The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-06-24

in the fact that Franklin changed the
small "u" in united to a capital,
making the new nation the United
States of American. instead of the
united States Of America.
AS to the signing Of the Declaration
of Independence, there is where the
popular BELIEF Is most at fault. This
Declaration, adopted on July 4. 1776.
was signed by just two men. John
Hancock, president of congress, and
Charles Thomson, secretary. "Charles
Thomson-never heard of him!" the
average American would say. Yet for
all that he Is neglected by history he
is an important character. He was
secretary of both the First and Second
Continental congresses. And 1t was he
who first read the Declaration to
group of patriots. According to one
story this took place on July when
he stepped outside the statehouse, as
soon as he and Hancock had signed
the document, and read it to handful
of citizens who stood around and who
made no extraordinary demonstration
. thereat. According to another account.
this did not occur until July s. after
congress had sent copies Of the Dec
laration to the various colonies. Penn
sylvania, of course. got her copy first,
and at noon on July s Thomson stood
on a wooden platform in the state
house yard-it had been placed there
incidentally In 1850 to enable an
astronomer, one David Rittenhouse, to
observe a transit of Venus-and read
the Declaration to vast crowd of
citizens These citizens cheered the
reading, then sped away to pull down
the royal arms in the courtroom and to
ring the Liberty bell. AS for the fiction
of ringing the Liberty bell until it
cracked" that mishap, however, did
not occur until 1885, when it was
being tolled for the death of Chief
Justice John Marshall.
Now, for the actual signing of the
Declaration of Independence. After
it had been adopted on July 4. an en-
crossed copy on parchment for all
the delegates to sign was ordered. The
man who held the pen and formed the
letters on this copy-the one which is
preserved today in the national shrine
in the Library of Congress-was
Timothy Matlack, the best penman
in the office of Charles Thomson. Sec
rotary of the Continental congress. 1t
was completed by August 2, and on
that date was signed by "a delegates
Two others signed later. They were
Thomas Mexican of Delaware, who
was absent with his regiment in the
Continental army at the time of the
signing on August 2, and Matthew
Thornton of New Hampshire. Thorn
ton was not elected to congress until
the autumn, but in November he was
permitted to sign and thus made the
total of the Sc signers of the Declara-
ton of Independence.
AS for the other errors in the state
ment of the average American quoted
at the beginning Of this article: The
phrase "All men are born free and
equal" does not occur in the Declare
ton. That phrase is often confused
Will Tie SldtcLucHl All iuCu are GIG
ated equal" which does appear in the
famous document. The "born free and
equal" wording is in the constitution of
Massachusetts, framed in 1779. and no
doubt inspired by the statement in the
Declaration. George Washington, OF
course, was not signer Of the
Declaration of Independence. AT the
time the Continental congress was in
Philadelphia declaring independence,
he was in Cambridge, Mass, welding
together that Continental army which
was to make good the Declaration. He
was a signer of the Constitution after
the Revolution and the fact, no doubt,
that his name appears on this i'm
mortal document leads to the idea that
lie was also signer of the earlier i'm
portant document.