The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-08-11
SATURDAY
NIGHT
SERMONS
-RMG. GRANDpA. RINGr.
Mpumnll

KIM. GRANDPA, RING!'
Text Proclaim liberty throughout all
che land unto all the inhabitants there
of's--Lev XIV, TO-
stood yesterday, hat In hand, before
the Liberty bell In Independence halls
A moment before had been out In
front of the bronze statue of the Fa-
Their of His Country on the Chestnut
street sidewalk Then l visited the
museum and looked with wondering
eyes at the eurios and relics. / trod
gingerly through those Revolutionary
halls Of fame where one may see the
pictures of the signers, the chairs in
which they sat, the inkstand which
they used Then 1 stood before the
bell AS 1 gazed at the inscription. the
text above, my vision swan. 1t was
no longer 1914, with the electric cars
laundering past the hall and great sky
scrapers casting their shadows over the
building. stood in July Fourth, 1776.
"What Have Written"
The morning was not hot, only
cloudy and sultry. Then came thun-
derstorm, and through the clouds burst
Z the sun, harbinger Of glorious things.
War had beer raging for more than a
year in the colonies. Lexington, Con-
cord and Bunker Hill had been fought.
For fifty-four days, ever since May 10,
that provincial congress had been busy
with its deliberations. SHOULD the
colonies be free and independent
states? 1t was tremendous queS-
ton and momentous time for those
brave ffty-six signers. The oldest was
Benjamin Franklin, who had reached
his threescore and ten; the youngest
was Thomas Lynch, Jr., not yet TWEEN
ty-seven. Thomas Jefferson was only
thirty-three. There were eighteen law
yers, nine merchants, seven farmers,
three physicians, three soldiers, two
surveyors, printer college president,
q clergyman. Nine OF the number were
ministers sons Eight were Of foreign
birth. There was John Hancock in the
presidents chair good DR.. Rush; Rev.
John Witherspoon, descendant Of John
Knox; Richard Henry Lee, the Demos
themes of the congress, the author OF
the resolution calling for the Declare
ton, John Adams-but why enumeratef
They were all brave men. They were
placing in jeopardy their lives, repu-
tations and estates. They pledged to
each other 'our lives, our fortunes and
our sacred honor" On July 2 they had
voted by states and unanimously
for immediate independence. Jefferson
wrote the Declaration. He afterward
declared the reason Franklin was not
chosen for that task was the fear that
he would place in it some jest; he was
inclined to be humorous. Did any one
sign the Declaration that late July aft
ernoon? Thomas NJ. Keen declared no
one did. Jefferson said they all did.
Forty years later Adams and Jefferson
had a long correspondence about this
very question Those who feel they
must defend apparent Bible contradic-
tons would do well to bear this in
mind. One thing is certain-that copy
is not in existence. Jefferson's original
is in the state department at Washing
4 ton. So is the engrossed copy of Aug.
f. That is the one containing the big
signatures of John Hancock with
Nhich the world is familiar.
"Rine, Grandpa, Ring!"
Whether it was signed that immor-
tai day or not, the resolution was. A
great crowd Of people had gathered
outside. They could see Hancock's
big, high backed chair behind the ma
hogany table, with its great silver ink
horn. Red faced John Adams and
Roger Sherman, the shoemaker, stood
near the window. Robert Morris, the
financier, and Charles Carroll of Car
rolltOn, who outlived all the signers,
were near the door. Up in the belfry
hung the now famous bell brought
from England in 1852, cracked the first
time it was used, then recast by Isaac
Norris, speaker of the assembly, with
the famous inscription around its top.
Old William Hurry, whose Wondering
dust now sleeps in old Pine Street
Presbyterian churchyard, stood at the
belfry door, his hand on the bell rope,
ready to ring out the expected glad
tidings, his little blue eyed grandson.
Samuel, in the corridor below. Out
side the crowd grew more dense. The
air was surcharged with excitement.
Men had left the pillow tail, the store,
the workshop. Would they dare pass
the resolution? Suddenly at five min
utes before the lad dashed out, clap
ping his hands "Ring, grandpa,
ringr' The bell rang out the welcome
news prophetieally cast upon its iron
throat twenty-four years before. The
crowds answered with cheers.
The Voice That Is Still.
Many are the stories as to how the
famous bell became cracked. The
most authentic is that major jack
Downing, caretaker. allowed six
boys to ring the bell on Washington's
birthday, 1885. Whenever it happen
ed it was not noticed until the morn
ing of June 8, 1885, when it was being
tolled for the death of Chief Justice
John Marshall. Several times later 1t
was rung on great occasions, but the
tones, once powerful, were sorry re
minders of the past. On Washington'S
birthday, 1S43, it was tolled for the
last time. Now for seventy-one years
1t has been voiceless. When in 1860
the Prince OF Wales, afterward King
Edward VII. of England, visited the
United States the bell was in a rub
bish heap III the garnet. He was amaz-
ed, indignant, and pleaded for it. It has
never been neglected since. Each year
it is more venerated. Its message is
still ringing and will ring, in the prov
iGghce Of the God of nations. to every
land on the face of the earth.