Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-07-14
TON. VT. FRIDAY MORNING. JULY Ia. 1876.
BROOKLYN and Jersey City Joined in the illu-


BROOKLYN and Jersey City Joined in the illu
mination.
, The streets were thronged with people, anC
everybody was wild with enthusiasm. Sew
eral buildings in New YORK were set on fire
with the lluminations, and the fire depart
ment had busy time.
Broadway was almost sea OF lire from
the Western Union building at Dey street
to Union Square. An electric apparatus
from the telegraph building poured food
OF light on the great thoroughfare and made
the new postofhce building glitter like an
iceberg. changed at times to rose color by
the red glare from immense bengola lights
burning in Broadway.
Among the buildings particularly bril-
liant with illuminations down town were
the City Hall of 500 windows, each of which
contained2 "a lights the Park Bank, Herald
Insurance building. the St. Nicholas, Metro
politan and hundreds of other hotels, places
of business and residences.
Castle William fired salute of 100 guns
from its immense l5-inch cannon. while the
church bells rung, and the screams of the
locomotive and steamboat whistles gave the
scene an almost unearthly aspect, while all
over the city. as well as Brooklyn and Jer-
sey City, could be seen thousands of rock
cts, blue-lights, bombs and other kinds of
fireworks
The east side of the city, from the Bowery
to East river. largely the home of the Ger
man population, was especially noticeable
for the display of bunting during the day
and fireworks at night.
The procession started a. clock in the
evening and marched until midnight, the
march winding up at Union Square. The
great buildings surrounding the Square
shook with the deafening cheers which rang
out from at least 81, ,000,throats. Every build
ing around Union Square was appropriately
Illuminated, save the old and stately man
sion of Daniel Drew, which stood out in
gloomy proportions on the gay and en-
liyened scene.
About O'Clock the Square was cleared
out by the police, the Seventy first Regi-
ment and the Park police officers. 1t took
the united efforts of all combined to keep
back the surging masses of human beings
Broadway and Fourth avenue were packed,
and Fourteenth street was altogether i'm
passable. Many and variegated lanterns.
splendid devices in gas jets. rockets. lights
and other illuminations, formed a scene of
Oriental magnifcence.
From the grand stand on the plaza fes-
toons of lanterns of every color imaginable
streamed across the platform provided for
the.slngers from tree TO tree the same
strings OF countless lanterns were suspended,
and even the lamps in the 50 mare were also
painted in various colors.
All the bands were consolidated al Union
Square. and Hail Columbia" was PLAYED.
Then choir of nearly thousand persons
sung The heavens are telling the glory of
God" At midnight Trinity and Grace
Church rang tOrth the national airs. A
salute was fred from the Battery, and
steam whistles set up a scream The streets
everywhere were crowded far into the
morning with people. There was no row.
dyism, but all seemed imbued with the
patriotism which should greet our lOOth
birthday as nation.
The morning OF the Fourth was remarka-
bly, quiet, all being exhausted by the ex-
cltement OF the night The day was usher
ed IN by salutes from the guns Of the forts.
The shipping in the port made a great dI--
play OF bunting. The day was celebrated by
special services in many of the principal
city churches. The main public exercises
were at the Academy of Music Gov. Dix
presided. and DR.. Richard ) S;orrs delIv-
cred the Grafton, which lasted over TWO
hours and wearied the audience.
DIR. sToRRs' GRAFTON.
The orator contrasted the action OF July 4th I-75
with other great and kindred events in gen
eral history, in special manner with those fruitful
actions in English history which had prepared the
way ior It, and It'll which, he said. the thou ghtful
student o. the past will always set i IN Intimate
relations. The scene enacted N the meadow %.
kunnymeie five and half centuries before the
English barols met h M John and forced from nm
the MagnA Charia was pictured in al is pomp
and paZeantry, with the fortress OF .ndsor frown-
lng down rom the e fs above. The presentment of
! the Petition OF X shts-the second -reat charter o
the liberties o. tns.And-tO Charles J. By Parlia-
m he and
ries were shown to be hardly less impressive than
the iorrner- In sharp contrast 10 these pic
turei the scene that took place in Independence
hall ltJ years aso, when 10 farmers, planters,
| lawyers, phys and surveyors oi land were
assembled 10 consider the paper prepared by a
| young Virginia lawyer. From this the speaker
passed 70 an analysis o, the moral and social life
and status o. the composite people of the Colonies
and traced the manner in whica they had become
allied, before the momentous discussion by every
species o! common WORK, OF discussion. endurance
and martial struggles, So that il needed only some
signal oecas on, some summons to heroic decision,
10 make t1en forget that their ancestors had been
nerent-iL the supreme consciousness that they
had how common country. and before all
else Americans. The elements which make the
document rank with the great English charters
were discussed, and the fact pointed out that the
slow tendencies Of centuries came 10 a sudden cul-
nation N T. and that the force of its impact upon
pubic affairs and the mind Of the world was not TO
he measured by Its contents alone but by the re-
latiOn in which these stood to all the vehement
discussion SUD struggle OF which i was the latest
outcome. The prime pies upon which the Decara-
ton !. iour1ed were discussed eloquently and at
length. aad the effects Of their deyelopement
shown. Df. Storrs secuted the thought that
! a. peoIle. are worse than our fathers. John
Adams at the head Of the War Department IN l77t
wrote bitter lamenis OF the corruption which ex St
ed IN even thAi iniant a-e OF the Republic, and O:
the spirit Of venzlity, rapscious and irsstRble.
which was then the most alarming enemy OF Amer
lea. lie declared himself ashamed OF the age be
, lived in ln Jerersons day all .ederalsis expect
, ed the un versal dominion OF French inddeity. In
Jackson's day ali Wings thought the country gone
to ruin already as L Nr. Biddle had had the entire
public hope locked up in the vaults OF his termi-
, mated bask. In Folks day the exctements Of the
Mexican war gave Life and termination TO ali
! seeds Of raseality. There has never been time
not here alone. in any country-when the fierce
, light OF neesssnt inquiry blazing men in public
lie would not have brought out such forces Of evil
as We have seen, or when the condemnation Shic
followed the discovery would have been sharper.
And II Is among my deepest lotions that. with
al which has happened 10 de6ase aud debauch i.
the nation at large WAS never before more mentally
vigorous or morally sound than 1t Is to-day.
Other orations were delivered by Fer
!, nando Wood in Tammany Hall, Richard
, U Gorman at Irving Hall. and others.
AT BOSTON
| the orator was Hon. Robert c. Winthrop.
His subject was "A Century of Seli-Goy-
ernment."
Mr.. wINrHRoP's GRAFTON.
He gave graphic sketch OF the grand figures
which forever, stand out to the worlds view in con
necton with the issuing of the Declaration OF In
dependence on the Fourth Of July, I7.6 at Phill
delphia-of Thomas Jefferson whose writing desE
upon which the immortal paper was written, Mt
Winthrop had before him and held up TO his audi
torsl. Benjamin Harrison. Roger sherman, Charlie
Carroll, OF Csrrollton, Benjamin Franklin, Johi
Hancock, Samuel Adams and John Adams. h'
mentioned the interesting fact that though ih'
Declaration was proclaimed the 18th OF July
the signatures were not completed till the I'd o
August, so that for nearly month the bold auto
graph OF John Hancock. attested by the Congres
l oil Id ha a
dence OF the American people. By a series OF IN
terestlns analyses OF successive crises in our colo
nia history, the orator traced the rights set fort
IN the Declaration 10 those which were brouSh
over by the Puritans and embodied in the agree
ment signed in the Mayfower They were, in TACT
the principles dear 10 iree-born Englshmen in al
ages. and our Fathers, even in the height OF tn
struggle. felt that they were fighting for Englan
as well as America. DO when the question oil moe
pendence arrived 1t was found, hrs that the PeoPt
had decreed it, whatever their public servant
might do about it; and, secondly, il was already
iact How Massachusetts, in particular had cor
ulouted by a long course oI events to this lne'li
u able conclusion, Mr.. Winthrop eloqutnty set ortl
n Thus came the Declaration; afterward its iulhl
ment in war, then Confederation then the unio
. under its first august President. Before the sec0n
"a great Centennial anniversary in our history MI
winthrop hoped that the present unfavorable inc
Q dents apparent in our politics and in our soclet
will have vanished forever. These things he say
are not the result OF institutions but OF dstui
ing causes. being as distinctly trsceable thereto
:. the scorip OF a volcano or the debris OF deuz =
~ The orat.on closed with eloquent review OF IN
!, influence exerted by America on the welfare OF til
human race-how much has been done oy II an
through it TO remove abuses, destroy tyranny, d'
y velop wellregulated liberty, to abolish slavery y
70 our own mid.t, and to regenerate our institution
D. by placing under them the impershable corne
70 stone OF equal rights. Ills parting word is one
sdmonitOn not forget the God Of our Fathers,
= whom as nation. no lees than as individuals,
= : live, move and have cur being.
IN The INsoLENcE OF HUNoR.-lIOw much {
~ ~ all that passes for humorous is simply pre-
I'd fame, or indecent, or brutal? Half the hr
:, r morous stories that pass current in the worl
: are unfit for publication. The great humor
Il, lists from Rabelais to Swift or Sterne, are n
\. longer quotable in their naked reality; an
ST as the world becomes more decorous, hume