Litchfield enquirer., 1876-07-13
The Fourth at Washington.

The program for the celebration of the Fourth, published in former issue of the Enquirer, was carried out in Old Judea. There was little amusing by-play, in the beginning, about the cannon. A twelve pound carronade had been procured from New Preston and safely locked in a gen. tleman's barn. tn the "Green," several days hefnra the Fourth There was ob- jeotion to it's being fired in the center of the village; and the result was the sudden disappearance of the cannon. At last, however, assurance having been given that it would not be fired in the village centre, the place of it's hiding was dis closed, the gun was dragged out from the white birches near Bell Hill, and opened the Fourth in due form.
 The Celebration was at the Gum grove, just back of the "Gunnery." Owing to the intense heat and the distance some of the people had to come, the opening cer- emonies did not begin till near eleven. The New Preston Band started off with Hail Columbia, very spiritedlY played, the bass drum being specially effective. Then MT. Gum, the President of the Day, opened with short address. followed by prayer by NIT. Colton, and America" by the choir,
 Then came the reading of the Declara tion, which was very effectively done by Mir. Gum. The Orator of the day. Hon. Orville Platt, of Meriden, was then intro duced, and addressed the meeting, now assembled to the number of five or six hundred people, for about an hour. The speech was extemporaneous, but very neatly expressed, forc1ble ln manner and weighty in matter. It was not an histori- cal address, but had special reference, as MT. Platt announced in the outset, to the present and future of the republic rather than to the past. He thought it the spe- cial duty of the American to initiate rath- CT than merely to applaud the virtues of hls ancestors. He dwelt particularly on the duty of the individual In nation as large as ours, citizens are apt to fall into the error of supposing their own per- sonal conduct of little consequence to the mass. The character of society, however, especially in a republic, is dependent upon the character of the individual atoms composing that society. No nation will ever be better than the average individual of which the nation is composed. It is idle to complain of the prevalent selfish ness and corruption of rulers when our private lives are disfgured by the same vices. Mr. Platt urged strongly the prac- tice of Christianity in public as well as in prlvate life and looked to religion for the regeneration and perpetuity of the nation. Mir. Platt was heard with marked atten- ton throughout and repeatedly and en- thusiasticly applauded. a ao'
 a After the oration followed short speech. es by Messrs. Upson, Hollister, Colton and pr. Brown, and music by the band and choir. .5 2 Next came the picnic. Two long tables loaded with eatables were attacked by people over 40;" the younger taking their chance afterwards; and the children sitting about on the rocks and devouring what came to hand. of which there seemed an abundance, A little way below us at the table we noticed the patriarch of the town. Deacon Abernethy, now ninety-six years of age, we believe. The heat. out in the sun was intense, but the breeze and the thlck foliage of the chestnuts made the grove more comfortable than we had supposed it possible to be on such burn ing day, and the eatables was excellent in quality as we'll as abundant in quantity.
 The afternoon was passed in games, in social talk. or in keeping cool. After sum- set the cannon began banging down the hill vest of the village. and the great hol- iday closed with fine display of fire works, the cost of which we heard stated at $l25.
 In spite of the heat the celebration was