Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-30

AM & &Wl Sibility OF restofe-
w EFll ton. The names of
N %U/ the siRnsrs to this
49, great charter Of
American liberties are no longer legible.
After hundred and eighteen years of care
less guardianship in various custodies-dur-
ing the greater portion OF which period 1t
was thoughtlessly exposed to the destroy
ing influences Of light and air and heed
less handling-now when the irreparable
havoc is done. and the precious archive
has become hardly more than a blank and
wrinklej sheet of parchment, solicitude for
its preservation has begun to be felt. and
at last it is cared for as 1t should have
been cared for years ago.
1t was my privilege. some time since-a
privilege then accorded to few. and now.
under the strictest prohibition, accorded
to none-to see and touch this precious
document. 1t Is kept locked up in a steel
safe in the library of the Department Of
State. 1t is spread out fiat in a mahogany
portfolio. made to slide In and out of the
safe, and over ii Is a sheet of thick paper
and plate Of glass. 1t Is now never ex-
posed to the light and Is little exposed
to the air as Is possible without placing
1t In a vessel from which the atmosphere
has been exhausted.
The Famous Document.
The document is a single sheet Of parch-
msnt. thirty-six inches long and thi-ty-two
inches wide. and bears no scrolls or decora-
items such as are seen upon many of the
copies that are common. The body Of the
writing having been evenly and clearly
written when the instrument was engross-
ed. has faded evenly. but 1t can hardly be
made out, while the signatures, which
s.-r-
and another pen, are faded beyond recogni-
ton. many Of them being wholly gone and
others partly SO. The heavy stroke Of the
pen in the J. of John Hancocks bold auto
graph Is still visible but that 10 the only
line that is distinct
The history of the origin of this great
state paper Is well known to most Amerf-
cans. but is always interesting. The story
OF the varied and disastrous fortunes Of the
document itsele during the past one hundred
here told:
On the 26th Of June. 177s. COMMITTEES. Of
which Thomas Jefferson was chairman, was
appointed by the Continental Congress,
then sitting at Philadelphia, to draft a dec
laration setting forth the reasons why the
thirteen colonies should become independent
OF England. Jefferson was requested by
the other members of the committee to pre-
pare the draft, and his draft, when pre-
sented. was at once approved by a majority
Of the committee, a few verbal alterations
only being suggested On July a copy OF
this draft was laid before Congress- and
after a hot debate Of three days. a few SEN
fences were stricken out. and the DecIara-
ton was then adopted 1t was at once en-
tered upon the journal Of the Congress:
but the engrossed copy, on parchment was
not prepared and signed until August 2
During the first twenty-four years Of its
existence the Declaration was preserved
among the archives of the government at
Philadelphia. and during all or a part OF
that time II was undoubtedly rolled up as
II shows. by the cracks in the parchment,
that II must have been rolled for a long
period, and IL is known that subsequent 10
that time It was hung up exposed to public
gaze.
When II Was Brought to WASN'T n ston.
When, in the year 1900. the national gov
eminent was transferred to Washington.
the Declaration was carried there and de-
posted in the Department OF State, where
1t remsined for forty-one years In the
year 1S41. a substantial building having been
erected for the use Of the United States
patent office. which had formerly been in
the State Department. and the State De-
partmen: being In a brick building, not
freproof, Daniel Webster, Secretary of
State, addressed letter to Henry l.. Ellis
worth. the commissioner Of patents, and
requested him to receive the Declaration
and other valuable documents into his Gus
tody for their safe keeping. This request
was complied with. and for the next thir-
ty-fve years the patent office retained
charge Of the precious paper, but II was
while there that 1t suffered its greatest in
jury. 1t was hung up, exposed to public
view, behind the glass in one end Of a case
Of patent Office models. At certain hours
Of the day the sun shone directly upon Ii,
and. of necessity, II gradually faded 1t is
amazing almost beyond the power Of be-
lief that OF the dozen commissioners Of
patents who had the custody Of this docu-
ment during those thtrty-flve years, not
one of them saw that II was being ruined
and no one Of them had the forethought to
take 1t out Of the sunlight and to put II
away in darkness In England such treat
ment of an important state paper Ia I'm
heard of. Magma Charta, the death war
rant of Queen Mary. and other archives in
Lincoln Cathedral and the British Museum
four or five times as old as our Declaration
Of Independence, are still kept In q con-
dition Of perfect preservation.
An Effort to Restore.
In the year 1875 Congress woke up to the
outrage that was being perpetrated and
appointed commission consisting Of the
Secretary OF the Interior. the Secretary Of
the Smithsonian Institution, Prof Joseph
Henry, and Aihsworth r. Sponord. the IL
brarian OF Congress. ito have resort to
such means as VIII most effectually restore
the writing Of the original manuscript of
tho Declaration of Independence, with the
signatures appended thereto" Exports
were consulted by this commission, and
finally, upon the suggestion Of Prof. Henry
the matter was referred to the National
Academy Of Sciences. 1t having become
known that the great Declaration was fad
ing away, the public became interested In
the effort made for its restoration, and
the public press urged the Importance Of
prompt action but years went by and moth
ing was done. The National Academy OF
Sciences reported to the commission that
portions of the writing had absolutely dis
appeared and that the rest was so badly
faded that restoration was impossible.
Meanwhile, in 1876 Mr.. George w. Chfde
of Philadelphia and Mr. Frank NJ. Etting. In
centennial exposition, requested the gov
eminent to send the document to the ex-
position to be placed on exhibition. The
Secretary of the Interior. Hon. Zachary
Chandler, addressed a letter to President
Grant setting forth the reasons why this
request ought not to be complied with, but
the request was granted, and, on its hun
dredth birthday, the great charter. faded
and scarcely legible, returned to the place
Of its birth, and was there exposed to the
gaze of the American people. its pitiful con-
dition a standing rebuke to the national
government
In 1877. at the close Of the exposition the
common council Of Philadelphia petitioned
Congress for authority to retain the Decla-
ration, and to place 1t in Independence Hall
This request was refused. and the document
was brought back to Washington, but upon
request OF Hamilton Fish. then Secretary
Of State-the Secretary Of the Interior con-
senting-it was again returned to the State
Department. where 1t has since remained.