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I,ZB7?APY Of" CCWG2Z&33 ~~ Declaration and Constitution Find a Home at Last i. By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN F COURSE you know—be- M ing n good American and tKI •7’B therefore a student of tlie history and of the institu 4(j|jp tions of your country— that the British in the War V '* W of 1812 entered Washing ton August 24, 1814, and burned all the public buildings. But did you ever read the story of Holly Madison Hoeing from the White House, with die Declaration of Inde pendence, the Constitution and the pic ture of (leorge Washington in her •inns? That’s a bit exaggerated, of course, hut it gives a hint of the many adventures of the wanderings of these two bulwarks of our liberty in search ■f a permanent home during the last century. Now, at last, these adventurous wan derings are over. The Declaration and the Constitution rest together in a per manent repository in the Library of Congress nt Washington. And the people of the United States of America have anew national shrine. There are not many of these nation al shrines. There are many places "here tlte good American should stand bareheaded In reverence—places like I.exington and Concord, Bunker Hill end the Alamo. There are many names that suggest "holy ground”—names tike Nathan liale, Francis Scott Key and George Rogers Clark. Rut the truly national shrines are few. One is the Liberty Bell in Independ ence Hall at Philadelphia. Mount Ver non and the Washington Monument ure two more. The Lincoln Memorial at Washington is another. The tomb of tlie Unknown Soldier in Arlington still another. This new national shrine is worthy of its purpose. The permanent home of the Declaration and tlie Constitution Is titting and appropriate. The shrine Itself is a work of architectural beauty. Tlie hull of tlie Library of Congress is one of tlie most satisfying interiors in the world. Grayish-black marble forms tlie background of the shrine. In gold let ters is the inscription, “The Declara tion of Independence and the Constitu tion of the United States.” There are bronze doors which can be opened or closed at will. Bronze eagles Hank the shrine. Tlie whole is inclosed by a white marble rail. the Declaration is set in a marble niche in the wall. It is Inclosed In a racial case. Tlie parchment document is covered with two sheets of heavy plate glass, between which there is a transparent film of gelatin wilted neu tralizes the actinic rays of light. This should prevent further fading. The document of the Constitution Is con tained in a large case just below the Declaration. Many wanderings, much exhibition and 117 years of wear and tear have left their marks on the Declaration. At first the parchment was kept roiled. Rolling and unrolling have made many cracks. Long exposure to the ight has badly faded the text. This fading, however, has been uniform and \ W/W/z **&,'' **' ■&***', jj damn? the text is still legible. The signatures have faded worse than the text. Tills is due to tlie fact that tlie ink of the text was of the best quality, while that of the names was of varying quality, the signatures being written at different times. The ink of those days was in tlie form of powder, which was mixed with water as occasion demand ed. Literally, the signatures have peeled off rather than faded. It has been definitely decided to attempt no restoration. The Declaration will, there fore, remain for all time in its original form. The dedication of this new national shrine was unostentatious. Herbert I’utnam, librarian of congress, had charge of the ceremonies. President Coolldge and a company of notables were there. Now ypu may go and see these two priceless documents —the like of which is not in all the world. And now for a glance nt their wan derings of a century and a half! The Declaration, in the form you may see it, was not signed July 4, but was completed In its present form dur ing the summer of 177 G. It was in the custody of Charles Thomson, secretary of the Second Continental Congress, who kept it in his office in the Pennsyl vania state house, afterwards known as Independence Hall. In November of 177 G Washington was forced back into Pennsylvania by tlie British and congress moved to Bal timore, taking tlie Declaration and other state papers with it in a light wagon. Tlius began tlie Declaration's wanderings. Congress moved hack to Philadelphia, then fled (in 1777} to Lancaster and to York. Tlie Declara tion went with congress. July 2, 1778, congress, back again in Philadelphia, ordered a celebration on July 4, just two years from the day of signing. There was a parade of tlie army, a salute of thirteen guns and much cheering for the “Perpetual and Undis turbed Independence of the United States of America.” This independence was destined to be perpetual, but not undisturbed. The Declaration rested from its wanderings only until June 23, 1783. Then a band of soldiers marched into Philadelphia, drew up before tlie state house and demanded pay. Congress didn’t have the money and fled to Princeton, N. J. In November 'it reassembled at An napolis, Md. Next it met at Trenton, N. J., and in 1755 the seat of govern ment was transferred to New York. And of course congress took tlie Dec laration along. Federal Hull, Wall and Nassau streets. New York, was tlie abiding piace of the Declaration for the next THE DANIELSVILLE MONITOR, DANIELSVILLE, GEORGIA. ®Jy //r>cfe>-:roo‘/ £* ■l//iferr>'ooq Tlie documents were housed first ir the Treasury, then in the “Sever Buildings” and finally in the War Of fire building, on the site of the presem State, War and Navy departments. Then came the War of 1812, wit! James Madison President and James Monroe secretary of state. Monrot waited till the British were withir sight from Washington and then sent off tlie Declaration and Constitutior with several sacks of state papers by wagon. These papers were housed over night in a barn beyond George town and the next day were taken SO miles more to Leesburg. Here 8 minister named Littlejohn hid (hers until tlie British left Washington. John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay. Martin Van Buren and John Forsyth, successive secretaries of state, had charge of the documents until IS4O, various buildings being occupied. In the meantime, several buildings had been erected under the L’Enfant plan, drafted under George Washington’s supervision. Among these was the patent office, still standing at Seventh and F streets. This white marble building was supposed to be fireproof. In 1841, Secretary of State Daniel Webster, perhaps the Constitution’s most eloquent expounder, transferred the documents to this building, There the Declaration, with other historical documents was put on exhibition for the American people to see. It hung there, exposed to the light, for tlie next 35 years. The opening of the Centennial ex position in 187 G at Philadelphia took the Declaration back to Independence hall. There it was placed on exhibi tion in a fireproof safe with a plate glass door. The damaged condition of the document called forth much com ment. In 1880 a committee of the Na tional Academy of Sciences considered its restoration. Its report accomplished nothing. Philadelphia made a strenu ous effort to retain the Declaration, but in 1877 it was returned to Wash ington and was put upon exhibition in the library of the State, War and departments. While there the supposedly fireproof patent office was gutted by fire. In 1894 tlie condition of the Dec laration aroused somebody to action. This was in Cleveland's second term and Walter Q. Gresham was secretary of state. It was removed from exhibi tion and locked up in a safe in care of Secretary Gresham. There it re mained for 27 years. President Harding became interest ed in tlie question of a proper perma nent repository for the Declaration and in 1921 he ordered it taken to the Library of Congress and locked up until a shrine could be prepared for it. This time the Declaration went under guard and in an automobile. F*te did not spare him to see tlie ! completed shrine. There ure many good Americans who : have no patience with those who can not see tlie Hand of Providence in American history. They give thanks to Providence for the upraising of groat Americans for great emergencies, : for unexpected aid in great crises. | These good Americans regard ns noth | ing less than Providential the sur- I vivul of the Declaration and tlie Con ! stitution, knocked about from pillar ! to post for so many years and ex posed to vicissitudes far beyond the ' ordinary. few years. Durlnj those years the Kev elution was won, th< Const itu 11 o n was adopted and Georgf Washington was elected the first Pres Went:' Presiden' Washingtorf was in augurated in AderaJ hall April 30, 1759 The Declaration am 1 Constitution, now to gether for the firs: time, were turnet over to him. De ceniber 6, 1700, bt removed the seat oi government to Phil adelphia. There tht two documents wen put in the custody o’ T h o m a s Jefferson secretary of state who had drawn tht original draft of thf Declaration but hue had no hand in tin Const itut ion. Ir Philadelphia tlx documents weri kept, first on Mar ket street and late: at Fifth and Chest nut. In ISOO the seat o: government wai transferred to the new-built city o: Washington. March 4, 1801, Jefferson be came President anc James Madison, sec rotary of state, be came custodian os the documents. H had had a- hand it the making of the Constitution, but not of the Declaration Implement Shed, Garage and 1 Farm Workshop Under One pJI - - * I By WILLIAM A. RADFORD Mr. William A. Radford will answer questions and give advice FREE OF COST on all subjects pertaining to the subject of building work on the farm, for the readers of this paper. On ac count of his wide experience as Editor, Author and Manufacturer, he is. with out doubt, the highest authority on all these subjects. Address all Inquiries to William A. Radford, No. 1827 Prairie avenue, Chicago, 111., and only inclose t.vo-eent stamp for reply. Combining the Implement shed, gar age and farm workshop all under one roof is a means by which much labor is saved during the time when farm machinery and implements are re paired. This work usually is done in winter or on rainy days, and by com bining the three buildings under one roof, much unpleasantness is avoided. The combination building shown Is a practical and inexpensive design. The shed portion for the housing of the implements, wagons and machinery has an open front, but would be much better were the openings closed by sliding doors. The gurage section has a concrete floor and is closed by slid ing doors at both ends, allowing the car to be driven in one side and out the other. The repair shop also has a concrete floor and is of weather-tight construction, so that repair work can be done comfortably in winter. The building is G 2 feet long and 22 feet wide. The machinery shed and garage are separated by a full parti tion. The repair shop is really a sep arate building, although under the same roof. The building is of frame construction, on a concrete foundation. The shop equipment indicated on the floor plan consists of a large work bench and a forge. However there is plenty of floor space for any other equipment the owner desires to Install. Protecting machinery against the weather is one of the most economical things n farmer can do, as housing it gives it a much longer life and keeps it In good condition for use. When a farm shop also is maintained it is comparatively simple to make neces sary repairs and replace worn parts. Proper Draperies Are Aid to Home Beauty With a great many housecleaning time is again a thing of the past. Usu ally spring housecleaning means new draperies of a more springlike color anil weight. Like all other interior arrangements of the home, window draping to be effective means using the right thing in the right place. There is probably no other phase of home decoration that offers such a wide scope for the exer cise of good taste as do the draperies. In the selection of the materials the style of the windows and the interior decorations of the room must be con sidered. If the rooms are dark you will want to make them lighter. If they are flooded with sunshine you will want curtains that will soften the glare. If perchance your house Is close against a neighbor’s, you will need curtains that will give you the desired privacy without shutting out the light. There are so many attractive ways of hanging curtains that it would be Impossible to attempt a description. The best method is to choose draperies at a store where there Is an expert who will be glad to make sug gestions and who will suggest the best methods of draping to suit your own type of home. Two Rules for Better Heating in Small Homes There ore two things to watch when you buy your furnace. The first is the correctness of the installation, tlie sec ond is the quality and the fuel effi ciency of the furnace. Upon this de pends ultimate cost. Do not heat your honfle altogether on the say so of your neighbor, or based solely on his experience, for the chances are your house is not abso lutely the same as his and probably v-car requirements will be different from his. The greatest mistake made in heat is putting the wrong type of fur _ ce in the house. There is a type c! f * GZ'-O" /ORdE Joi I Machinery g>hed Garage RepaircwM l . J f—i, Floor Plan. I Tight walls and a tight roof are all I that are necessary in a machinery I storage building, hut It should be I made certain that they are tight, and, consequently, good construction meth ods should be used. The cost of such a building as this is earned several times over (luring its life by the savings it makes in ma chinery bills. furnace exactly suited to your require ments. If you put in a type which does not fill your needs you burn more fuel. Your heating costs will inevita bly be higher than with the correct system. More important still is the fact that, In spite of additional fuei cost, you cannot get the perfect com fort that you have a right to expect. Maple, Birch and Beech Recommended for Floors Maple, beech and birch are excel lent flooring lumbers and permit o a wide choice in color possibilities, wearing quality of maple is knownto everyone, having established an American standard for o ' e j, years. Closest akin to maple are tore and beech, and in service and sur. finish these three woods meet need and show a delightful versatility. In recent years there has b distinct change in taste so far ns are concerned. The preference todaj whether it is in woodwork or ture, is distinctly away from the g ness of grain. Pictures in Home A room with pictures and a r-m without pictures differ nearly • as a room with windows ' without windows; for P ict , , din . loopholes of escape to the sou . ■ it to other scenes and spheres, the fancy for a moment ui... freshed and delighted. alines* Pictures are consolers of urn , and a relief to tlie Ja'leo m, ■ _ M . windows to the imprisoned - - they are books, histories anp - —which we can read vvithou. hie of turning over the leaves- Watch the Contract 11 hn rlraw'll Contract forms should &e /- with strict attention to pig ments, and must be fair . c n . ties. Easily obtainable sja n '-‘“\ tract documents, satisfy . o!> quirements set out hero, - ■■ 0 j mined from the American l •- Architects, New York city.