Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-03
Priceless Government Papers
gHere Are Easy Prey to Flames
Need For Freproof Structure to House Treaties ane
Other Records Shown by Destruction Of Census
Bureau Fies-None Can Be Replaced.

The most important chronicles of
some ancient nations have come
down to present generations en-
graved on porphyry and marble. The
United States, however. having ex-
listed wholly in an age of paper.
has all it's most precious historical
records in the form of paper docu-
ments, which can easily be destroyed
by fire and injured by dampness. en-
treme dryneSS or rough handling.
A recent fire which destroyed IT.
replaceable records in the census bu-
reau at Washington. and an almost
Simultaneous fire in the state cap
itol of West Virginia. which prac-
tically wiped out the archlFeS OF
that state. have reinforced the argu-
ment of those urging that hrt-
proof hall of records be bulit III
Washington. so the federai Soferh
ment's priceless papers may pe htp.
in safety What some OF the most
important and best known OF these
documents are and where they are
kept are told in the following phlle-
tin issued from the ashlnStoh
n. c.. headquarters OF the Natloi'"i
Geographic Society:
ARK of the Covenant"
-whiIe the Constitution is the
most important document p0ssSsseo
nv the United States. the Declara-
ton of Independence comes hrst
among our great state papers in point
of time and probably in the hearts OF
the American people me orlSina mo
of this challenge to tyranny, when.
like the shot fired at l-eNlhs I3i' na
been heard round the word. anu
has helped to mold monarchies ana
colonies into republics, is in the
hands of the Department OF state
and is kept in a steel case III me
State. War and Navy huiidins; NJ
In the same case. which may. there
fore. be considered the steel ARK
of the covenant of the government
of the United states
@washingtons Farewell Address
NAV fairly be considered one OF the
greatest papers produced IN me "
Years of the republics independence.
1-his document is not owned by the
federal government. but is Kept IN
The New York Public Library. at
42d street and 5th avenue
+ '"The next paper to stand QUIZ as
milepost in the shaping of national
policy is the message to congress ny
President Monroe. proclaiming the
Monroe doctrine. The original mes
sage is in the files of the Senate IN
the Capitol building at Washington
7 Gettysburg Address in ID. L.
.SThe Gettysburg address of Lin
coin, scrawled in longhand. is in the
Library of Congress. at Washington.
This address, now considered one OF
the great orations of the world. at
tracted little attention when 1T was
delivered. In the newspaper reports
of the following day it was subor-
dinated to the long. fowery speech OF
Edward Everett delivered from the
Same platform. The speech was pub
aished. however, and this is an inn
portant fact; for at the time OF the
EVIL war, and to a rapidly increasing
extent since, newspapers by multi
plying copies of important documents
have made their content safe from
destruction, even though the priced
originals may be lost.
by still another step, applied science
has multiplied the form of famous
records as well as their wording. Be