USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > History of Independence Hall : from the earliest period to the present time : embracing biographies of the immortal signers of the Declaration of Independence, with historical sketches of the sacred relics preserved in that sanctuary of American freedom > Part 23
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
-----
.
346
INDEPENDENCE HALL :
summer of 1774, elected him one of the delegates for that State, in the Continental Congress that met at Philadelphia in September following. He took his seat on the fourteenth of the month, and was immedi- ately placed upon the committee appointed to draw up a Declaration of Rights. During that session he was actively engaged in maturing a plan for a general non- importation agreement throughout the Colonies, and he voted for, and signed it. In this act his devoted patriotism was manifest, for it struck a deadly blow at the busines in which he was engaged. It was a great sacrifice for him to make, yet he cheerfully laid it upon the altar of Freedom. Mr. Hewes was again elected a delegate to Congress in 1775, and took his seat at the opening, on the tenth of May. Mr. Hewes was a member of Congress in 1776 ; and North Carolina hav- ing early taken a decided stand in favor of independence, his own views upon this question were fully sustained by his instructions, and he voted for, and signed the Declaration thereof. As soon thereafter as the busi- nes of the session would admit, he returned home, for the troubles there demanded his presence, and his pri- vate affairs needed his attention to save his fortune from being scattered to the winds. He remained at home until July, 1779, when he resumed his seat in Congress. But his constitution, naturally weak, could not support the arduous labors of his station, and his health failed so rapidly, that he was obliged to resign his seat. He left it on the twenty-ninth of October, 1779, and being too unwell to travel, he remained in Philadelphia. But he only lived eleven days after he left his seat in Congress. He died on the tenth of No- vember following, in the fiftieth year of his age. He
347
ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
was the first and only one of all the signers of the Declaration, who died at the seat of Government, while attending to public duty, and his remains were fol- lowed to the grave by Congress in a body, and a large concourse of the citizens of Philadelphia.
JOHN PENN was born in the county of Carolina, Virginia, on the seventeenth of May, 1741. His father, Moses Penn, seemed to be utterly neglectful of the in- tellectual cultivation of his son; and, although he pos- sessed the means of giving him a good English educa- tion, he allowed him no other opportunity than that which two or three years' tuition in a common country school in his neighborhood afforded. Mr. Penn died when his son was about eighteen years of age, and left him the sole possessor of a competent, though not large estate. It has been justly remarked that the compara- tive obscurity in which the youth of Penn was passed, was, under the circumstances, a fortunate thing for him, for he had formed no associates with the gay and thoughtless, which, on his becoming sole master of an estate, would have led him into scenes of vice and dis- sipation, that might have proved his ruin. His mind, likewise, was possessed of much vigor, and he was natu- ally inclined to pursue an honorable and virtuous course. Young Penn was a relative of the celebrated Edmund Pendleton, and resided near him. That gentleman kindly gave him the free use of his extensive library, and this opportunity for acquiring knowledge was in- dustriously improved. He resolved to qualify himself for the profession of the law, and strong in his faith that he should be successful, he entered upon a course of legal study, guided and instructed only by his own judgment and good common sense. He succeeded
348
INDEPENDENCE HALL :
admirably, and at the age of twenty-one years, he was admitted to the bar in his native county. His profes- sion soon developed a native eloquence before inert and unsuspected, and by it, in connection with close application to business, he rapidly soared to eminence. His eloquence was of that sweet, persuasive kind, which excites all the tender emotions of the soul, and possesses a controlling power at times irresistible. In 1774, Mr. Penn moved to North Carolina, and com- menced the practice of his profession there. So soon did his eminent abilities and decided patriotism become known there, that in 1775 he was elected a delegate from that State to the Continental Congress, and he took his seat in that body, in October of that year. He remained there three successive years, and faith- fully discharged the duties of his high station. Act- ing in accordance with the instruction of his State Convention, and the dictates of his own judgment and feelings, he voted for the Declaration of Indepen- dence, and joyfully placed his sign manual to the parchment. When, in 1780, Cornwallis commenced his victorious march northward from Camden, in South Carolina,* the western portion of North Carolina, which lay in his path, was almost defenceless .. Mr.
* After the defeat of the Americans under General Gates, at Sander's Creek, near Camden, Lord Cornwallis left Colonel Fer- gerson to keep the Americans in South Carolina at bay, and at once proceeded northward with the intention of invading Vir- ginia. He had made arrangements for General Leslie to reinforce him in that State, by landing somewhere upon the shore of the Chesapeake. But while pursuing his march northward, and greatly harassed by bands of patriots, who had been set in mo- tion by the active energies of Penn, he heard of the defeat and death of Colonel Fergerson at King's Mountain, and he hastened back to South Carolina, and thus, almost defenseless, Virginia was saved from a destructive invasion.
IL
349
ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
Penn was a resident of that portion of the State, and the Legislature unable to act efficiently in its collective capacity, conferred upon him almost absolute dictato- rial powers, and allowed him to take such measures for the defense of the State, as the exigency of the case required. This was an extraordinary evidence of great public confidence, but in no particular did he abuse the power thus conferred. He performed his duties with admirable fidelity and skill, and received the thanks of the Legislature, and the general benedictions of the people. Mr. Penn retired from public life in 1781, and resumed the practice of his profession. But he was again called out in 1784, when Robert Morris, the Treasurer of the Confederation, appointed him a Sub-Treasurer or receiver of taxes for North Carolina. It was an office of honor and great trust, but unpopu- lar in the extreme. Still he was willing to serve his country in any honorable capacity where he could be useful ; but he soon found he would do but little that could in anywise conduce to the public weal, and after holding the office a few weeks, he resigned it, and re- sumed his private business. He did not again appear in public life, and in September, 1788, he died in the forty-seventh year of his age.
The life of John Penn furnishes another example of the high attainments which may crown those who, though surrounded by adverse circumstances, by per- severing industry cultivate mind and heart, and aim at an exalted mark of distinction. If young men would, like him, resolve to rise above the hindrance of adverse circumstances and push boldly onward to- ward some honorable goal, they would seldom fail to reach it, and the race would be far easier than they imagined it to be, when girding for its trial. 30
350
INDEPENDENCE HALL :
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
WASHINGTON'S PEW.
Here sat the wisest, sagest statesman The world ever knew.
THERE are relics preserved in Independence Hall which give peculiar interest to the associations that cluster around the shrine of our national freedom. Every article is imbued with an inspiration that lifts the spirit from less exalted themes, and impresses the mind with the importance attached to these mementoes of the past. Among them is the portion of the Pew which Washington-the Father of his Country-oc- cupied, when he attended Divine service in Christ Church. This relic speaks to us, through the inanimate materials of which it is made, in words of peculiar eloquence, and tells a story pregnant with historical incident. How sublime it is to contemplate the time when that meek and good man sat there, listening to the oracles of Revelation, as they fell in burning lan- guage from the lips of Zion's herald-how his full heart palpitated when allusion was made to the struggles of his countrymen to throw off the shackles that bound them to despotic domination-and how his soul leaped for joy when the minister of God prayed for the suc- cess of Liberty, and urged the patriots on to noble duty in the cause of Independence! Who can te !!
351
ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
how many silent prayers reached the Throne of the Almighty from this humble seat, gushing fresh and vigorous from the warm heart of that holy patriot ? The exigencies of the times-the importance of the issues involved-the fearful forebodings-the anxiety for ultimate success-the safety of his fellow-country- men-were thoughts that must have revolved con- stantly in his mind, inciting him to earnest supplication to the Arbiter of nations for protection in the trying ordeal. What weighty matters must have exercised his reflections? Political questions, big with the future destiny of the Colonies he defended, no doubt were mentally discussed by him, as well as the in- terests of Christianity. No man, before nor since, occupied so responsible a position as Washington. He stood at the head of the struggling army of the Revolution-his wisdom-his judgment-his discre- tion, fortitude and valor, alone could inspire an un- conquerable patriotism, or incite feelings of dismay and apprehension. The burthen of this responsibility could not fail to have created in his mind emotions of deep intensity, and we cannot but fancy that his thoughts were busy, even while occupying this pew in the house of God, with the great problem of our national salvation. He, too, might have fancied the numbers who would fall in defense of freedom, and, at the same time feel the force of the poet's language-
" Who dies in vain Upon his country's war-fields and within The shadow of her altars ? Feeble heart ! I tell thee that the voice of patriot blood, Thus poured for faith and freedom, hath a tone Which from the night of ages, from the gulf Of death, shall burst and make its high appeal Sound unto earth and heaven !"
352
INDEPENDENCE HALL :
Who knows but that, while sitting upon this pew, during the occasions he attended Divine worship, he matured some of those national measures, and adopted policies that gave his own life such brilliancy, and his country such an impetus to prosperity ! Washington's mind was never idly employed. Whether at church, in the field, at home, or in the soldier's camp, he was the same self-possessed patriot. He was beloved by his friends-feared and respected by his enemies. Were the world, and especially his countrymen, in possession of the thoughts which passed through his mind while an incumbent of the pew, how much more could they have reason to feel proud of their Patriæe Pater ? They would have been heirs to a richer legacy than they inherited in his Farewell Address, when he exclaimed : "The unity of government, which consti- tutes you one people, is also now dear to you. It is justly so ; for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence ; the support of your tranquillity at home; your peace abroad; of your safety ; of your prosperity ; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee that, from dif- ferent causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your politicel fortress against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insidiously) directed; it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and indi- vidual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it ; accustom-
353
ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
ing yourselves to think and speak of it as a palladium of your political safety and prosperity ; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety ; discountenan- cing whatever may suggest even suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned ; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to en- feeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts. For this you have every inducement of sympathy and interest. Citizens by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to con- centrate your affections. The name of AMERICAN, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principle. You have, in a common cause, fought and triumphed to- gether ; the independence and liberty you possess are the work of joint councils and joint efforts-of common dangers, sufferings, and success. But these considera- tions, however powerfully they address themselves to your sensibility, are greatly outweighed by those which apply more immediately to your interest. Here every portion of our country finds the most command- ing motives for carefully guarding and preserving the union of the whole. While, then, every part
. of our country thus feels an immediate and particular interest in union, all the parts combined cannot fail to find in the united mass of means and efforts, greater strength, greater resource, proportionably greater se- curity from external danger, a less frequent interrup- tion of their peace by foreign nations; and what is of 30*
354
, INDEPENDENCE HALL :
inestimable value, they must derive from union an exemption from those broils and wars between them- selves, which so frequently afflict neighboring coun- tries, not tied together by the same government, which their own rivalships alone would be sufficient to pro- duce ; but which opposite foreign alliances, attach- ments and intrigues, would stimulate and embitter. These considerations speak a persuasive language to every reflecting and virtuous mind, and exhibit the continuance of the union as a primary object of patriotism. Is there a doubt whether a common government can embrace so large a sphere ? Let experience solve it. To listen to mere speculation in such a case were criminal. We are authorized to hope that a proper organization of the whole, with the auxiliary agency of governments for the respective subdivisions, will afford a happy issue of the experi- ment. It is well worth a fair and full experi-
ment. With such powerful and obvious motives to union, affecting all parts of our country, while ex- perience shall not have demonstrated its impractica- bility, there will always be a reason to distrust the patriotism of those who, in any quarter, may seek to weaken its bands. In contemplating the causes which may disturb our union, it occurs as a matter of serious concern that any ground should have been furnished for characterizing parties, by geographical discrimina- tions-Northern and Southern-Atlantic and Western- whence designing men may endeavor to excite a be- lief that there is a real difference of local interests and views. One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot
355
ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
'shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart-burnings which spring from these misrepresenta- tions-they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection."
Such, no doubt, were many of the serious thoughts that occupied the mind of Washington, even while listening to the ministrations of Divine truth, as he sat upon this not very imposing seat. Oh, how his heart burned for the success of his struggling country ! How he longed to see his oppressed compatriots free from despotic usurpation, and the land he was defend- ing a nation by itself, with all the requisite arrange- ments for self-government. When we imagine his anxiety for the cause of the struggling colonists, the important part he took in the great drama of the Revolution, and his subsequent counsel in administer- ing the affairs of the Government over which he pre- sided,* we cannot fail to realize that Independence
# The subjoined anecdote will clearly exhibit the character of Washington in an official capacity :- During his administra- tion as President of the United States, a gentleman, the friend of the President throughout the whole course of the Revolu- tionary war, applied for a lucrative and responsible office. The gentleman was at all times welcome to Washington's table. He had been to a certain degree necessary to the domestic repose of a man who had for seven years fought the battles of his country, and who had now undertaken the task of wielding her political energies. At all times and in all places, Washington regarded his revolutionary associate with an eye of evident partiality and confidence. He was a jovial, pleasant and unob- trusive companion. In applying for the office, it was in the full confidence of success, and his friends already cheered him in the prospect of his arrival at competency and ease. The op- ponent of this gentleman was known to be decidedly hostile to the politics of Washington. He had even made himself con- spicuous among the ranks of the opposition. He had, however,
356
INDEPENDENCE HALL :
Hall is the most befitting place in which to preserve the sacred relics of our national history. Here let the · Pew of GEORGE WASHINGTON ever reinain as an in- spiring memento to attract the patriotism and religious reverence of every pilgrim to this shrine.
the temerity to stand as a candidate for the office to which the friend and favorite of Washington aspired. He had nothing to urge in favor of his pretensions but strong integrity, prompti- tude, and fidelity in business, and every quality which, if called into exercise, would render service to the State. Every one considered the appointment of this man hopeless. No flatter- ing testimonial of merit had he to present to the eye of Wash- ington. He was known to be his political enemy. He was op- posed by a favorite of the general ; and yet with such fearful odds he dared to stand a candidate. What was the result ? The enemy of Washington was appointed to the office, and his table companion left destitute and rejected. A mutual friend, who interested himself in the affair, ventured to remonstrate with the President for the injustice of his appointment. "My friend," said he, "I receive him with a cordial welcome. He is welcome to my house and welcome to my heart. But, with all his good qualities, he is not a man of business. His opponent is, with all his political hostility to me, a man of business. My private feelings have nothing to do in this case. I am not George Washington, but President of the United States. As George Washington, I would do this man any kindness in my power ; but, as President of the United States, I can do nothing."
3
357
ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
FRANKLIN'S DESK.
" Nocturna versate manu, versate diurna."
LIKE all the other attractive relics which add pecu- liar interest to the associations of Independence Hall, Franklin's old and antiquated office-desk excites in- tense admiration. Its simplicity, like the plain habili- ments of that Nestorian patriot, is powerfully sug- gestive, and carries the mind back to a period when the "Sons of Liberty" did not revel in as luxurious palaces as now, and statesmen and philosophers learned wisdom under more embarrassing circumstances. This old desk was Franklin's choice companion. He re- garded it as a very dear friend, for he sat by its side through years of trouble; and from its unpolished surface he sent forth to the world words of wisdom, truth, and philosophy, as well as political principles, that caused kings upon their thrones to tremble. Here it was that he committed to paper for the good of future generations, his investigations respecting the force and character of electricity-here his ingenious thoughts assumed the form of tangibility, and were spread before the world in characters of living light. "Poor Richard" here uttered his wise sayings; and here the diplomatist wrote many valuable State papers.
1
358
INDEPENDENCE HALL :
It may seem a small matter to write about so uncouth a piece of furniture as this old Desk; but the char- acter of the man who owned it, and who penned so many valuable works upon it, invests it with an in- terest that cannot be estimated in dollars and cents. It has survived the wreck of years, and stands before us now as a silent memento of the times when Freedom struggled with oppression-when monarchical usur- pation placed an iron incubus upon the necks of men endeavoring to free themselves from the yoke of bondage-
"Who, firmly good in a corrupted state, Against the rage of tyrants singly stood, Invincible."
When Juvenal visited Rome, and stood amidst the architectural piles and memorable scenes of that re- nowned city, he realized a sensation of wonder take possession of his mind, and in the fullness of his soul he cried out: " Quid Romce faciam ! Mentiri nescio !" He was at a loss to know what he should do at Rome, because so vividly came to his recollection the associa- tions connected with its history, that he declared he could not die. He may have spoken metaphorically, but the figure is impressive, and applies equally pertinent to Independence Hall. We cannot stand here, and gaze upon these mighty relics, without experiencing the same sensation; and, obtuse as our sensibilities may be, we will not fail to be alive to every impulse that thrills the patriotic breast. The history of the past, with all its concomitant incidents-the part en- acted in that history by the men whose figures look down upon us here-the positions assumed by the
359
ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
relics so carefully preserved and arranged-all inspire us with emotions of gratitude and national reverence. Here the mind goes back to days long ago, and feels an irresistible patriotism steal over it. The Desk of Dr. Franklin is sacred to the lover of history, for it is a link in the biography of our nation that binds us to its institutions, and makes us regard with filial re- spect the cost of the inheritance we are enjoying-a free Republic,
"Where, beneath the sway Of mind and equal laws, framed by themselves, One people dwell, and own no lord save God."
There is something grand and suggestive in these old mementos. They speak to us like living oracles, and breathe the true fires of Independence. And why ? Because they are representatives of the times which were fruitful in laying the foundation of our national liberty-the period of a virtuous rebellion, which culminated in the disenthralment of our colo- nial dependence upon the government and exactions of despotic power. Rightfully appreciated, these silent and tongueless relics exert a powerful influence upon the thoughtful student of his country's history, and serve, in no small degree, to direct and invigorate those patriotic impulses which are designed to erect a protecting ægis around the sacred fanes of our country. No one can look upon them without feel- ing himself in the presence of inspiring genii. A thrill of pleasure comes over us, and we fancy our- selves among the years that were. We partake the spirits of the great men around us, and realize the im- portant characters they assumed, and the deeds they
1
360
INDEPENDENCE HALL :
performed in the Revolutionary struggles of the country. . The incidents connected with the eventful life of Franklin also rush upon our memories, and we see him in imagination conning over his books and papers beside his old Desk,* with all the gravity of a philosopher, a statesman, and a man of letters. We remember, too, that close by, in a neighboring church- yard, at Fifth and Arch streets, lie the moldering re- mains of that stern Nestor of Patriots and his wife Deborah, in tranquil repose. The green turf has covered them for years, but the hallowed influences their deeds exert upon mankind, will freshen in eternal bloom upon the altars of our country, and shed a halo of divine radiance along the pathway to honor and national independence.
* The history of this Desk is as follows : After the death of Dr. Franklin it came into the possession of Mr. Israel Whelen, Sr., the grandfather of the Messrs. Whelen, Exchange Brokers, on Walnut street above Third. It then passed into the hands of the father of these gentlemen, Mr. Israel Whelen, Jr .- by him it was donated to Mr. Robert Town, at the time a clerk of Mr. W. Jr. ; and finally, in turn, it was donated by Mr. Town to his brother, Benjamin Town, the father of the present owner, and in whose family it has been retained nearly half a century.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.