And then there wuz the Declaration of Independence.

Good, likely old document as ever wuz made.  I know I hain’t felt towards it as I’d ort to time and agin, when I’ve hearn it read Fourth of Julys by a long-winded orator, in muggy and sultry dog-days in Jonesville.

But though, as I ort to own up, I’ve turned my back onto it at sech times, I’ve allers respected it deeply, and it wuz indeed a treat to see it now—­

The very paper, writ in the darkness of oncertainty, and hopelessness, and despair of our forefathers, and which them four old fathers wuz willin’ to seal with their blood.

Oh, if that piece of yeller, faded old paper could jest speak out and tell what emotions wuz a-rackin’ the hearts, and what wild dreams and despairs wuz a-hantin’ the brains of the ones that bent over it in that dark day, 1776—­

Why, the World’s Fair would be thrilled to its inmost depths; Chicago would tremble from its ground floor up to its 20th and 30th story, and Josiah and I would be perfectly browbeat and stunted.

But it wuzn’t to be; only the old yeller paper remained writ over with them immortal words.  Their wild emotions, their dreams, their despairs, and their raptures have passed away, bloomin’ out agin in the nation’s glory and grandeur.

And then we see amongst the treaties with foreign powers friendship tokens from semi-barbarous tribes and nations—­

Poor little gifts that didn’t always buy friendship and justice, and I’d told Uncle Sam so right to his old face if I’d’ve met him there as I wuz a-lookin’ at ’em.  I’d a done it if he had turned me right out of the Government Buildin’ the next minit.

And then there wuz the first cannon ever brought to America, and the first church-bell ever rung in America, and picters of every place that Columbus ever had anything to do with, and a hull set of photographs of hisen.  Good creeter! it is a shame and a disgrace that there is so many on ’em, and all lookin’ so different—­as different as Josiah and Queen Elizabeth.

And then there wuz everything relatin’ to conquest—­conquest of Mexico and etc., and everything about the food and occupations of men—­all sorts of food, savage and civilized, and all sorts of occupations, from makin’ molasses to gatherin’ tea.

And there wuz the most perfect collection of coins and medals ever made—­7500 coins and 2300 medals.  There wuz some kinder stern-lookin’ guards a-watchin’ over these, but they had no need to be afraid; I wouldn’t have meddled with one of ’em no more’n I’d’ve torn out the Book of Job out of the family Bible.

[Illustration:  Stern-lookin’ guards a-watchin’ over the coins.]

There wuz everything under the sun that could be seen in South America, from a mule to a orchid.

And in the centre of the buildin’ wuz a section of the great Sequois tree from California.  The tree is twenty-five feet in diameter, and has been hollowed out, and a stairway built up inside of it.  Stairs inside of a tree!  Good land!