[Illustration: _In 1917, on First Liberty Loan Day, the bell was paraded on a truck through the streets of Philadelphia._ Courtesy City of Philadelphia.] [Illustration: _Representatives of Allied Nations around the bell in 1919 on the occasion of General Pershing’s visit to Independence Hall._ Courtesy City of Philadelphia.] The growing importance of the Liberty Bell as a patriotic symbol aroused popular demand for its movement around the country so that more people could see it. The first long journey was in the winter of 1885 to New Orleans and through the South. Later trips took the bell to Chicago in 1893, to Atlanta in 1895, to Charleston in 1902, to Boston in 1903, and to San Francisco in 1915. On each trip the arrival of the bell was the occasion for celebrations by patriotic groups and citizens, many of whom traveled long distances to see and touch the venerated relic. During these trips, however, the crack in the bell increased, and finally its condition became so dangerous that all future travel had to be prohibited. [Illustration: _This group is typical of the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come annually from every corner of the world to see the Liberty Bell._] The affectionate reverence inspired by the Liberty Bell is demonstrated by the endless stream of visitors who come to see it, touch it, or simply stand quietly beside it. No other patriotic relic in America has had a more distinguished visitation. Almost every President of the United States since Abraham Lincoln has come to Independence Hall to pay his respect to the Liberty Bell. Statesmen and great military leaders of the world have joined the masses of ordinary people in honoring it. Poets and other literary figures have attempted to express the meaning of the bell, and John Philip Sousa, the “March King,” composed a _Liberty Bell March_. It has been pictured on postage stamps, fifty cent pieces, and on national bond drive posters. The Liberty Bell has served to arouse the patriotic instincts of more than one generation of Americans. It is today surrounded by a cloak of veneration. Even more, it has come to be regarded by countless millions throughout the world as the one great symbol of freedom, liberty, and justice. _Guide to the Area_ The information which follows supplements that contained in the narrative of this handbook. It is so arranged as to enable the visitor to make his own tour of the area. The numbers given correspond to the numbers on the map of the park and vicinity. (See pages 32 and 33).