The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-07-04
INDEPENDENCE DAY.


In all human history there is no
record of a nobler body of men than
those who sat in the first Continen-
entail congress. who appended their
signatures to the immortal Declare
tion Of American Independence, and
who amid the storm of passion
aroused by the attitude of England
toward her colonies in America could
so calmly weigh each word of that
great paper as originally presented,
adopt this. alter or omit that Yet,
as often happens in human affairs,
even that fateful meeting was not
without it's ludicrous side.
Mr.. jefferson in his old age was
fond of telling how vote was reach
ed and the signatures secured on the
Declaration at SO carly day as the
Fourth of July, 1776, notwithstand-
ing the opposition of Dickinson and
other members, who it was feared
would keep the matter in debate for
weeks, if not for months.
Il seems that the weather was
frightfully hot, the hall was crowd
ed. To sit with closed windows was
impossible; to open them was to ad-
nit swarms of ravenous flies from a
livery stable next door, which flies
alighting on the silk stockinged
shins of the honorable gentlemen
drove them almost to distraction.
The needful business was by no
means slighted; but the feeling
among all the members of getting
away from the heat and from the tor
ment of those dreadful flies was too
strong to permit Of moments I'M
necessary delay.
All felt the gravity of such an oc-
casion. The signing of such paper
was treason; the appeal to arms of
those poor, weak and widely scatter
cd colonies, with little cohesion, and
all more or less infested by men who
preferred to accept any terms from
England rather than break the con
nection with the other country, an
appeal to arms against the most pow
erful nation in the world, was not
thing TO be lightly done. Even
Franklin's celebrated jest was a grim
one. All had been settled, and the
signing Of the paper was about to
begin when some one gravely re-
marked, "Well, we must hang to-
gether, now. "Yes," replied the
laughing philosopher, ''if we do not
we shall very certainly all hang sep
arately."
The picture as drawn by jefferson
of the close of the congress is GER
tainly very amusing. In those days
men were much more formal with
other men than we are to-day. To
attend such meeting as was the
American congress the gentleman's
valet combed and drew back the
long hair, tied it with bow of rib
bon to match the coat to be worn,
and covered it thickly with perfumed
powder; then helped to put on his
masters coat of silk or satin, often
of brilliant hue, and nearly always
more or less embroidered, buckled on
the always worn rapier, handed him
his laced hat and called his coach.
The low shoes ornamented with
buckles, the silken hose, the satin
breeches fastened at the knee with
ornaments, generally like those upon
the shoes, of gold, the shirt and
neckcloth of lawn profusely decora-
ted with costly laces, and the long
satin waistcoat cleaning with gold
had been donned before, and the gen
tlemen of those crude and simple"
days was ready to take his seat
With all their fine garments and
all their fine manners even
that band of heroes was composed
of men. They were willing to give
their lives for their country,
but the livery stable flies were too
much for them. They waved their
embroidered handkerchiefs, they
stamped, some even going SO far as
to assert they swore: "S'life! This
is not to be borne!" The powder
flew, the kerchiefs waved, the flies
buzzed like bees in swarming time.
Jefferson lost his temper over the
prolonged debate and the striking
out of some of his most cherished
periods. Franklin alone remained
calm, and when the author of the
Declaration would have interfered,
brought him 10 a laughing mood
by his story of John Thompson,
halter.
Thompson, said Franklin, being
about to move into a much larger
and finer shop, had new sign paint
ed that glowed with gold, brilliant
pigments and lustrous varnish. Upon
this sign appeared, besides the pic
ture of hat, the inscription, "John
Thompson makes and sells hats and
caps for cash. So proud was
Thompson of his sign that he asked
in the neighbors to view his new
glories. Every pretty said one,
"but you don't make hats for cash. y
"What do your customers care
whether you make them or not, SO
long as the goods suit their taste!'
"Get your people in first and tempt
them; don't drive them off with a
notice of paying cash down." said a
third So it went on, and as Thomp-
son agreed with the critics, all that
was left on the sign when it at
length was placed above the door
was Thompson" and the picture of
| the hat.
The changes in both costume and
manners that took place during the
next quarter of century-that is
between 1776 and 1S01-were re-
markable, especially in America, but
although Jefferson was of a more
democratic temper than his prede-
cessors in the Office of chief magis-
trate, somewhat absurd impression
has gotten abroad as to the simplici-
ty of his manners. Certainly such
an incident as the distinguished