Evening star., 1944-10-02
MacLeish Halls Return
of Declaration and
u. 5. Constitution

II The original copies of the Dec
laration of Independence and Com
stitution of the United States were
returned to public exhibition yester-
day at the Library OF Congress after
nearly three years of wartime se-
clusion. Among other documents
also returned to public display was
the Lincoln Cathedral original OF
the Magma Charta. More than q
thousand persons watched the res
toration ceremony.
The return was marked by five-
minute rites at noon as the
documents were put under the pro-
lection of Marine guard of honor.
i In a brief charge to the guard.
Archibald MacLeish, librarian of
Congress, declared 'the Declaration
Iof Independence and the Constitu-
ton of the United States are the
principal possessions of the people
of this country. In them, if any
4 where, the American Idea has It's
visible expression and its tangible
| form"
OF the Magma Charta, he said:
1t is the first charter of freedom,
the progenitor and antecedent, in
one great line, of the American
documents of liberty which stand
beside it."
Chosen to protect the documents
were Is marines. including veterans.
of virtually every Pacific campaign.
"It is appropriate" Mr.. MacLeish
declared, that these fragile objects
which bear SO great weight of
meaning to our people, and, indeed,
to all peoples of the world, should
be intrusted to the guard of men
who have, themselves, seen active
service in war against the enemies
|of everything this Constitution and
this Declaration stand for. We
leave them to your care with con-
fldence."
Band Plays Anthem.
The crowd then stood quietly
as the Marine Band played the
National Anthem.
AS the ceremony ended, the spec
tators formed a line leading to the
shrine where the Constitution was
in place for the first time since its
removal December 26, 1941. The
document had been a an unrevealed
hiding place under protection of
the War Department.
The Declaration OF independence
was brought back in 1943 to be
shown at the Jefferson Memorial in
connection with the jefferson BIZ
centennial celebration, but it soon
was returned to its hiding place.
Saturday night the documents
were taken from the hermetically
sealed, waterproof bronze container
in which they had reposed.
Jefferson's original draft of the
Declaration, with his own correc-
tions, and the Gutenberg Bible, once
sold for approximately $3.50, 900, also
were put on display.
Other rare items returned in
cluded Gettysburg address, Lincoln's
second inaugural address and papers
of all the Presidents of the United
States. These include the Lincoln
papers, which will not be opened
until midsummer, 1947, under terms
of the will of Lincolns son, Robert
Todd Lincoln.
In all, the library placed in pro-
tective storage a total of 4,789 pack
ing cases of documents and other
items, equivalent to 26 freight car
loads.
Four Repositories Revealed.
Location of four of the five re-
positories used was revealed yester-
day. They were the Alderman Lii
brary at the University of Virginia,
Charlottesville; Washington and
Lee University, Lexington, Va; Vir-i
ginia Military Institute, Lexington,
and Denison University, Granville,
Ohio.
Other than to say the Declaration
and Constitution were in re-
pository somewhere inland" how
ever, library officials explained the
location was still military secret.
1t. John E. Skelley, 25, Bridge
vile, Pa, was in command of the
Marine Guard of Honor which re-
manned at the library until 10 o'clock
last night. Marine arrangements
were under direction of 1t. Col.
George w. Killen. executive officer
of the Marine Barracks, Eighth and
Eye streets Sc.
The Marine Band, which assem-
bled near the Capitol shortly before
noon to march to the library, was
under direction of Capt William F.
Santelmann.
AS the library doors opened at
11:30 a.m.-two-and-a-half hours
before the customary Sunday open