The New York herald., 1879-07-04
The Day We Celebrate.


history there is no difference of opinion,
even though there is much difference as to
how we shall celebrate it. There is a re-
volt in cities particularly against the noise
of the old fashioned way and a protest on
the part of some financial interests against
the regular yearly recurrence of day when
all sorts of combustibles shall be fired in
the streets to the imminent peril OF valu-
able property; while the old fashioned peo-
pie, on the other hand adhere to the ira
ditions of the Fourth Of their youth and
denounce the money interests that
put damper on the festivities, as
the people prefer them, OF day
devoted to the boisterous remembrance
of principles whose triumph was secured In
the noise and fire of many battles, and they
denounce with especial virility the squeam-
ishness and delicacy of an age that reels
itself hurt by noise and breads to nave the
smell of villanous saltpetre come betwixt
the wind and its nobility. Indeed, the
noise of the Chinese cracker has enabled
many city people TO understand great
point in Celestial strategy. 1t has been at
times a principle apparently well recog-
nized in Chinese war that the army which
made the most noise should be regarded as
victorious. and that theory was once tried
on some British troops who did not UNDER
stand it and went in and whipped the
enemy in defiance of fair play. Absurd as
the Chinese doctrine Of war may seem we
could apparently lind in our dainty city
people some armies that could be whipped
in that way.
Insurance, however, is mere finance and
is inexorable. 1t is q little like Nansonty's
horses Complaint was made on the Rus
sian retreat that the cavalry charges were
feeble and Nansonty explained it by the
statement that the horses had no patriotism
and the commissary no oats. Sympathy
with patriotic sentiments is not to be
weighed in the scale against either oats or
dividends. But how is it that the insur-
ance voice and the protest against noise
should become suddenly effective now
rather than fifty years ago9 For apparently
the same protest that has finally disman-
tied the Fourth OF July Of the fathers
has been made every year for many
years before. How is it especially
that generation which has seen half
million men made TODD for powder. directly
or indirectly, should be disturbed by the
harmless sqaib. Perhaps these facts have
direct relation as cause and effect. There
had been for years growing revolt against
the celebration with cannon and firearms;
but it amounted to little, because it could
not hold its own against deep rooted pop
ular fervor that seemed to regard patriotism
and noise as one and inseparable. But a
generation that has shown itself SO deter
mined in the defence of freedom as the
present one could afford to put its foot
on some old fashioned fancies of that sort.
In the presence of the graves that were dec
Grated in May people may venture to ex-
press their contempt for demonstrations Of
love OF country that are only noisy.
But if the day has lost it's dignity as the
festival of the Chinese frecracker fend
and the free incendiary it certainly has
not lost honor as the festival of the inde-
pendence of the American people. We
doubt if even the worst specimen OF sore
of the type of men "who won't be recon
structed and who don't care DAMN"
would 90 SO far in his hatred of our demo-
cratic system as to wish that we might all
be restored to the stagnant condition Of a
British colony-the whole surface of COM
mercial, financial, industrial and social life
overgrown, as they are in such colonies.
with the green scum Of vitality
without energetic development or legitimate
direction. With any other than sore-headed
fellows who were open enemies but yester-
day our independence is the one great
reality in the world Of political facts, and
the last thought that can ever cross the
mind of any man in vital nation is to con-
sent to see the independence of his country
perish. This is 80 profound sentiment
with every people in every age that it will
be found upon study of tyrannies and
military usurpations that these tools of an
evil destiny are, in the lnrger number OF
cases, not of the breed Of the suppressed
people. The Bonapartes, as foreign adven-
turers in France. are the types of the men
outside of the circle of national sympathies
who set up thrones at the expense of the
freedom of the nation, for whose greatest
glory they have not the passionate regard
that is felt by the meanest of its own sons
Only foreigners are as a rule without
those sympathies with national aspirations
which inspire men to prefer the victory of
sustained national purpose to the most
splendid rewards of personal ambition.
But there does arise from time to time in
the history of nations a man of stolid
type, without the common enthusiasm OF
his countrymen and more selfish than hu-
manity generally, who readily persuades
himself, Us perhaps Cromwell did, that his
personal supremacy is for the time the only
guarantee OF the freedom he pretends to
love. Such man may arise in our history,
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