defunct Roman empire, the insolvent
Grecian treasury department, and so
on through the whole catalogue Of gov
ernments that have been. Mare An
tony, Commodus, that gluiton Of Rome,
Caesar and others, all have coins COM
memorating some great event of their
reign. One piece which struck my
fancy was Roman coin with the head
of Minerva on it, made before Christ
500 years. This coin was very pretty.
The sbekel of the ISraeliteS is shown, |