Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-04

Size print. Congress ordered 4this
broaieile distributed to the Several
assemblies. conventions or councils of !
safety and 10 the several commanding
officers of Continental troops.'r Grid !;
''prociaimed in each of the United{
States ana ut the read Of the army. II
Cen. George Washington, July 9, or
dercd it proclaimed ut the head of all \
the Continental regiments.
Dunlop, to meet ;hc tremendous de-
mand. printed several editions differing
some shat in style from the first broad
side. ana in July two editions wcre9
printed in Boston and one at SaIem.S I
Preachers read il in their pulpits,
teachers to their classes and town halls
echoed with il. Soon all the people
kne W it and were ready to give of their
treasure and their blood to uphold it.
At the first celebration Of it. August s,
lli6, in the State House grounds. the
great bell pealed forth and John Nixon
read the Declaration to a large CON
course Of people. Great enthusiasm
prevailed and the kings arms were
taken down in the court room of the
state House and with bonfires and
bells it became Independence Hall.
The original cngrossed cnpy Of the
Declaration as signed is now in the
keeping Of the Secretary of State. The f
document was in the Patent Office .
from 1S41 to 1877. as that department
wGs believed to be fireproof 1t is now,
since 1891, kept hermetically sealed in
g frame and placed in q steel cabinet
with the original signed COPY of the
Constitution. 1t is no longer shown to
any one except by express order of the
Secretary. Being on parchment, which
shows destructive signs of cracking.
due more probably to the making of q
fac-simile ordered by President James
Monroe IN 1919 than to age or handling,
the document is jealously guarded
Many o! the names of the Sfrncrs are
no longer leSible. Two pages of Jeffer-
sons original draft, with a few inter-
llneations by Adams and Franklin.
are also preserved at the Department
of state. The facsimile which was or
dcred by President Monroe was made
Tor the purpose Of giving n COPY to
each Of the siGnors then living and
their heirs
lndisSo'ubly connected with the Dec
laratlon Of Independence is the he'll Of
the state House which first announced
liberty. Every one has heard the story
of how the old bell ringer, when he
heard the long delayed procia ma tionof
liberty, could 10 longer. content HIM
self with mere ordinary living and died
Of joy. But not every onetllnows the
curious coincidence about the bell
itself. 1t had been cast in England for
the state House, which, when conf
pleted in 1I34 at n cost of ScS.000, was
considered the most extravaganr public
building in the land. The bell in being
Drought from the ship in 1152 was IN
Jured. isaac Norris. speaker Of the
state assembly, ordered the bell recast-
which was done by Pass and Stow
Norris with peculiar prophetic intuf-
ton, Of which he did not dream, sug-
gestcd motto for the bell. What me ~
had cast on the hell was fulfilled ana
during the struggle for freedom the
bell was buried in the Delaware river
to escape seizure. When independence
was won it was replaced in Independ-
ence Hall, where its motto may sim
be read.
Proclaim liberty throughout the
all the inhabitants thereof.