Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-09-22
BY MARIE H. MUDRA

THE six-year-old boy pulled
L himself up on the marble
stool to look into the glass case.
AS with US, it was his first visit
to Washington and he had to see
everything. He let out a squeal
of surprise, "Mother!" he said,
looking up to see where she was.
TITS all gold. Is it a treasurer"
We all laughed, but the policeman
stationed there on the west gallery
of the main floor of the Congress
sional library bent down to the small
boy.
"'Deed it is, Sonny. It's so price
less that there is a special guard
like me here every hour of the day.
Do you know what they are, Sonny"
Nope" said the boy, his eyes
growing larger.
They're the birth certificates of
this nation. That one up in the
cabinet on the wall is the Declara-
ton of independence and this one in
the case below is the Constitution
of the United States"
The guard pronounced the words
with SO much pride that they sent
thrill through us listeners and we
edged closer to see the golden docu-
mentS.
Under Protective Glass.
''See, they're specially lighted and
kept under a protective glass coated
with yellow chemically-treated
film SO the parchments won't fade.
Here" speaking to all of us. Look
at John Hancock's signature. Writ
ten big and bold SO the king of Eng
land might read it without his spec
tacles."
Have these documents always
been here?" asked a man in the
group.
mo, they've always been at the
seat of government. At first that
was New York When Philadelphia
became the capital, they were taken
there. After congress fixed upon
Washington as permanent capt.
tai, they were moved to this CITY,"
"And been here ever since?"
someone asked.
NO." the guard explained. For
a short time when the British cap
tured Washington during the War of
1872 they were removed to Virginia
far enough away to be safe. They
were preserved in vault but in 1921
President Harding ordered them
placed here
why are some of the names
rubbed OFF," asked the six-year-old
boy. We looked closer and saw
few signatures somewhat obliter-
ated.
''They tell a story about that but
no one can prove it. When the Brit
ish attacked the city of Washington
in 1914, these parchments were for
gotten in the confusion that followed.
Then a clerk of the state depart
ment, in whose custody they were,
rolled them up in a hurry, showed
them into linen bags, and fled to
Georgetown and then to Leesburg.
1t is said that on his journey the
ink on the surface faxed off from
this rough handling Now will you
remember" he asked the little boy,
'all those things on September II,
Constitution day? That's the date on
which the Constitution was finished
way back in 1887"
Philadelphia Celebrates.
Not having such an introduction to
the origin of our Constitution, most
people do not even know when Con-
stitution day is. But the Philadel-
phians have observed it with great
er regularity than any other place
in America. Perhaps this city is
conscious of the distinction it holds
in having Independence Hall, the
building in which both these docu-
ments were drafted In 1887 Phila-
delphia held a national centennial
celebration on September Is, l6 and
IT, arranged by Constitutional
Centennial commission. This COM
mission included representatives
from each state and territory ap-
pointed by the governors; the Presi-
dent and his cabinet; governors and
other officers from each state and
territory; members of the diplo-