Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-07-04
PROCLAMATION 7
,a Parchment Is No Longer " shown to Visitors.
,.,ured by Exposure-Tnk Was
 a.d;ng-Manuseri Now Her.
 ,,caiiy sealed in Glass and Carefuiiy Guarded.
feopxrlght. lsg7.l

3 Copyright. leStJ
 rou ever see the Declaration of '1ns s ns.ssodence-the original manu- z,st9 If you have not, you probably
 a,;ll for now it lies in the archives K ,bs state department, encased in
 and locked in steel vault. Un- =s aou have some extraordinary req Il tor viewing it, the custodian will 4 chow it to you. To be sure, faith
 ,snroduction of the famous docu- nt hangs in an upright glass case in
 showroom of the state department.
 room is a part of the library, and
 .r valuable historic relics are on
 s there.
 @rbree and a half years ago the orig 3Ideclaration hung in the case where
 facsimile appears to-day. A short s|-. before, it had been proposed to {s fl to the worlds fair at Chicago. managers of the fair were extreme
 nxious to secure it; there was even N of shipping ii in a special car under Ind of a squad of United States reg 3s; but the secretary of state would 3 consent. It was within his discre- s to let any of the state papers go to &eago and he did send some very &sious manuscripts there; but the
 Iaration, he said, had too great 8 sie to be subjected 10 any risk. Ahis discussion led to careful ex- z.nation of the document. It is on 2ehment, which does not deteriorate srh with the lapse of time: but the Marian reported that the ink, which
 been exposed to bright light for
 g years, showed signs of fading. 4 in February, 1894. the parchment # taken from its frame, put between |94ts of glass, sealed in dramatically, |88sed away in the steel vault; and sr it lies. beside the original of the 3vtitution of the United States and ! appeal of the cotonists to King #srge. The copy answers all ordinary $poses; and as the text of the dec aaaion has been verified and repro #sed again and again, there is no long, I any real need to consult the orig 4l It is taken out only at long inter to be shown to some distinguished ziiar.
 s The Declaration Of Independence is H one of many original manuscripts
 great value belonging to the state Eartment. Some of these manu- |srPts, of course, are priceless. A mil |5Asire collector would give a fortune 3 own the Declaration of Independ- S|E E and think he was getting it cheap. snanuscript of the constitution, too, Priceless. Many of the other docu- 7fts' however, have measurable |aey yalue-in fact, some of them E purchased by the government.
 ng the most important papers are M records of the continental con- ss which have always belonged to
 government. They were trans kHed to the state department by an act ssed September 15, 17s9. An expert
 he library says that they would
 0ably be worth $5oo.O0o if they could 5Put on the market.
 1884 and 1S49 congress bought the fks collection of Washingtoniana. # two appropriations made for the
 pose aggregated $45, 5,0o0, and the pa- # would be cheap atmany times that
 loday. Half century ago col E0ls of manuscripts were few, and
 government met with little com
 '0n in bidding for the Sparks col |Son.
 i04S collection of Madison's pa- M was offered to the government by
 amlly, and it was purchased for
 u Later in the same year $20,o00 N appropriated for the purchase of
 elsons papers and a like amount
 nainllton's. a,s In the year following
 9sV was paid for Monroe's papers.
 O'ner appropriation was made by &ssess for a similar purpose until T when Henry Stevens, of London,
 ''u Tor sale collection of Frank papers, and the government paid 3oo for them.
 al evidence of the cheapness of the Al, s, purchases, comparison of the ss'1, with the Washington papers
 'nat the government paid $35,- saa @ oS volumes in the one case and
 " Tor 336 volumes in the other.
 m's IS not conclusive; for the
 a'ah volumes contain many more
 scripts than the Washington vol
 The earliest collectors of manu- IF scattered them through many
 sss For several years past the & s1an s Of the state department has
 susy condensing the Washington ,|S aon With a view to putting it all j 'olumes. In it's original form it
 ,a1ger than all the other collec- |AB. pa' ~ together, emitting the records sAh. sontinental congress. The whole 5 - ~ oI Volumes of manuscripts was au or these 3o7 contained the con |s sl0nal records.
 ot tAese documents, with the excep-
 n Y ;. sne three already named, as be-
 bs lse ,s' steel vault, are kept in cases |no norary. Think of keeping $1,-