The Washington herald., 1919-07-04
independence Declaration T
Prescribed by Posterity5

Preserved and deposited in a
steel cabinet in the Library Of the
State Department in Washington
rests the original of the Declara-
tion of Independence, engrossed on
parchment by order of the Conti-
mental Congress. adopted July 70.
I776. This precious instrument is
never brought to the light of day
or shown, except on order of the
Secretary Of State. The last time
the parchment was exhibited was
when Senator Philander c. Knox
was Secretary of State in the ad-
ministration of President Taft.
Secretary Knox invited some half
hundred of the Washington news
paper correspondents to a view of
the historic document.
Apparently the most valuable
of all papers handed down from
the early days of the Republic
is in less perfect condition of
preservation than most of the Off
cial documents Of that period now
in the arches of the State Depart
ment The Declaration is on
parchment and the paper shows
distinctive signs of cracking which
is probably due more to the injury
done the paper in the process of
making a facsimile IN 1928, under
order of President James Monroe,
than to time or the little handling
or jarring the document has re-
ceived.
Report Of Committee.
The actual condition Of the Declara-
ton can best be described by quoting
from the report of a committee or
the National Academy Of Sciences on
the condition and preservation OF the
Declaration Of Independence, dated
April "a. 1905. Oficials Of the state
Department aver that the document
has shown no deterioration since. This
committee reported as follows:
The instrument has suffered very
seriously from the harsh treatment
to which II was exposed in the early
days of the Republic. Folding and
rolling have creased and broken the
parchment. The wet-press copying
operation to which il was exposed
about 1890. for the purpose Of pro-
ducing a facsimile copy, removed a
large portion Of the ink. particularly
in the signatures. The committee is
pleased to find that no evidence OF
mould or other disintegrating agents
can be discovered upon the parchment
by careful microscopic examination;
nor any evidence that disintegration
Is now in progress"
The committee advised against the
application of snI chemicals with a
view to restoring the original color
OF the ink, because such application
coulo be but partially successful. as q
considerable percentage Of the original
ink was removed in making the copy
about 1880 and also because such ap-
plication might result in a serious
disco1oration OF the parchment
The committee expressed the convic-
tior that the instrument should be
kept in the dark and as dry as possible.
and never be placed on exhibition"
This recommendation is now faithfully
observed
Text II Deciphersble.
The text OF the Declaration. while
not clear or distinct. Is readily de-
cipherable. but the signatures below
the text. particularly these in the mid
die Of the parchment are almost il not
completely obliterated. The wst-copy-
ing process appears to have affected
the signatures on that particular por-
ton OF the parchment to a greater eX-
tent than II did the engrossed text.
The. signatures in the columns on the
extreme left and right of the parch-