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

Correspondence Herald ana News /
PHILADELPHIA, January 26.-Ihe
humble scribe has been in the city tour
months. In that time great deal has
been seen-so much in fact The Herald
and News could not hold it if written
in detail. Philadelphia takes IN a
whole county. Can you grasp that:
Suppose Newberry was as large as THIS
county, what an inland city there
would be. I am fifteen miles from the
heart of the city and still within the
corporation by one and half miles or
more. To go to the top OF the Clty
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, ana
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 lnger-
soil. For this fling Camden is not re-
sponsible. I hardly think there is a
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 shouldit. 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 conjnre up in mind those
men who had long before purchased
that liberty I was then enjoying, L
would wonder also if 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 I been around
to see the curios. 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, l77776. 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 a 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, .am-
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
a suit of holy clothes, made for, and
worn by John Q. 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 came
on, occupy prominent 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
would fight and die for these very
things and the iconoclast who would
dare destroy one relic must must do so
at his own peril. Our patriotism has
not died, and so long as there is bui-
wark of human breasts around these
emblems of past success and glory no
foe dare attempt their destruction.
No less interesting than ludepen-
dence Hall is the Mint. To some this
may seem little strange, but II you
could only pass within its doors ana
see what a revelation is in store. Just
briefly will the contents be outlined,
be,anse. to do more would require
careful investigation and accurate
data. In this mint all the different
denominations of our money are
made-gold, silver, nlckeis and copper
The sweepings from the floor OF the
smelling are worth $4,000 per year.
The silver is rolled out into thin bars
lust the thickness ofthe particular coin
10 be made, then put under punch-
ing machine, from there they 50 to an
other press where the eagle and face OF
the woman are made, then again to an
other machine where the milled rim Is
mt on. Now it is finished and in APP
pearance is bright and shining and
ready for circulation. One million two
hundred and fifty thousa1>1 dollars are
made daily. You ask whel fioes 1t all
90 tos That is what l woL'ohike to
know. ,n>
But the most Interesting room in Il.
one called the numismatic room. IN
this room coins from all the countries
of the world can be seen. Coins OF the
daf,nct Roman empire, the insolvent
Crec;an treasury department, and so
on through the whole catalogue Of gov
ornnents that have been. Mare An
tony, Commodus, that gIuiton Of Rome,
C.rsar and Others, all have coins COM
n,emoraling some great event Of their
reign. One piece which struck my
fancy was . Roman coin with the head
of Minerva on L, made before Christ