Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-07-03

habitants thereof.v On Aug. 21. 1718, | 1t first called the assembly of Pennsyi- yania together. On Oct. 5, 176b, It toll. l ed the arrival of the Royal Charlotte bearing tax stamps for Pennsylvania, New Jersey ard Delaware. The assem- bly. thus summoned. met and demand. ed that the stamps be returned to Eng. land. On Nov. l, 1765, 1t was again tolled when the stamp tax was put n operation. A,
 On July 30, 176S. it called meeting at which 1t was said that "the parlla- ment of Great Britain has reduced the people to the level of slaves" On June i, l774, 1t tolled the closing of tho port of Boston. April 24, 1775, after the battle of Lexington, the bell sum. moned 5000 citizens to the statehouse square, who pledged themselves to the, cause of liberty. July 4, 1776, 1t an nounced the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Andrew McNair was the man who rang 1t on that memorable day. On Sept. 26 of the same year the bell called the assembly of Pennsyl- vania to meet for the last time. On Sept. 3, 1783, 1t announced the procla- nation of peace. From then until 1885 every event in the history of the United States was made known to the citizens of Philadelphia by the silvery notes of the Liberty bell. July 8, 1885, fifty-nine years after the proclamation of the immortal declaration" 1t was rung for the last time during the funeral of Chief Justice Marshall. Suddenly and without any apparent reason it crack ed while tolling the passing of the great jurist That crack Is one of its proud est markings. The last man to ring the old bell was Thomas Downing
 The Liberty bell has many times left its home. First when Philadelphia was taken by the British and the state house was used as hospital and morgue for English soldiers. Then the bell was carried to Allentown. Pa, guarded by North Carolina and vir- ginia troops. It was returned to Phila- delphia in IT'S. It's later journeys have been more suspicious. In 1885 1t was taken, under guard of honor, to New Orleans for the worlds indus trial and cotton exposition, greeted ev- anywhere along its route by cheering thousands. In 1893 1t went to Chicago, in 1895 to Atlanta, in 1902 to Charles ton and last year to St. Louis. It. now rests in a sacred room in Inde- pendence hall, and, though it's presence at the Jamestown exposition has been requested, 1t is likely never to be dis turbed again.
 The old statehouse is now used as a historical museum and Is full of relics of Revolutionary days. Recently it was restored as nearly as possible to its condition in 1776. Little change was needed in the room in which the founders of the Union affixed their sig. natures to the Declaration of Independ ence and drew up the constitution of 17S7, where Franklin harmonized the quarrel between the advocates of cen. tralization and state rights and where John Adams presided over the first United States senate. The floors were relaid and the ornamentation restored according to the picture of "1'he Sign. ing" painted by Jonathan Trumbull The chandelier which hangs in this room is the original. imported from France in 1735. More extensive alter ations were made elsewhere in the building, the result of years of study and labor on the part of those who car ried out the project. The arms of Great Britain, which once adorned the walls of the supreme court room and which were taken down and burned in 1776 were not replaced, but the chairs of the chief justice and his associates occupy their original positions.
 Looking from Chestnut street upon the exterior walls of the building, one is surprised to see them so well pre-. served. They are as upright and un broken as in the days when the fathers met within them. With proper care they will surely stand, the objects of patriotic pride and veneration, at tho second centennial of American inde pendence.
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