The Portland daily press., 1877-05-22
INDEPENDENCE DAY.
How Not 10 Celebrate II.

The time is rapidly approaching at which we
annually begin to consider how best we can cell
ebrats the birthday of our nation. From year
to year programmes of less or more desirable
character are adopted, varying according to the
taste and economical notions of the city gov
eminent, but always, to the best of my recol-
lection, including the most objectional features
which any civilized man would ever think OF
introducing. 10 this point desire to respect
fully call the attention Of our municipal au-
thorites, 10 the hope that by seasonable pre-
sentation of question which has hitherto
been ignored, the views Of very large and
respectable portion of the community may re-
ceive the consideration which their Importance
deserve. 1t is no part of my purpose to pro-
pose plan for the celebration which L trust
we shall have, bat merely to show that there is
one kind of thing which it would be well for US
not to do.
believe am making a very mild estimate
in saying that there are twenty thousand peo-
pie in our little city who look forward to the
night of the third of July with anxiety and
dread. The reason is obvious. Before mid
night there begins a racket which by one
o'clock has reached pitch of intensity sufi-
cient to awaken all but the hopeless deaf and
the dead. Neighborhoods generally as peace
full as country village resound with noises as
hideous Jas juvenile ingenuity can produce;
bands of sportive youths parade the streets and
amuse themselves by simultaneously discharg-
ing guns and small cannon directly under the
window of unoffending citizens, burning holes
in shop-keepers awnings and scorching traders
signs: at sunrise the bells of the churches are
violently rung for an hour and a salute with
cannon is fred. and the little children, who
have with difficulty been restrained in their
beds to this time are now let loose to add their
contribution with fre-crackers and torped does
to the universal din The worst is usually over
by eight or nine o'clock; but still the clangor
continues to an extent which on any other day
would be considered beyond endurance, and
marked aggravations of the nuisance occur at
noon and sunset when the bell-ringing and sa-
lutte firing of the morning are repeated.
Let us look at some of the results Of this con-
ventional method of celebrating More than
ninety per cent ofthe people are defrauded of
the greater part of their nights rest, and con-
sequently feel weary and depressed all the next
day. The sick, to whom sleep is far more i'm
portant than to the well, receive serious detri-
ment from the disturbance which they expert
enco; and it must often happen that, in criti-
cal cases, where life itself depends upon the
quiet of the patient, the scale is turned against
him by the inhuman turmoil in the streets.
lit may be that death is not always unwelcome
in such cases; for we'll might the righteous man
desire to exchange his present tormentsxfor
celestial peace; and even dying sinner who
felt that his misdeeds had shut the gates of
heaven against him, long for the end of his
earthly sufferings that he might escape into the
comparative quiet of hell Horses are fright
ened and smash carriages and human bones;
guns and pistols heedlessly handled and pre-
maturely discharged furnish abundant work
for the surgeons; and explosions swell the list
OF casualties which main, cripple, disigure
and incapacitate for work people who were
meant for something better than targets and
paupers. Add to all this the danger of confla-
gratlonrin city SO largely composed of wooden
buildings as is Portland, which only eleven
years ago lost more than ten millions of dol
lars by carelessly thrown fre-cracker. and we
have series of consequences which should
cause the thoughtful to inquire whether such
things pay well enough to warrant another
trial of them.
But somebody will say that it would be un-
fair to deprive the boys of the fun which all
their predecessors have enjoyed. L would be
the last to interfere with any ones innocent
pleasure; but / respectfully submit that no
p pleasure can 1alrly BE- regarded as innocent
property of Others There are certaialy meth
DDS of displaying thankfulness for continued
national existence, of keeping fresh the mem
ory OF the deeds of our forefathers, which are
more worthy of our civilization. Barbarians
might be excused for delightng in such tur-
MOL; we ought to be ashamed of it. Ruskin
has spoken some suggestive words which bear
on this. He says: 81 think nearly the two
sorrowful lest spectacle L have ever seen in
humanity, taking the deep inner significance
NJ no ttn O1s1t, llar Of
Chamouni, amusing themselves with firing
rusty howitzers; and the Swiss vintegers of
Zurich expressing their Christian thanks for
the gift of the vine, by assembling in knots in
the towers Of the Vineyards and slowly load
till evening. 1t is pitful to have dim concep-
tons of duty; more pitiful. it seems to me, to
have conceptions like these of mirth.''
Now, what can we do about it? There is
plenty OF law on the subject. The Revised
Statutes say, whoever sells, offers for sale, or
gives away any crackers, squibs, rockets or
other fireworks, or fires or throaos the same 10
any town without the license of the municipal
officers thereof, shall be punished by fine"
etc, etc And the city ordinances provide that
.'No person shall fire or discharge any gun,
fowling-piece, or fre-arm within the limits of
the city of Portland under penalty for every
such offence of not less than one nor more than
twenty dollars" Evidently the first thing for
the government to do is to refuse licenses for
SNhc3
celebration is determined Oh, good example
should be set to the citizens by utterly emitting
the bell ringing and cannon firing. Finally,
the police should receive special and emphatic
instructions to arrest and imprison any persons
whom they may find violating the above quot
ed laws. 1t is not impossible to carry out this
plan; all that is needed is sufficient public
sentiment in favor Of the measure. Ten years
ago we had such sentiment. Only twelve
mouths had passed since the city was impover-
ished and crippled by an unlocked for but le-
gitimate result of its former negligence. Fire
crackers were not countenauced, and an at
tempt at pyrotechnics would have been looked
upon as nothing short of arson. The gypsies
who we're camped in the neighborhood had pre-
dicted that all of the city which had escaped
before would be consumed now, and people
were SO alarmed that to quiet their fears, it
was publicly announced that the horses would
be kept harnessed to the fire engines all day
long, ready to start at a seconds warning. But
we soon forgot all that, Those who were timid
then are careless now, and quite probably will
be the first to resent this suggestion of an
abridgement Of their own or their children's
diversions. l am confident however, that this
subject simply needs ventating to convince
every ensible man and woman i'll the commu-
nifty that an entire reform in this matter is not
only needed but entirely and easily possible
by the method which is here proposed G.