New-York tribune., 1873-07-04

shutter Of the fuse, and listening with just
the suggestion of melancholy in his men for
tho exhilaration Of the report. To-day the
small boy is comparatively harmless. Heat
and safety have tanned him. After meridian
he will have to struggle to keep up; till tho
evenings display begins life Will oe
wrestling with weariness for him. The higher
triumphs Of tho pyrOtechnic art, with all
their glitter and whizz and bang, VIII give
him this evening a momcntary but langulu
revival, aud then the small boys day Is over
To the American youth a few Summers IN
advance of tho small boy tho day has a more
practical interest. For him it il the day OIL
cooling beverages that fire the blood whiic
they refresh tho lips, and for the essential
pistol practice, without which he would hardly be
able to bring down his father at short range
or show proper resentment when stranger
bites his lip at him. The sedater cituon seeks
some cool seclusiOn, whore In tho mud OK
hilaration of a weak vinOus dec0cti0n, WIN
the refreshment of the satisfying sandwich
and tho Oleaginous sardine, he peacefully
pic-nics in the enjoyment of life and the
pursuit of happiness This, TO be sure, has
something the appearance OF an evasion OF
the RESPONSIBILITIES of citizenship, and an un-
natriotic forgetfulness of the words of Mr.
Adams-we believe it was Mr.. Adams-whcn
he said tho day would hereafter DO ceie-
brated by the ringing OF bells ana
firing of cannon and touching off OF
skyrockets and discharge of Chinese crackers,
Roman candles, pin-wheels, bluo lights, double
headers, tourbilOns, snakes chasers, and lemon
ade. eve may have amplificd Mr. Adams's
suggestion, but this is very plainly what he
meant.) And yet it is hardly possible that Mr..
Adams, with all his forecast and prescience,
could have anticipated quito as much noise
about it as we are having. Were he living
tO-day it is not at all probable that he would
stand out doors in the midst OF 1t and ENJOY
it as the brass Franklin in Printing House
Square seems to. He would be much more
likely to fly the urban noises. and in some
shady solitude muse upon the mutabilities
that bring Mr.. Benjamin +. Butler to the front.
1t is very warm anniversary First and
last there has been a great deal said about 1t.
Formerly there were professions IN honor OF
it, and distinguished orators made eloquent
addresses with regard to it to their fellow
citizens, who wore white clothes and patiently
perspired under the infCtion. About seventy
five years of this pretty much exhausted what
there was to be said about it; the procession
gradually declined in interest and fell of iii
numbers till it was permanently discontinued,
and now the celebration is confined to the fran
tic small boy, the ebullient youth, and the Com
mon Council. To-day we celebrate our ninety
seventh Ninety seven are good many years.
For a man, great many; they make him patri-
arch. For a nation, not much a few chap
ters of history arc about all. However we
may lead tho world in everything else, in the
matter of age we have to be modest; we
must confess we are not old. Let us bear our
selves with humility and meekness for three
years more, when we shall celebrate our CEN
tennial with abundant noise and tremendous
glitter, and also with Universal Exposition at
Philadelphia. And upon the whole, eneed not
even then put on airs. For there have been
republics before. Some of them lived several
hundred years, and one of them sits among
her mountains and her eternal SHOWS to-day
as she has for five hundred years, not making
very much fuss about it, but earning COM
Portable living by minding her own business.
No. we are still the small boy among the
nations, subject to rapturous excitemcnts and
uncomfortably explosive. We shall have more
philosophy and mako less noise and do moro
good in the world let US hope, in the hundred
years to como than i'll the hundred just flu
ishing.
As for to-day, we must celebrate 1t. To-
morrow, we gather and bury our dead and
care for the manned and wounded.
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