Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-03
THE LIBERTY BELL

4 long, long time ago 5uItile oar eonn-
try 7cGS still Under the rule of the English
King il 7pds decided that big bell 5cdS
needed to hang in the tOsoer Of the State
Horse IN the little Colonial city called
Philadelphia. They siuntcd a bell big
enough to peal ont clearly and strong on
holidays and other important occasions.
.4H order 5udS therefore sent to Eng
land for sach bell to be cast 1t 5udS
TO be q sort of birthday gift for Philadel-
ph;d,s 6ftisM birthday. But there svas
some mistake made in the casting, for
spher it arriVed here and 1uJ tested it
cracked almost at once. Then some
Philadelphia men melted it dozcn and
made tt al o1ev again tao different times
before it auds fit to be hung and pHt in
ESc.
One hundred and t7UeHty-three years
5uent by before tt really became kno7Ur
oil oOey our country as the Liberty
Bell" Yet before ii had name of its
otiss tt zidS used on Jieie 7, 1870 1vlien it
rang out to call the people together to
listen TO the reading of the Declaration
of independence. That, as your school
books teach atdS formal paper drd1tr
Up by tie 5ciSeSt and braCeSt men of their
time to declare the intention of the
Colonies to reOolt against the stern and
nntaSt rnie of England. The long and
bloody acdr of tie RezloluttoH had to
take place before 1Ie coHid become free
and independent nation as 5Ce haze been
eyer Siaee.
Although the Liberty Bell 5tdS first cast
i England, it has become 5ery precious
to rs since that day 1o'iieH, high aboSe the
heads of the people, it, too, listened to
the brace cords of Richard Henry Lee
The neat year it celebrated dpTth its Joy
oas pealiHg the first Fourth of Jnly cucy
Kept iH .4merica The 5vdr 7vas still 90
ing OH, but the sound of tie Bell gaze
fresh courage to fight until 1Ce siioalG
5i'1i. When the american ArHy 7UdS
forced to ledUe PHILADELPHIA BY the
enemy the dear old bell 7VdS taken do7rH
and carried TO AHento5gp and hidden
there Tvs a church until it could safely be
returned II rang ont the coed ne5cS of
the end of the 5idr and It's mnflcd 5oicc
monrred the death of Gen. Washington
SOME years later.
II rang ont 5Ccicome to the great
French General Marquis deLdfdyette
sVho did so much for the Colonies during
the Revolutionary Var It tolled df his
funeral and at the funerals of tlco of
the early Presidents of our country
You see, its great 5oice 7cdS heard on all
public occasions that the people of Phiid-
delbhid thought important enough to be
svorthy Of the highest honor they could
pay.
Yet dleoy inside the metal, Somc7UIiere,
S0ds that strange defect or mistake 5Uhich
the men of England 5vio first cast it had
left there. Little BY little through the
yedyS IL 1Corkcd upon il and finally 5Vhiie
toIliFg for the funeral of Chief Justice
IohH Marshall in July, 1885, ii broke open
in q deep crack up its side. It's usefulness
spGS oUer as bell because from that day
10 this it has HeVer been rnHg. But its
votce 5iGs heard once again last Febru-
dTy Gtjren 1oorderTHl telephone conf
mmHiedtoH 7Vds established betIOecH
Philadelphia and San Francisco, dis
tdnec of :3,4oo miles. The first 5oice to
trGzel oVer tie 7riYe 5udS that of our be-
loSed Liberty Bell. 4 city Official struck
II acith hammer and the sonnd from
the metal rang ont loud and clear on the
scGifiJIg ears at the other side of the
continent
II has made number of Journeys TO
ExbositioHS and Fairs and noaU 10 is on
ifs 5Ody TO the great PdH-America7t Err
position. Al along the route the loyal
american people 5UfH gi0e it 1celcome.
II is kept Under glass Ho7U and so yow
cannot trace 1citt your finger, as once
sou could haze done. the 7uords cast
I upon its surface telling it to "brociairl
liberty throughout all the land INTO all
the inhabitants thereof"
Men 5cho kH01C Ell rs that Ueyy
slo10ly but surely our precious Liberty
Bell is dying and mast some day 90 TO
pieces. But as long as 1Oe are able TO do
so sCe shall guard it as
4 dear dumb friend. its usefulness
all past,
4" nremory's silent garden, still pre-
cioas to the last
BY Anna Hamilton Wood, Historian
Harrisburg Chapter, Daughters OF
American Revolution, to School
Children of Harrisburg.