Daily Republican., 1880-07-06
FLAGS AND FIREWORKS.

En0 EOWftn Oh July anu hhOW bebN-
ware observed the Occasion -
GeOrgetown's CelebrattOn-Iuef-
dents I'm the City-Whnt Was Done
at Picnics-PatrtOilc Pulpit Ora.
tors A General Bay OF rRejOicinE y
from Brandy wine tOBreak weteE'
The anniversary of the nations
birth day has been celebrated and q
vast deal of patriotism has gone up in
much smoke from fireworks and fire
crackers.
In Wilmington nothing unusual oc.
Cured. People went to church on
Sunday, as usual and listened to patri-
otic sermons, on Monday went on, some
of the thousands and one excursions or
trips got up to assist people in leaving
town. Those who did not do this went
to pic.nics in the neighborhood and
spen, the afternoon and night in drink
ing cool lager and tripping the light
fantastic pedal extremities. Folks in
Georgetown had the most patriotic cele-
bration Of all and II took place Satur-
day. Five thousand people were in town.
A large parade came of, George Alfred
Townsend read poem and Rev. J. S.
Willis delivered an oration. At quite
number of places Georgstown's
example was followed on q reduced
scale.
IN THE CHURCHES.
PATRIOTIC PREAcHERs-wHAT THEY SAID
ABOUT THE NATIONS NATAL DAY.
At Union church Rev. Adam Stem.
gle preached on the Greatness Of our
Government, and how to preserve it.
Text l26th Psalm, 3 verse.
We may adopt this language Of the
Psalmist, said the preacher. 1t Is true
of us both as a church and nation.
The "great things" God hath done for
US as a Nation constitute an apprepri-
ate theme for "a 9TH July discourse. 1t
Is true the 4th July is no more than
any other day to other nations, but to
US 1t is fraught with many sacred mem-
ories. One hundred and four years
ago to-day American liberty was born.
II was baptized with blood and conse.
Grated in fire. Yet 1t did not simply
survive the shock of the revolution, but
has made a msrvellously rapid and
vigorous growth.
The immediate cause that led the
colonies TO declare themselves free was
taxation without representation. But
there were other and elder causes that
produced the spirit of independence.
These were the leaven CT protestanism,
the gospel religion. Christianity means
| liberty-"Call no man Master" 1t
means equal rights: "Do unto others as
ye would they should do unto you"
The antilibersl spirit OF the age attemp.
ted Its suppression and the prosecutions
which followed drove our Puritan faith
ers from their native land tc seek
home in the Wilds Of the Western
Hemisphere whsre they could enjoy
that liberty which the gospel vouehs Afes
to man. We se1 then that the gospel
produced the spirit of independence,
and the prosecutions only transplanted
1t from English to American soil and
the expressions Of l776 simply aroused
the cid spirit to activity and resistance.
We can't review the history of our
country without feeling that God has
done great things for US.
He has done great things for US in
giving as Republican form of Govern
1t. We Justly regard it as the
m,ldest and best on the face of the
earth. Under Its flag the path to honor,
fame ar / fortune lies open equally to
all. Tn 'rail-splitter of the forest, the
tanner fr'm the lanyard and the cob
bier from his bench may reach the
highest pinnacles of honor as well as
the aristocrat and millionaire. II is
true there are abuses but what form
of Government is free from abuses :
Even the Jewish Theocracy was charac-
terized by lawlessness and violence.
He has done great things for us in
giving us q government guaranteeing
peculiar rights and privileges to the
Christian religion. II is not Chris
tian form of government in the sense
thht I'll its s~oJcote vi otu0oi' "i1 oN.A
tians either txperimentally or theoret-
ically, but in the sense that 1t practlc'
ally acknowledges God and recognizes
the Bible as his Word. Yet 1t Is by no
means and in no sense sectariHn. The
church and atate are separate. we
have state and we have church
but we have no state-church. The
union of church and state has been
a curse of the old world.
Considering all things, we hare the
crandest government Oh the earth, and
an interesting question ia "How may
we preserve our patrimony ?"
The character OF republican govern
ment is usually only reflection OF the
general character of it's subjects. The
people are the fountain from which our
rulars corna and as water cannot rise