Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-05-20
OUR CENTENNIAL LETTER.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.,)
MAY 18th. 1871

the ruins trying to collect my scattered
senses, to tell what | have seen. All Is
confused and mixed. Like Cassie after his
spree, | remember mass of things. but
nothing distinctly. Even now at midnight
many houis after the great events of the
celebration have past, it seems as II the
thunder Of cannon, the rattle OF drums,
and the braying of brazen instruments
were still ringing in my ears, ana dane"
ing before my eyes are all the brilliant col
OrS of the rainbow, taking all sorts OF
wonderful shapes, in regiments and col
umns, and divisions, battalions, societies,
Turn Vcrines, Saenger hofs, Russian bear.
British lions, Chinese pagodas, japanese
morstrosities, and soaring above all, with
wings extended in the most patronizing
manner, the magnificent emblem of Amer
:can freedom. the eagle bird, by chance.
look into the night, and the sky is il
Illuminated With various colored fires, rock
cts shoot up towards the heavens IN every
direction, illuminating them with halo
of glory.
1t seems like very simple thing to tell
what you have seen, but in the present in
stance it would be like attempting to de-
scribe the colors and figures of L kaleidO-
scope.
The opening could not be said to have
commenced this morning; al day yester-
day, and many days before, thousands
upon thousands came pouring into the
Quaker City, till it actually seemed as if
the whole United States must have been
depopulated to furnish the tremendous
crowd. Where they all found shelter,
Heaven only knows. Indeed, they did not
all find shelter, for all through the night
previous 10 the opening, the streets were
crowded as they usually are on grand ga
Ii day. Many Of the stores never closed
at all. And along the principal thorough
fares from dark until dawn, vast crowds
of people heaved and surged like the
waves of stormy sea. Happy he who
could find resting place on the soft side
of Il plank, while an individual lucky
enough to secure a cot in parlor next to
the roof, or under the shelter of Il balcony,
regarded himself rs 4 man whom kings
might envy.
ii is useless to say that am tired, sleepy
used up gone in, and, as it were, gener-
ally done tor. What cares my multitudes
of readers for that? They want to hear
about the big show. SO, with eyes blinded
with smoke, and head whizzing with all
sorts of sights and sounds, if you will on
" have patience, ladies and gentlemen, L
will do the best | can, and try and begin
at the beginning.
The roar of hundreds of cannon well
coined the coming day; for although it Is
not yet our Fourth of July, it seemed to be
felt, that by general consent, we had made
sort of Gsegorian advance of Il few weeks
and were celebrating the Centennial BIRTH
dav of tn. American Union. OF course,
one feeling rose paramount IN every heart,
feeling of thankfulncSS that we were
still Il united people; Notwithstanding the
disasters and sutferingS of the last few
wears, we are permitted, i'll the providence
! of God To celebrate with our great EXhlb-
! ton, the hundredth year of our lndepen-
! dcncc.
Chestnut street has altered materially
! since 1916, but independence Hall still re-
mains intact; and within 4 few feet ofthc
roar and turmoil of the busy stree, is the
! quaint old room where hundred years ago
! sat the stately John Hancock, flankcd by
! Franklin and Jefferson and Adams and
! the rest OF that splendid galaxy, whose
! names have become immortal.
The furniture is still substantially the
same, very plain, very shabby, very old,
vet every article of il 4 sacred relic worth
more than gold, and bringing us back to
the better days of the republic, when CAL
leo was respectable, and two-story bustles
were unknown.
The air was balmy and mild, and it real
" seemed as if the Almighty had smiled
on the occasion, and covered 1t with bcnl-
son and blessing. 1t needed no special an
nouncement To tell that sOmthing great
and important was impending; crowds
! had been surging through the streets all
the night before: and. Is the day dawned,
soldiers in gay uniforms might be seen
hurrying in every direction, getting
ready for the opening of the Great EXhi-
/ bition.
| Reveillc beats. buglc calls, the shrill
! ShrickS of thousands of steam whistles,
were mingled with the thunder of cannon
and the rattle of small arms. Little boys
unrestrained by vicious policemen, set OIL
whole bundles of fire crackers 1T time,
| while young gentlemen from the country
stood on the street corners diScharging
| ancient horse pistols. with flint locks,
which looked as though they might have
done service against TarlcIon ut Cowpens,
or have riddled the Jacket of some cow
ar dly IIcSsian, at Germantown or Tren-
ton. Everybody looked smiling. 1t WAS
evident that Lmerica, young and old, were
out for all day, and were bound to have !
! good time.
Such Il display of bunting was never
seen in the United States before. Flags,
| flags, nothing but flags. tloated in every
| direction out of the windows and doors,
! and from the sides and the roofs of the
! houses. Flags, flags, flags, American flags
| English flags, Dutch flags, French flags,
Irish, Russian, Prussian, Austrian, aud
Danish flags; they filled the sky and the
air wherever you turned, flags, iiags flags
they tapped in your eyes, they hit you,
OH the nose, they smote you on the cheek,
they belted you in the wind, they knock
ed your new hat ilto the gutter, and raised
the devil generally. Men constantly tlitt-
ed by you in grotesque and startling cos
tunes; while OH every hand the ear was
stunned with the unintelligible jargon of
strange and Vulnerable tongues. Early
In the morning the whole city seemed to
have turned its face toward the site of the
Centennial Buildings. Thousands upon
thousands filled the way every vehicle
from wheel-barrow to Pullman palace
ca. was brought into requSition. fhila-
delphia had madetremcndous preparation
for the great event, but all her calclla-
tons were swept away, as Il rush Is swept
ont of the pathway ofthe hurricane. Car
riares. go-carts. omnibuseS, railroad cars,
all alike were GRAINED, rammed, Jammed.
All distinctions of caste or character were
utterly ignored; gentlemen i'll white chok-
crS, and swallow-tailcd coats fought with
boot-blacks and hod carriers, for the poor
privilege of hanging on by their eye-lids
to the front or back platform of dirty
street car. The heat of the cars was sitting
but everybody was happy, barring here
and there some fat woman, or equity Old
man, whose favorite corn had received an
undue pressure, or some unfortunate
countryman VINO in the squeeze had lost