Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-08-11
FOURTH OF JULY ADDRESS.

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liberty and the pursuit of happiness in a
long range. To rejoice that the precious
boon and heritage of freedom is ours, be-
queathed us by the fathers who fought,
bled and died, that and mine and you
and yours might breathe the air of free
dom. And we rejoice to-day, we are
proud and happy and glad-glad that our
fathers died for us instead of compelling
us to die for them. They were great,
grand men. In fact, they were many of
them great grandtathers.
1t is sweet to die for ones country. 1t
seems 20 me that |, too, would gladly,
oh, how gladly, add my name to the list
of the great and good, and die for my
country--of old age. | would die sooner
if it was thought necessary, but | haVnt
got time. am too busy. But ii any
sacrifices are needed next Centennial,
they may call on me, and l will either
come or send a hand.
Our fathers died for us. They died
willingly and gladly. But il they could
come back to-day and see what kind of n
crowd they died for, quarreling over the
Presidents policy, wranglng over the
currency, and some of them trying to
pay a dollars worth of debt with ninety
cents worth OF money, talking politics
twenty-three hours day, and praying so
seldom that our knees get rusty, drowned
out by rain, devoured by grasshoppers,
they would, If they had it to do over
again, live nine thousand years, and only
die then when. they had to.
And yet ours is glorious country. A
wonderful, magnificent country. 1t is
marvellous. AS high-school girl would
say, IL is mice" Look abroad over our
land, turn the pages of history and sec
what the mighty genius of progress has
wrought. But one short century ago the
corner stone of this mighty fabric WIS
lald, amid tho thunder Of canon and the
rattle Of musketry, canopied by the smoke
| of battle and cemented with blood A
little band Of struggling needy, patriots,
half-cad, poorly fed, with only II few
dollars in the National Treasury. To.
day the sun of one hundred and one years
breaks upon tho land-wherever IL isn't
storming-and whore do we stand? A
billion dollars in debt
Our fathers died but they had no rail
roads. If they had they might have died
with less expense and trouble before they
got to tho war. Our fathers never knew
the ccstatc pleasure of leaning out of n
car window and getting red hot cindor
as big as pea in their eye before they
could look at u tree. They had no telo-
graph, and never knew what conven-
ience it was to pay forty cents to send Il
message fifty miles, and then have the
dispatch come tagging day or two after
the man had died Of old age. They had
no kerosene lamps, and never knew what
| il was TO light kitchen hre and make
balloon ascension out Of the same can. -
They had no United States Signal Ser
vice, and never had fortyfve rainy days
in II month, with tornado every wash.
day. Their wants were few and simple.
They didn't need great deal Of weather,
and what they had was regulated by the
ground hog, and that reliable weather.
bureau never made mistake.
These men have passed away. In their
simple habits, their sterling honesty, their
grand patriotism, their unselfsh devotion
to principle, they passed from life 10 eter-
nal fame. The men Of 70 are gone.
do not know where, but they have gone
somewhere; | do not soc any Of thom
hero. If there are any present they will
please rise, for | nm willing to bo correct
ed when | am wrong.
The Fourth Of July was invented by n
man whose name is dear to all American
hearts-George w. Washington. By an
ingenious arrangement the Fourth ofJuly
was 30 contrived by the inventor that IL
would always fall on rainy day. 1t has
missed il only once in the past twelve
| hundred years. and on that once it hailed
all day. The Fourth Of July was not the
only invention Of this great and good
man. He invented name what will fiji
two thirds Of the boys ofevery generation
in America. A grateful people never
forgot the fact, and Washington, when at
the zenith Of his power was nominated by
accliination for the capital Of the United
/ States. Washington was once discovered
praying at Valley Forge, and from the
great stress laid upon tho incident by all
historians, il is judged that IL was the only
time anybody ever caught him praying.
He was n brave, good man, but he dress
ed too much like member OF base
ball club TO be elected President in these
days. burlington Hawkeye.