Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1875-07-08
THE FOURTH AT AUSTIN.

THE FOURTH AT AUSTIN. es
The day dawned inauspiciously. With
murk and cloud and gloom the morning
broke forth, heraldcd by the booming
cannon-that gunpowler monarch whose
noisy mandate sounded around the world,
and compelled n recognition Of the fact
that all men arc endowed with certain in.
%alienable rights. AT nm early hour the
rain began to. fall in great slanting
streams, filling the sewers and deluging
the streets, until the city seemed another
Venice, and the surrounding country an
Adriatic Sea. Pedestrianslad been driven
from the side walks to take shelter with
in the wide doors which swung back in
willingly, while wagons came floating
along bearing men and women, whose
appearance indicated an effort to escape
from a second deluge, with but little hope
OF success. The girls might have been
taken for mermaids, so dishevelled til cir
~tresscs, and SO definite the outline oftheir
symmetrical forms, the drapery clinging
to bust and cxtremeties with a grace rarer
than any that Sculptor ever wrought upon
the marble image ofhis ideal beauty. The
rain ceased falling, and the sun shot forth
his thermal rays, making the water to leap
from the surface Of the earth in great
clouds of vapor. which formed an arch
in the sky and hung above the heads OF
the people like a golden canopy over the
throne of a king. This was accepted as
a sign of fair weather, and the denizcns
of the city began to come out from their
sheltering places, and the people of the
country to throng the streets. Soon the
flag was run to the top Of the staff in the
Park as an indication of city loyalty,
while individual patriotism was manifested
by cnsigns and streamers floating from
dome and housetop all over the town.
The Band played "Hail Columbia" and
in e@: q: grove and quiet dell awoke the
echoes and provoked them to mockery in
sweetest strains. The ever Young Amer
lea" jubilant over the explosion Of fire.
crackers, the quafiing of lemonade and
the branching of ginger bread, tossed
their hats to the breeze, turned summer
saults in the mud, and thus entered upon
the hilarities Of the day. The marshal
and his aids took the waving undulating
sea of human beings an drew it out into
a long columnar channel and set it in mo-
tion-fowing it along in the direction of
the Fair Grounds, which were reached at
about half past II O'Clock, A. NJ. The
fine Ampitheatre, holding not less than
1900 persons, was soon filled, but not half
the crowd was seated. Wagon after wag-
on filled with people came thronging
around until they formed a solid square,
reaching far beyond hearing distance.
During all this time the Austin Cornct
Band was playing neutrality-suspicious.
ing the listeners with the sweetness and
melody Of their music. When marshal
Van Ealkenburgh had massed his col
umns to the best advantage, G. W. Grim
shaw, Esq, President of the day, took the
platform and in & happy speech partly Of
welcome and partly Of congratulation,
called the vast audience to order, and asked
the Rev. L. Hall to pronounce an invoca-
ton. Amid profound silence An impress
sive prayer was offered, and then the
singers, with an organ accompaniment,
gave us a burst Of song, and a wave Of
melody, cvoking a feeling Of gratitude
and a round of applause. Then came the
Orator, Col. VIM. w. Folwell, President
Of the State University. He was intro
duced in a felicitous manner by President
Grimshaw. The theme of his address
may be stated as "The Mission of Agricul
ture," but since it is our purpose to pre-
sent in another place a brief synopsis OF
what he said, We shall content ourself
here by remarking that lie was heard with
profound attention, and was commended
universally. He takes that far-reaching
practical view of industrial pursuits,
which admits him at once to the conf
dence of the laboring classes, and secures
for HIM their liveliest sympathy, and here
in is found an additional reason for the
commentator that was bestowed upon his
address. When he had finished the
choir sang splendidly "My Native Land"
at the conclusion of which Capt. E. P.
Van Valkenburgh, on behalf of the
Driving Park Association, introduced Mr..
A. A. HARDWOOD, who proceeded to deliver
the Dedicatory Address, and to invest the
Agricultural Society with corporal pos
session of the grounds, and appurtenances.
At the close Of this ceremony, Presi-
dent Grimshaw, resuming the chair, an
nounced the remaining features of
the programme-the choir rendered The
Mountain Home, the Band played Yankee
Doodle, and the Marshal reforming his