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 24
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CHAIR MADE OF RELICS.
WASHINGTON'S PEW, FROM CHRIST'S CHURCH.
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ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
CHAPTER XL.
A SINGULARLY HISTORICAL CHAIR.
As relics of the olden time, This one appears the most sublime.
AMONG the most singularly interesting pieces of furniture in Independence Hall, is an imposing Chair, which was manufactured in 1838, by William Snyder, of Kensington, by order of the Commissioners of that District, the year previously. It was designed by John F. Watson of Germantown, commemorative of important events in the History of Pennsylvania, and is made of the following interesting Relics, presented through the politeness of the individuals whose names are hereto annexed.
1st. A portion of Mahogany from Christopher Columbus's House (the beam) near the City of St. Domingo, built in the year 1496-the first house built in America by European hands. Presented by John F. Watson, Esq.
2d. A portion of the great Elm Tree under which Wm. Penn formed his Treaty with the Indians, in 1682. This treaty was to continue unbroken while creeks and rivers run, and while the sun, moon, and stars endured. The treaty of our land was an after concern, made for Wm. Penn, by the President of the Councils, Thomas Holmes, with Shakhoppoh and.
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three other Sachems, on the 30th of July, 1685. The treaty was pledged without an oath, and never broken. The great Elm Tree was blown down in 1810, and was ascertained by its grain to be two hundred and eighty-three years old. Presented by John Vandusen, of Kensington.
3d. A portion of Oak joist taken from a house in Letitia Court, once the house of Wm. Penn, and his Deputy-Governor, Col. Markham. It was called at the time, Penn's Cottage. The cellar is said to be the first one dug in the City of Brotherly Love. Pre- sented by George Zigler, of the city of Philadelphia.
4th. A portion of the last of a group of Walnut trees, of which the body of the chair is made, in front ·of the State House. They formerly served as distant pointers when the last Hall of Legislation stood " far out of the town." There they stood in the infant cradling of our nation, and survived to see our man- hood and independence asserted in that memorable Hall of Independence before which they stood. The last of this group was taken down in 1818. The tree was one hundred, and eighty-three years old. Pre- sented by John F. Watson, Esq.
5th. A portion of cane-seating, taken from the seat of Wm. Penn's chair, in the possession of John F. Watson, of Germantown.
6th. A portion of hair from the head of Chief Justice Marshall, in the centre of the chair, under a glass case. Presented by Mr. Wm. Adams, of the Northern Liberties. This hair was procured by Wm. H. Moore, undertaker, after Mr. Marshall's death.
7th. A portion of the United States Frigate Consti. tution. Presented by Abraham Powell, of Southwark. .
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8th. A portion of the great ship Pennsylvania, built at Philadelphia, and launched in 1837. Pre- sented by Wm. Snyder, of Kensington.
9th. The thirteen stars represent the thirteen original States, and are made of the different relics above mentioned.
EXPLANATION OF THE CHAIR.
Shield and scrolls over the eagle, are made of Oak taken from Penn's House. The half circle beads is made of Elm. Stars-No. 1 is made of Oak from Penn's house ; Nos. 2, 3, 4, of Elm; Nos. 5 and 6 as- sorted from the stern of the line-of-battle-ship Pennsyl- vania, Frigate Constitution, Oak from Penn's house, from Christopher Columbus's house, and of the great Elm Tree. Stars Nos. 7, 8, 9, made of Elm; No. 10, part of the breast of the frigate Constitution.
Stars Nos. 11, 12, 13, made of Elm. The centres of stars Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, are made of wood taken from Christopher Columbus's house, Nos. 5, 6, the centres are made of the breast of the Constitution. No. 14, a glass semicircle, containing hair from the head of Chief Justice Marshall. No. 15, portions of Elm wood; No. 16, cane-scating sur- rounded by Elm wood. The body of the chair and the Eagle is made of the relic Walnut wood.
Such are the historical characteristics of this Chair. It is calculated to excite our curiosity, as well as to impress us with true admiration. Within this Chair are combined reminiscences and relies of nine im- portant things-portions of articles that bore con- spicuous parts in the early scenes of our country's existence. For several years it was occupied by the
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President of the Kensington Board of Commissioners; and when that corporation was annulled, by the act consolidating the districts and county of Philadelphia into one city, this Chair was removed to Indepen- dence Hall, the most appropriate place for such a deeply interesting memento.
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CHAPTER XLI.
THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH.
"Sweet flower, thou tellest how hearts As pure and tender as thy leaf-as low And humble as thy stem-will surely know The joy that peace imparts."
THERE is one circumstance connected with the history of our country which is seldom mentioned, and which was one of the most interesting in our annals. It was the reception of General WASHING- TON, by the ladies of Trenton, as he passed through that city in 1789, on his way to New York, for the purpose of being inaugurated President of the United States. Rightfully appreciating the character of Washington, the ladies of Trenton erected a Tri- umphal Arch, and festooned the bridge across the Assanpink-the very stream where he routed and defeated the British forces but a few years before. The following account of this pleasant incident we copy from the " New York Daily Gazette," of May 1, 1789 :
"Trenton has been twice memorable during the war-once by the capture of the Hessians, and again by the repulse of the whole British army, in their attempt to cross the bridge, the evening before the battle of Princeton. Recollecting these memorable
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circumstances, the ladies of Trenton formed a design and carried it into execution, solely under their direction, to testify to his Excellency, by the celebra- tion of these actions, the grateful sense they retained of the safety and protection afforded by him to the daughters of New Jersey.
" A triumphal arch was raised on the bridge twenty feet wide, supported by thirteen pillars. The centre of the arch from the ground was about twenty feet. Each pillar was entwined with wreaths of evergreen. The arch which extended about twelve feet along the bridge, was covered with laurel, and decorated in the inside with evergreens and flowers. On the front of the arch, on that side to which his Excellency approached, . was the following inscription, in large gilt letters :
'THE DEFENDER OF THE MOTHERS WILL BE THE PROTECTOR OF THE DAUGHTERS !'
The upper and lower sides of this inscription were ornamented with wreaths of evergreens and artificial flowers of every kind, made for the purpose, beauti- fully interspersed. On the centre of the arch, above the inscription, was a dome or cupola of flowers and evergreens, encircling the dates of those glorious actions, inscribed in large gilt letters. The summit displayed a large sunflower, which, pointing to the sun, was designed to express the motto :
'TO YOU ALONE!'
as emblematic of the unparalleled unanimity of senti- ment in the inhabitans of the United States.
" A numerous train of ladies, leading their daughters
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in their hands, assembled at the Arch, thus to thank their defender and protector.
" As his Excellency passed under the Arch, he was addressed in the following Sonata, composed and set to music for the occasion, and sung by a number of young misses, dressed in white, and crowned with . wreaths and chaplets of flowers.
SONATA.
Welcome, mighty chief ! once more Welcome to this grateful shore : Now no mercenary foe Aims again the fatal blow- Aims at thee the fatal blow.
Virgins fair, and matrons grave, Those thy conquering arms did save, Build for thee triumphal bowers : Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers- Strew your hero's way with flowers.
Each of the singers held her basket in her hands, filled with flowers, which, when they sung,
' Strew your hero's way with flowers,'
they scattered before him.
" The ladies of Trenton have displayed a degree of taste, elegance, and patriotism on this occasion, which does them the highest honor, and I believe stands un- exampled. But what particularly merits observation, all expense was most carefully avoided. The mate- rials of the structure were the most plain and un- polished, and cost the ladies but the labor of a few evenings in preparing the flowers.
" The General being presented with a copy of the Sonata, was pleased to address the following CARD
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to the ladies of Trenton, who were assembled on the 21st day of April, 1780, at the Triumphal Arch, erected by them on the bridge which extends across the Assanpink creek.
'CARD.
'General Washington cannot leave this place, without express- ing his acknowledgments to the matrons and young ladies, who received him in so novel and grateful a manner at the Triumphal Arch in Trenton, for the exquisite sensation he experienced in that affecting moment. The astonishing contrast between his former and actual situation at the same spot-the elegant taste with which it was adorned for the present occasion-and the innocent appearance of the white-robed choir, who met him with the gratulatory song, have made such an impression on his remembrance as, he assures them, will never be effaced.
' Trenton, April 21st, 1789.'"
A drawing of this arch, and an account of the cir- cumstances attending the reception of Washington, were presented to Independence Hall, by Am'th Quinton, of Trenton. When we reflect upon the con- . trast which greeted Washington's eyes in this recep- tion, to the one he experienced when he met the deadly foes of our liberties on the banks of the same stream only a short time before, we cannot but ap- preciate the good taste of the ladies of Trenton, who thus welcomed to their city the heroic defender of our mothers and their homes. Oh, what a sensation of pleasure must he have enjoyed at this grand exhibi- tion of gratitude! The man who had struggled through a seven years' war against all the disad- vantages of a 'poverty-stricken' government-with a miserably supplied army to repel the well-fed and well-clothed minions of royalty-with nothing but an allwise Providence and patriotic men to rely upon for
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ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
success-amidst the colds and storms of winter and the burning heats of summer-that man who never faltered in the most trying hour-whose heart had been schooled in the stern lessons of vigorous combat with a powerful nation, and triumphed over all in- terposing obstacles-thus to be greeted by the fair ladies of the land he defended, was too impressive for his refined sensibilities, and George Washington wept ! Yes-the man who had commanded in a hundred battles-who had witnessed death in all its horrors- who had seen his brave soldiers reduced to that con- dition when they were obliged to eat the leather of their cartridge-boxes, and their feet impress the earth with crimson as they marched over the frozen ground -- who could look upon all these without emotion as a soldier -- could not avoid shedding tears at this ap- propriate tribute of respect. That day should be held as a day worthy of annual commemoration by the ladies of Trenton. It is one of the sacred occasions in the history of New Jersey, and of the country.
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CHAPTER XLII.
THE BIBLE IN 1776.
" Blessed Book, On every leaf stamped with the seal of High Divinity-on every page bedewed With drops of Love Divine."
VISITORS to Independence Hall, as they advance toward the statue of Gen. George Washington, may observe on their right, a beautifully bound volume of the Holy Bible, carefully preserved under a glass case. What a contrast is presented in this copy of the Sacred Scriptures to those manufactured in this country in "olden time," and what pleasant associa- tions take possession of the reflective mind, while gazing upon the copy in this consecrated room! Our thoughts go back to the earlier, if not better days of our country, when the Fathers of the Republic did not hesitate to enlist the sympathies, and bring to bear the whole power of the Federal Government for the circulation of this divinely inspired volume. We can realize how deeply the civil calamities of 1776 inspired the people of the United States with a profound reli- gious reverence, and with a firm reliance upon Provi- dence to protect them from the horrors of a protracted war-how that then there was not only a prayerful. disposition all over the land, but a particular desire
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to spread the Bible far and wide. The patriots and the heroes of that period had taken the Holy Bible as the fundamental basis of their action, and, upon that rock, they resolved to rear a tabernacle of repub- lican government against which the rains and storms of monarchical despotism might descend and beat without effect. The grand result of their experiment is known to the world. With the word of God as their compass and polar star, they set themselves earnestly to work. They saw their course lay through fiery ordeals and serried ranks of embattled hosts- but they knew that the establishment of Christianity and spiritual liberty cost the price of Christ's cruci- fixion on Calvary, and they hesitated not at the con- sequences that would ultimate from the vigorous · resolutions they had taken. These things come upon us in our moments of serious reflections, and we re- member that, on the 11th of September, 1777, in the Congress then sitting in this very room, a petition ·from Dr. Allison and others, to secure a better and a wider circulation of the Bible, was taken from the table and referred to a special committee. The very same day the committee returned the subjoined report :
"That they have conferred fully with the printers, etc., in this city, and are of the opinion that the proper types for printing the Bible are not to be had in this country, and that the paper cannot be procured but with such difficulties, and subject to such casualties, as to render any dependence on it altogether improper ; that to import types for the purpose of setting up an entire edition of the Bible, and to strike off 30,000 copies, with paper, binding, etc., will cost .£10,272 10s., which must be advanced by Congress, to be reimbursed by the sale of the books; that, in the opinion of the
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committee, considerable difficulties will attend the procuring the types and paper; that, afterward, the risk of importing them will considerably enhance the cost ; and that the calculations are subject to such un- certainty in the present state of affairs, that Congress cannot much rely on them ; that the use of the Bible is so universal, and its importance so great, that your committee refer the above to the consideration of Congress, and if Congress shall not think it expedient to order the importation of types and paper, the com- mittee recommend that Congress will order the Com- mittee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from Holland, Scotland, or elsewhere, into the different ports of the States of the Union."
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This report was favorably received, but Congress did not deem it advisable to order the types and paper at such a cost, accepting, however, the recommenda- tion that the "Committee of Commerce" import 20,000 Bibles, by the following vote :
AYES .- Mr. Folsom, Mr. Frost, Mr. S. Adams, Mr. . J. Adams, Mr. Gerry, Mr. Lovell, Mr. Merchant, Mr. Dyer, Mr. Law, Mr. Williams, Mr. Witherspoon, Mr. Clark, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Roberdeau, Mr. Harrison, Mr. E. L. Lee, Mr. Laurens, Mr. Brownson-18.
NAYS .- Mr. Duane, Mr. Reed, Mr. Jones, Mr. Ham- ett, Mr. Middleton, Mr. Heyward-6.
By reference to the Report of the Bible Society for 1844, Appendix, page 93, we find that the next national act in regard to the Bible was made in 1781. It is said that in consequence of the interruption of the intercourse with Great Britain during the Revolu- tionary war, it was found that there was a general scarcity of Bibles through the colonies. Mr. Robert
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Aitken, of Philadelphia, a very respectable printer, proposed to certain members of Congress in 1801 to publish an edition of the sacred volume, if he could have the approbation and patronage of that venera- ble body. The enterprise, in a pecuniary view, was deemed one of much hazard. The National Govern- ment promptly adopted measures for its encourage- ment, and the work was accomplished. A copy was presented to the committee of Congress who had the subject in charge, and of whom the Hon. James Duane was Chairman, who referred it to their chaplains, the Revs. Messrs. William White and George Duffield, for a careful revision. They reported :
" We have paid attention to Mr. Robert Aitken's impression of the Old and New Testaments, and are of opinion that it is executed with accuracy as to the sense, and with as few grammatical and typographical errors as could be expected in a work of such mag- nitude. Being ourselves witnesses of the demand for this invaluable book, we rejoice in the prospect of a supply ; hoping that it will prove advantageous as it is honorable to the gentleman who has exerted him- self to furnish it at the evident risk of private fortune."
So well did the execution of the work suit those who had exerted an interest in it, that Congress unani- mously adopted the following resolution :
" Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled, highly approve of the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the inter- ests of religion, as well as an instance of the progress of arts in this country ; and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work, they recommend this edition of the Bible
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to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.
" CHARLES THOMPSON, Secretary."
Thus it will be seen that the founders of our Gov- ernment based its institutions upon the teachings of divine inspiration. They realized their dependence upon the God of Nations, and felt it an imperative duty to aid, individually and congressionally, the cir- culation of the Sacred Scriptures. Why is it that some Christian publisher does not present to Indepen- dence Hall a copy of the Sacred Book ? Ought they not to feel sufficient interest in this holy fane to provide it with all the various editions of the Bible that were ever published in this country ? We have seen one in Boston which ought to have a place among the sacred relics here. It is a literary curiosity, and is known as "Elliot's Indian Bible." It is in quarto form, and was printed in 1635. The quality of the paper is very poor, the type uneven and unsightly. That of the title page seems to have been cut especially for the occasion with a pen-knife. It is bound in sheep-skin, with heavy ribs upon the back. The illuminations in the beginning are extremely rude, and the lines are bent and broken. The title reads thus:
" Mamusse wunneetu panatamwe UP BIBLUM GOD
Naneeswe Nukkone Testament kah wonk wuskee Testament. Ne quoshkinnumuk nashpe Wuttin- neaumoh Christ noh asoowesit, JOHN ELLIOT. Nah. obtoeu ontchetoe Printenoomuk. Cambridge. Printe- noop nashpe Samuel Green. 1685."
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ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.
This Bible is written in the Nipmuck language, a tribe of Indians which lived in Connecticut. The Old Testament contains 680 pages, and is said to have been written with a single pen. It has a very few marginal notes and references, and the titles of the chapters are given in English. The language abounds in long, harsh, and guttural words-m and n occur as frequently as in the Latin. This copy contains the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Psalms of David rendered into Indian verse. The Psalms are translated into that form of verse which is termed in our hymn books "common metre;" and they are exceedingly clumsy. Sternhold and Hopkins may be read with pleasure after perusing a few stanzas like the subjoined, which are from the 19th Psalm-" The heavens declare the glory of God," etc .:
1. " Kesuk kukootomuhteanmoo God wussohsumoonk Mamahchekesuk wunnahtuhkon Wutanakausnonk
" Hohsekoen kesukodtash Kuttoo waantamonk . Kah hohsekoe nukonash Keketookon wahteanonk !"
The longest word which can be found in this Bible is in Mark 1, 40 : Wutteppesittukqussunnoowehtunkquoh, and signifies kneeling down to him. Whenever the ob- ject whose name was to be translated was unknown to the Indians, Elliot uses the English word either alone or with the Indian case or tense endings appended, so that such words as the following are con- stantly occurring-" chaziotash," " cherubimloh," apos- tlesog," "silver," " gold," "temple," "wine," "carpentersoh,"
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" masonoh," and the like. In translating Judges v. 28 -" The mother of Sisera looked out at a window and cried through the lattice,"-he asked the Indians for the word "lattice," and found that he had written, "and cried through an eel-pot," that being the only object which the natives knew as corresponding with the object Mr. Elliot described to them. The difference between this Bible and the fine editions which are now issued, in a typographical point of view, appears almost as great as that between the ·rude " wigwams" of the poor Indians, and those elegant, commodious palaces which now occupy the site of them. Here, then, in Independence Hall, this valuable relic of the past should be placed. Not so much from its intrinsic worth as a specimen of early typography, but to preserve the instruments by which our ancestors sub- dued the hearts of savages, and secured this land for the birthplace of freedom and independence. They relied upon the word of Divine Revelation-
" The author, God himself; The subject, God and man, salvation, life And death-eternal life, eternal death."
And with that book in one hand, and an axe in the other, they went boldly forward in preparing the way for the blessings we are now enjoying.
. " Let Independence be our boast Ever mindful what it cost."
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CHAPTER XLIII.
THE CHARTER OAK.
" A song for the Oak, the brave old Oak, That has ruled in the greenwood long."
As one of the interesting relics now in Independence Hall, a piece of the great Charter Oak, at Hartford, Connecticut, deserves especial notice. This tree was blown down in a heavy storm on the 21st of August, 1856, and the people of that State " mourned as though a friend had fallen." A short sketch of its history is germain to our task ; for, as Mr. Desmond says, dearer to posterity and to history, that mother of experience and nurse of truth, are the memories connected with that relic of the past, than those which are recalled by the royal oak which concealed the fugitive Stuart, Charles II., the bestower of the charter of the colony, or than those with which Shakspeare has immortally made green the haunted tree of Herne the Hunter in Windsor Forest. In the memories of men, the old Charter Oak has preserved the record of the invincible courage and inflexible firmness of those patriots who, with a high sense of public duty, stood in the hour of peril
" With hearts resolved, and hands prepared, The blessings they enjoyed to guard."
This celebrated relic of the original forests of New England, the Charter Oak of the city of Hartford, in 32*
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the State of Connecticut, stood on the northern de- clivity of the rising ground on which was situated the ancient mansion house of the Wyllis family, and on his estate, now in possession of Hon. Isaac W. Stewart. Long before the empire of Montezuma was overthrown by Cortez and his Spaniards, ere Columbus knelt on the shore of the newly discovered country, it spread its green honors thick about it, and the red man held his council beneath its embowering shade; generations passed away, yet still it appeared unimpaired in its vigor, undecayed by time, which destroys mighty empires within the years which must elapse before this monument could have reached its maturity. The charter for the colony of Connecticut arrived in Hart- ford in the month of September, 1662 ; it was publicly read to the people, who displayed their sense of the favor with gratitude and rejoicing, appointing a com- mittee to take charge of it, under the solemnities of an oath, to preserve this palladium of their rights and privileges. It was the organic law of Connecticut till the present constitution took its place in 1818. The Assembly met, as usual, in October, 1687, and the government continued according to charter until the last of the month, when Sir Edmund Andros, the Governor of New England, came to Hartford and demanded the charter. He came with his suit and more than sixty regular troops, and declared the gov- ernment dissolved. The Legislature being in session, a debate on that demand ensued. The assembly were extremely reluctant and slow with respect to any reso- lution involving the surrender of the charter or any motion to bring it forth. The tradition is, that Gov- ernor Treat strongly represented the great expenses
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