The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-07-10
THE rounrH TX WICHITA.

| "The great procession came up the street,
With CHATTER Of hoofs and tramp Of feet:
And Billy williams. his risht-hand man;
And each wss riding his high horse,
And each had epaulcttss. Of course;
And each had Q sash OF the blO0diest red.
And each had . shake on his head;
And each had . sword ON hts left side,
And each had his mustachs newly dyed;
The great procession came up the street.
With nremen uniformed nashily neat;
There WAS Jake, the foreman, with voice Ike I'VE,
The happiest, proudest man alive;
The eager orator took the stand,
In the cause OF our great and happy land;
The Marshal his hungry compstriots led.
Where Freedoms visnds were thickly spread,
And that WAS the way
We kept the day,
The great, the grand, the glorious day.
Hwray, Hmyay, Hurry,
with battle or two, the histories say,)
Our National Independence!
So il was in Wichita, SO it was In all the
other towns Of the State, and SO it was all
over the territory covered by the skirts Of
the great American Goddess. The day was
q splendid one, the parade Of the Wichita
milingtary unexceptionably fine, the display
Of the Fire Department imposing, and the
music lively. Shuman's grove was the GEN.
ter of attraction throughout the day, where
refreshments were served out by those who
had paid for the privilege. The speech Of
General Thorn was most excellent aud COM
manded the closest attention throughout.
His national reputation as soldier is no less
deserved than his enviable name Us an enter
tanning speaker. The balance OF the day was
filed in by dancing, lemOnading. etc., with a
fve-hundred-dollar trot ut the fair grounds. a
base ball match In the afternoon, and fire
works in the evening, all ending With grand
ball given by the Firemen in Eagle Hall.
From three to five thousand people Witness
ed the pyrotechnic display. No accidents Of
a serious nature have been reported although
there were several narrow escapes.
Wichita's Fourth of July celebrations have
for the most part been 'great cry aud little
stration worthy the name. About each and
every attempt there has been an air of private
speculation, and fear or unwillingncss upon
the part Of business men to close up. Indi.
yiduals were anxious that the EAGLE should
make ''great blow" promising every thing
and inviting every body. Our answer was,
''whcn you demonstrate your ability TO make
good this promise. then command" In face
of the fact that Wichita enjoys the patronage
and trade Of the people Of all the surround
ing country, and that this is the point to
which they naturally grayitate, it seems to
us that it would be much more TO her credit
and popularity If her citizens would evincc q
little more Of the patriotic spirit that she ex-
poets from Others. Not only that, but her
people could well afford to, at least once a
year, give an entertainment that would bind
more closely to themselves in a social way the
men, women and children whose patronage
they from year to year enjoy. Wichita could
well afford TO bear the expense Of grand dis
plays with free Refreshments, free music, free
dance, free dinners. big speech and lively
toasts thrown in, to which every body should
be invited. There L., or ought to be, some
thing else to this life besides money-getting.
And in the matter Of a general celebration,
Wichita should either acquit herself worthily
and to the satisfaction of her patrons. or
make no attempt promises whatever. And
all this in the kindiest spirit. But:
"The people went home through the -ultry night,
In murky mood and piiiful plight;
No more had the rockets sticks gone down,
Than the spirits Of them who had been to town.
NJ more did the fire-balloon collapse,
Than the pride of them who had known mishaps;
There were feathers rGiled, and tempers soiled,
And several brand new dresses spoied
There were hearts that ached from enyy's thorns,
And feet that twinged with trampled corBs;
here were joys proved empty through and tliro'
And several purses empty. too;
And some reeled homeward, muddled and late,
Who hadn't taken their glory straight;
And some were fxted Ia lodge that night,
In the city lookup. snug and tight;
And that WAS the way
The deuce WIS tn pay,
As 1t always Is, at the close Of the day
That gave us
Hrray, Murray, HHrroy'
with some restrictions, the fault FLINDERS say.)
our National independence!