Evening Star Newspaper, July 4, 1926, Page 33

MAGAZINE SECTION €€ eved boy, dancing and clap- ping his hands, 150 vear. ago today. The old bell- ringer, mumbling and shaking his head as he repeated, “They will never do it! They will naver do 1t!"” stopped, grasped the bell- cord with all his might and began to Fmg with his whole bursting soul. The Declaration of Independence had been signed! The story of the signing fs familiar to eve in the land, but familiar as it is, it never fails to thrill zain in the telling, to rouse the heart, fire the imagination and send those queer little shivers along the spine which great, momentous human ac- tions alone can produce. In a small room in Independence Hall, Philadelphla, the Congress sat on that eventful day. Under consid- eration by the delegates present was the Declaration. It was the fourth day of discussion and argument—frst, by the Congress as a committee of the whole: second, by the Congress itself. It was hot, as only July is hot in this latitude. Swarms of flies buzzed in and out the open windows, rising from @ nearby livery stable. Around the silk-stockinged tegs of the dele. gates they buzzed, on them they alighted and through them they stung their august and austere owners. The delegates fought them off in vain: they returned in greater numbers; their pestiferous annoyances inflamed the tempers of the patriots. The delegates felt themselves Stung to ac tion. it was files und argument or agreement and adjournment. Agree- ment followed and the flies were trans- ferred immediately from their legs to the king's ointment * % x % HE borderland between tears and laughter is of such shadowy de sign that It Is scarcely perceptible. So, also, between tragedy and comed: The nerves of the Congress were so distraught on that tremendous day that all of their emotions mingled on the high plane in which they were cast. In the moment of severing the last political tie which united their re- spective colonial governments to the mother country the delegates found momentary relief in jocose remarks over their serious and solemn action. “There! John Bull can read my name without spectacles and may dou- ble his reward of £500 for my head. That is my deflance!” cried John Han- cock, as he affixed his name to the Declaration in letters as bold as his flaming spirit. To the ever.ready wit of Benjamin Franklin goes, “Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or else, most assur- . we shall hang separately,” fol- lowing on the heels of an agmonition by Hancock to the signers that they must now “hang together.” And to that “luxurious, heavy gentleman,” Benjamin Harrison of Virginia, goes the thrust ai slender Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, that at the hanging he would have the advantage, for long after the hanging was over with him, Gerry would still be kicking around in the air! e HE signing of the ‘Declaration of Independence by the colonial dele- gates lifted the Revolution from a fight between the colonies and Eng- land, from one of “subject rights"” to the status of one government against another, Its adoption brought into the world a new nation. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that it was so long in coming. The ground must be plowed beforehand and many rains must fall for the crop to mature. An internal revolution was necessary—a revolution in thought. in national al- legiance, in perception of fighting cause. This internal revolution was 18 months taking place. It started when the cause of Boston—the closing of the Boston port—became the cause of the rest of the colonfes. It found its shamipions in Johnand Samuel Adams muel in the colony of Massachu- getts and John in the Continentai Con- gress. From the day the latter knock ed the mud of the road off his long coat at the assembling of the second Continental Congress, in May, 1775, until the 4th of July, 1776, he, as re. vealed by his diary, never let the question of independence for the colo- nies rest. When he was not dinning and dinging at it before Congress he was dinging and dinning at it. He kept steadfastly before his mind and the minds of Congress independence, confederation and negotiations with forelgn powers. Jefferson, writing 1813, to_Willlam P. Gardner, says of him: *“No man better merited than Mr. John Adams to hold a most con- spicuous place in the design of the adoption of the Declaration; he was the pillar of its support on the floor of Congress, its ablest advocate and defender against the multifarious as- saults that it encountered.” In 1824 he is quoted again as saying: “John Adams was our Colossus on the floor. He was not graceful. nor elegant, nor remarkably fluent, but he came out occasionally with a power of thought and expression, that moved us from our seats February 19, R R ] HE growth of independence was logical and may be traced through the tortuous channel of individual minds forced upon it by Tory opposi- tion. The physical events that led to its advocacy were: The closing of the Boston port; Lexington and Concord: the burning of Falmouth and Norfolk; reverses of the Army in the field, and the act of Parliament declaring the colonists out of the King's protection. The majority of those who desired separation from England lived in or @bout Boston, according to a letter from Dr. Benjamin Church intercept- ed by Washington at Cambridge in October, 1775. A view to independ- ence grows more and more general,” #ays he. Before this, however, on the 4th of April, Samuel Adams writes| from Boston to Arthur Lee, brother of Richard Henry fee and London agent of the Virginia province: *¢ ¢ ¢ §f the British administration and gov- ernment do not return to the prin- ciples of moderation and equity, the evil which they profess to aim at pre-) venting by their rigorous measures will sooner be brought to pass, viz., the entire separation and independ- ence of the colonies. Tt requires but & small portion of the gift of dis- cernment for any one to foresee that Providence will erect a mighty em- pire in America. * * *” It was not, however, until after Lexington and Concord and the loss of the brave Warren at Bunker Hill that the star of independence began to twinkle brightly tnrough the thick- ening gloom. In March Patrick Henry had cast the prologue of the coming drama, opened by these two elee(rk‘ fving acts, in these prophetic lines from his fiery-ringed speech: “‘The next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of re- sounding arms'” Jefferson wrote to Dr. William fmall on May 7 o! the news “from the North”: “This accident has cut off our last hope of reconciliation, and a frenzy of revenge seems to have eeized all ranks of peopls. * ® ¢ This may perhaps be intended to.intimi. | Latin ruber (red) and it has long bean WASHINGTON, D. C, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, where American Iudependende was born 150 Years ago to d,a/% Drafting the Deglaration;of - Imdga/ ettggmae« “Jg;‘,&agowois hSoId/m:q cument on the floor./ in e bates on the Declavatio date into acquiescence, but the effect has been unfortunately otherwise.” Samuel Adams is reported by his biographer to have gone to the Sec: ond Continental Congress (May . 10, 1775) “impressed with the necessity of an immediate declaration of inde- pendence. On May 16 Franklin writes to Lon- don and’ expresses himself in these words: “The breach between the countries is growing wider and in BIRTHSTON 'HE ruby, the natal stone for July, is the gem of devotion. It is em- blematic of passion, affection, power and majesty. The ruby signifies vital- ity, lite and happiness, and is consid- ered a sovereign remedy and amulet against plague, poison‘and evil spirits. It is believed to -have the power of diverting the- mind from sadness, sensuality ard other mental afflictions. To this gém is attributed the magical virtue of forewarning its wearer of the approach of any misfortune by loss of color, and the unhappy wife of Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, is sald to have observed a change in the color of her ruby ring before her own fall. The ruby has the reputa- tion of attracting and retaining ma- terial love and it was thought for this reason Henry VIII of England wore the ring, in” which was set a ruby, known as the “Regale of France.” The Arabian and Persian philoso- phers taught that the ruby, especlally | if worn on the left hand or left side of the body, would obtain for its wearer peace of mind and strength of brain. To dream of a ruby indicates to the business man patronage and success in trade, to the farmer a suc- cessful harvest and to the professional man elevation to fame. The ruby gets its name from the the custom of the natives of India 1o indiscriminately apply the name ; “ruby” to many red stones, without however, being deceived of its true value. The ruby, like the sapphire, is chemically an aluminum oxide and one of the rarest and most valuable precious stones known. Inferior varieties of the ruby are found in various lands, but the high quality stone, of which there are four grades, comes only from Ceylon, Burma and Siam; first, the light-red of Ceylon; second, the carmine-red of Burma; ‘hird, the pigeon-blood-red of Rurma, and fourth, the dark-red of Siam. So aptly have the Burmese compared the desired tone in ruby color to the blood of a freshly killed pigeon that the term ‘‘pigeon blood” is considered by connoisseurs of pre- clous stones of all lands as the choicest and costliest of ruby gems. and judicial of the whole danger of becoming irreparable. Dr. Church wrote from Connecticut, July 3: *“The people of Connecticut ving in the cause of liberty. John Adams wrote to James War- ren on the 24th of July: ““We ought to have had in our hands, a month ago, the whole legislative exer‘ulh‘el continent, and have completely modeled a con- stitution; to have raiseda naval power E OF JULY. sister gem, the sapphire, a first qual- ity, first color ruby weighing one or more carats has a _commercial value of approximately $2,000 per carat, while large flawless rubies of good color are o rare that they bring fancy prices out of all proportion to their size. Tradition tells of phenomenally large rubies, but, as a matter of fact, few rubies exceeding 10 carats are known. The King of Pegu was at one time reported to have a ruby the size of a hen's egg, but as no one-ever saw it the story has been doubted. A ruby the size of a pigeon's egg was known, however, to have been in the crown of the Empress Catherine of Russia. There is also a large uncut ruby in the British crown, given to Edward, Prince of Wales, by the King of Castile in 1367. Referring to a large ruby in the possession of the King of Ceylon, the finest and biggest ruby in the world, Marco Polo says: “It is about a palm in length and as thick as a man’s arm; to look at, it is the most re- splendent object upon earth; it is quite free from flaw and is as red as fire. Its value s so great that a price for it in money could not be named. The great Kaan sent an embassy and begged the king as a favor to sell this to him, offering to give for it the ransom of a city, or, in fact, what the king would. But the king replied that on no account whatever would he sell it.” Since fine rubles are exceedingly valuable, the temptation to imitate . them has been great and a large num- ber of very real looking reconstructed stones have been placed on the market in recent years. - The so-called reconstructed ruby is a chemical pro- duction resembling the natural gem in most particulars, but which lacks the brilllancy of the true gem and which under the microscope dis- closes cavities differing materially from the crystalline structure of the genuine stone. The ruby is usually cut in the form of the brilliant, like the diamond, but the exceedingly clever native workers at Mogok, the center of the ruby trade of Burma, have adopted new forms as the rosette, the trap-cut and the step-cut that serve admirably to Although not as popular as an article of jewelry at the present time as its bring out the brilliant red of the fine ruby. Independence. Hall, Ph SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 4, orld Still Thrilled by the Stor Ring!" cried a blue- | Kngran stowling and opened all our ports wide: to have arrested every friend of government on the continent and held them as hostages for the poor victims in Bos- ton, and then opened the door as wide as possible for peace and reconcilia- tion. After this they might have peti- tioned, negotiated, addressed, etc., if they would.” To Washington from Gen. Greene, at Prospect Hill, on the 23d of Octo- ber went a letter which contains this sentiment: “I hinted, in my last, that people begin heartily to wish a de- laration of indepen&ence. * " On the 20th of December he writes again: “George the Third's last speech has shut the door of hope for reconcilia- tion. * * * We are now driven to the necessity of making a declaration of independence. * * *- % e YET despite these fertile letters blowing over the land, John Adams could only write his Spartan wife this letter on the 11th of June from Philadelphia: “I have found this Congress (the Second Continental Congress) like the last. * * * But America is a great, unwieldy body. Its progress must be slow. * * * Like a coach in six, the swiftest horses must be slackened and the slowest quickened, that all may keep an even pace.” The wish that was father to this thought was, perhaps, the conversion of Dickinson; who forever was seek- ing a way out of the dilemma he found himself in before his compatriots. His petitfon to the king—the second by Congress—they indulged him; and when he preened himself on its pas- sage with scarcely an amendment, ob- serving, “There {s but one word, Mr. President, in the paper which I dis- approve and that is the word Con- gress,” Benjamin Harrison observed immediately: ‘“There is but one word in the paper, Mr. President, of which T approve, and that {s the word Con- gress.” Such was the rising temper of the Congress. This year (1775) was distinguished by the conviction, in the minds of leading personages throughout the colonies and in.the Congress, that separation from England was an un- alterable step. But the people of the colonies had yet to be convinced, or, rather, convince themselves. This con- viction set in in the Winter of '76 and ran all through tne Spring of '76 down to the Fourth of July. ‘The year 1776 saw the rising cur- rent become a torrent that swept all before it. Tom Paine had arrived from England in 1773. He drifted into Philadelphia and there listened in the taverns and on the streets, in the homes of the people to the story of the colonists. He al the spirit of liberty, and, coming into con- triot, persuaded him to strike from his fertile and active brain the vari- ous, sundry and commonplace reasons for independence on the part of the colonies. He bent himself to the task and In the Fall flung over the land his pamphlet, “Common Sense.” It was crammed with arguments of the simplest kind on independence for the colonies—at some time, why not now”—the justice of independence: the incentive to it and the ability to maintain jt. While John Adams declared that “‘not fact nor a reason stated in it" but “had been frequently urged in Congress”—and by himself—he, nev theless, “liked very well” the argu- ments on independence and thought them “clearly written.” By February. 1776, “Common Sense” had run three editions in the city of Philadelphia, had been reprinted in New York, and was reported to have “had a great effect on the minds of many here (Philadelphia) and to the southward.” Evidence of the influence of the pamphlet “to the southward"” is found in a letter of Washington's written from Cambridge, April 1, to Joseph Reed: “My countrymen'I know, from their form of government and steady attachment heretofore to royalty, wiil come reluctantly to the idea of inde- pendence, but time and persecution bring many wonderful things to X yand by private letters, which I have lately received from Virginia, I find men."” ginia) is found in a letter from a gen- tleman at Petersburg. “I spent last evehing,” says he, “with Mr. from South Carolina. He tells me that the people there have no expec- tation of ever being reconciled with Britain again, but only as a foreign state”; and Ramsey, the historian, writes to Dr. Rush from Charleston: “Who {s the author of ‘Common Sense’? I can scarce refrain from adoring the venerable man. He de- serves a statue of gold.” * Kk ¥k ASHINGTON at Cambridge, in January, raised the Union flag out of compliment to the colonies. The leaven of independence was working everywhere. On the 31st of January the Commander-in-Chief writes to Jo- seph Reed: A few more such flam- ing arguments as were exhibited at Falmouth and Nortolk, added to the sound doctrine and unanswerable rea- soning contained in the pamphlet ‘Common Sense,’” will not leave num- bers at a loss to decide upon separa- tion. William_Palfray writes from New York, in May, to Samuel Adams - of- tact with Dr. Rush, that eminent pa- | of 1775 there was | ‘Common Sense’ is working a power- ful change there in the minds of many ' A direct voice from the people (Vir, | 1926. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Scenes at Independence Hall on the Firsc Fourth of July Were Without Parallel in History, as Great Men of Differing Types, But All Devoted to Cause of Protesting Colonies, Signed Document Which Launched a New World Republic— Many Months of Agitation Preceded Act Which Transformed Domestic Warfare Into a Great Conflict Between Nations— City Crowds Stirred by Ringing.of Bell Which Announced That Britain No Longer Ruled. ymm&d Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Inde pendence/. Born atShadwell mVirginia April1d 174-3; died at Monticello, one hun- ted yeavs aqo today inhis i year iladelphia, * "LIBERTY BELL" s eracked. by the old bell- e woridy; ringeyr tolld joyous.news of mdependence to fll{y ‘Washington’s own sentiments: “As it may be of some importance to you to know General W's eentiments respect- ing the grand point of American inde- pendence, I think it my duty to ac- quaint you that I have heard him converse several times lately on the subject, and delivered it as his opin- fon that a reconciliation with Great Britain is impracticable, impolitic and would be in the highest degree detri- mental to the true interests of Amer- ica—that when he first took com- mand of the Army he abhorr'd the idea of independence, but is now fully convinced nothing else will save u— % The instructions to the delegates in Congress began at this time to take on form other than that of abject con- ciliatory receptivity toward the moth- er country. The Massachusetts dele- gatlon was strengthened for independ- ence by the addition of Elbridge Gerry. Samuel Adams writes on the 30th of April to Dr. Samuel Cooper: ““The ideas of independence spread far and | wide among the colonies. Many of the leading men se= the absurdity of supposing that allegiance is due a sov- ereign who has already thrown us out of protection — South Carolina has lately .assumed -a new- xovfirnnunr | lution was postponed to i of {on the 2q { 3th. when it resolved it | istative hoqy, j | mittee of the whole | vy of Freedom’s Declaration The convention of North Carolina have unanimously agreed to do th same. Virginia, whose convention s to meet on the 3d of next month, will follow the lead. The body of the peo. ple of Maryland are firm; some of the principal members of their conven tion. T am inclined to believe, are timid and lukewarm. The lower co ties in Delaware are a small peo but well affected to the common cause. In this populous and wealthy colony (Pennsylvania) political parties run high. The newspapers are full of the matter, hut I think I may assure you that coiLmon sense pre among the people ® * * their sentiments and manners believe, similar to those of N nd. I forbear to say anything of York, for I confess [ am not able to inform any opinion of them. I think they are at least as unenlightened in the nature and importance of our political disputes as Ny one of the United ¢ have not mentioned our 1 E Georgia, but T believe she is as warm. Iy engaged in the cause as any of us and will do as much as can be reason- ably expected of her The glorious stand too we of pent Virginfa_{s The 15th 2 resolutions Hamsburg, declaring for t of victory Now on air full of showe thoughts on in ing tide people it w whelmed Bri 1 come nothing could s Wwas racing to every side was the s of disconrses and ependence s outward bound. with it or be over. on from Great nd for the country the manifestations of that spirit, smarting under wrongs long unrectified and destined to heavier should England win. * ok oxox Tm: Virgin fered in ( by Ric For the Sej be resolutions were of ngress on the Tth rd Henry Lee, in ordance with instructions from Virginia Legislature. John was there to second ther best thing to presenting them The consideration of the ir the Adams the next nitial reso 10th, and postponed further, until July. In Jefferson’s notes i 1the reason for this: "It appearing in the course of these de. bates that the colonies, N. York, New Pennsylvania, Delaware 1 South . were red for falling from the but that they were fast neing to that state, it thought the most prudent to awhile for them. " ) The honor that fell to Virg leading the way to independesce not unnatural The little capit Williamsburg had long been the ceems of memorahle events leading up t (he Declaration. Massachusetts wis ma insensible of that, nor to the jead, ship of Washinzton in the f s between Virginia home government The " masterly pen e brought to him the honor of the Declaration. " He wrote rick house near Seventh and M ket streets in Philagelphia, now tern down. owned at the time by & a1, on that da the 1st of | alterations were made in ¢ ation by Franklin and Adanie John), membe tHe camimitie along with Roger Sherman and 1 o ,.?fi ton, nade eightee suppressions, six additions and tes alterations,” all of which are con.is ered to L% e o The 1 and the adoption by the o the whole (ongres lution. v mittee of e s of the initial reso The second dav of Jn . * and the adoptic of the same lina and Against the resol committee of the Whole July, on the floo voted for the res Congress as whole proceeded the De saw by the ition committee to the consid v of Indepe 2% AS Suehi a committee it Sontinued the consideration untiy the elf into a | nd Benjamin Harrison announced that “the com have agreed to a which, being again was ngreed to by Congress. 1 - the historian, gives the hots at 2 in the afy news “communios s icated blueeved boy™ to the bellringer, wig Pealed forth by him to the it s | and anxious throng in the streecs pe ow, which greeted t} % tone | Foses . 'l the rising tones of | the jovous bell with shouts innon, Congres | of Virginia Decl; T of by the the night. Copies of the Declaration were ordered printed immed ) mmediately by con. gress and sent “to the several yaur coumeiioTventions and committees or ouncils o y continen- To Prevent ‘M ez;sles. MEASLES may hecome one of the I‘!YF\".HL‘('II" diseases in the very near Juture. " The latest of medien) armievements bids falr to ‘bring this rides disease of il vod 2 r partial control at o i The discovery of a gt ’ streptocoee Ferry and L. \\"r' her of Detroit has ounced by the American Medical Association. This organiom poduces a soluble toxin that ean used in the production of Sl i ctic of antitoxin on a large scale. This antitoxin, which ONSiSts of horse serum treated wiig the measies toxin, can be used in hoth preventive and curative tre Lo treatment of Blood serum measles patien a Y 'lrfln’x convalescent has beer g use with some degree of wuceess ot means of prevention with children that have already been exposad Now schools should not be closed when measles are prevalent, according to Dr. Victor C. Vaughan, chairman of the division of medical science of the National Research Council, whose son, Dr. Henry F. Vaughan, health commissioner of Detroit, has been con- cerned in the research on measles toxin. Every child, he said, should be inspected daily because a skilled phy- sician is able in the majority of in. stances to detect this disease in the pre-eruptive stage. When this is done the child should be sent home and put to bed, and exposed children should be treated with the convalescent sernm. Uncomplicated measles is not high- ly fatal, but it predisposes to virulent pneumonia. Oneg attack of measles gives lasting immunity, while adults who have not had the disease are quite as susceptible as children. The younger the child, however, the more fatal is the discase, the death rate being highest among those under one year of age. | Feed Birds by, Plane. OR what is believed to be the first time on record, an airpivne will Le used to distribute feed to the game birds in Blair County, Pa. A hopper with a capacity of 200 pounds of mixed grain and corn will carry the feed, which will be released at ocon- venlent places for the wild lite,