Morning journal and courier., 1884-07-08
CORRESPONDENCE.

CORRESPONDENCE.
 The Glorious Fourth st NewpOrt-Reun- ion of the Sons of Newport-A Fine PrOcession-Rafn in the Evening. NEWPORT, July 4. To She Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The reunion of the Sons of Newport here to-day has made the day much more than an
 ordinary 4th of July. The noble sentiment of hospitality has been to-day united in special manner in the heart of each genuine Newporter with that feeling of natural patri-
 ot1sm which inspires the soul of every true
 born American. It has beamed in the eye and spoken in the elastic tread of every son and daughter of this island city. Heaven it. self seemed to look with propitious eye upon the day in clear sunshine and refreshing
 breezes, though one unsympathetic indi vidu- al was heard to remark that the pedestrians
 would soon be pedestrians, and that the ex- treme heat of yesterday was probably be- cause of the advent of so many returning
 ''suns of Newport"
 The 4th was we'll led in by the agreeable occasion of music by the band at Tonro Park and an illumination of the old Stone Mill. in the same park, on the evening of the 3d. To any who have not seen ''the Old Mill' it may be described as 8 hollow tower of rough stone masonry, about twenty-five feet high and fifteen or twenty feet in diameter, with six or seven srched doorways extending all around it. Through the door-like openings in the wall you can see through the old ruin from side to side, and overhead it is open to the sky. It is supposed that there was once wind mill on the top of the tower. No one knows by whom 1t was erected or for what purpose, and the old relic is a sort of mys- Inc fhn0rxy io hot h,,SIk A.. Norsemen long before this country was dis covered by Columbus. The colored fire was set of inside the old mill and the smoke poured out of the open top. I heard a lady exclaim as one of the bursts of colored light
 ''Oh, isn't it elegant It's just magnificent"
 And it was lovely sight, although one of Newport's colored lassies, who has travelled,
 waxed indignant because 'folks made such
 fuss about ightin' up that ole mill '' It was
 just rldlckerlus to them as had seen illumi- nations in them ole ruins abroad" The small boy of Newport has an excellent regard for the laws and ordinances as well as for the fitness of things for scarcely. report of cracker or torpedo was heard during the
 whole evening to mar the music, although an occasional fish-horn came in as @ part of the tranquil scene.
 At open air concerts in public parks, there Is at Newport, as we'll as at New Haven and many other places in this country, an impor- tant thing wanting That is seats. so that the concert can be enjoyed without the dis comfort and fatigue of standing around dur ing it's entire length. If some enterprising party would come out with two or three loads of cheap chairs to rent upon such oc- casions he would not only do a philanthronic act, but would find it paying business.
 The first thing on the regular programme for the 4th was the ringing of bells from 4:30 to 5:30 8. m. This I mention only from the fact that there has been a perfect string of petitions, vainly published. urging to have this old usage omitted claiming that one can be just as patriotic without being kept awake for an hour before daylight by the ringing of the church bells, and that at some later hour iu the day their effect will be quite as inspir- ing
 In the early forenoon considerable music was played upon the Charming Memorial chimes, and at eleven o'clock the grand pro- cessIon of the day started on it's route. No one could wish to see @ finer one and did not think there were so many men in all Rhode Island as came out to do honor to the homecoming sons and daughters of New port. Among the most noticeable features of the procession were the drag containing thirty-eight school children representing the different States of the Union, the battalion of the Fourth United States artillery in white canvas suits, the various companies from the training schools about Newport, a young boy company of fifers, several fire engines with their fine horses, and long line of several hundred sons of Newport, young and old each carrying over his head Japanese pare- sol and giving bright and unique effect to the procession.
 or the decorations about toRn, those of the Aquidneck Hotel were as fine as any. On the front of this hotel lar e and handsome painting of national subject was suspended In the midst of profusion of flags and fes- toons arranged simply and with great taste An arch of evergreens stretched across Broadway with the motto Welcome to our Island Home" and the State House iust above vas elaborateIy decorated The l Ocean House on Bellevue avenue, which has just opened, hung all its banners to the breeze and was resplendont with streamers and flowers
 The route of the procession ended up at the lizard lot on Spring street, l,ing between that street and Deadhead hill Here was the great tent in which the collation. was spread and where the literary exercises of the day took place: Not having a Son of Newport badge, which was the requirement of admis- sion to the tent, and being besides otherW wise occupied, did not go down to the tent, but the speeches were without question of the right stamp, and will doubtless be fully re- ported in some of the New York papers. It IS to be hoped that. in the particular of long speeches, the reunion of 1884 did not copy aftef the last one, which took place in 1859, for then, according to accounts, some of the speeches were equal in duration to an old fashioned sermon, SO long, in fact, that seve- ral who had prepared addresses were not able to deliver them.
 At the polo ground there were athletic games, races, etc, during the afternoon for the entertainment of those who chose to witness them, and there were attractions at the skating rink and other public places of recreation.
 Unhappily what is said above about the | weather of the early part of the day does l not apply to the evening. The evening pro. l grsmme was the illumination of Thames i street and the City Hall and State House, a | reception at the State House by the deleea- | tion from New York and their wives from 6 | to o'clock, fireworks in the harbor from 8 | to TO- the playing of three bands in the hsr- bor during the evening, and the explosion of f 8 torpedo from the torpedo station every five minutes from 9:aG to 10 o'clock
 Early 10 the evening dense and damp fog | settled over the town, followed by a shower The fog, however, cleared away sufficiently to have an attempt made to carry ont the and the shoeting rockets and blazing lights of various colors lighting up the shipping in the harbor, from which cams rather faintish strains of music made very pretty ecene as viewed from the top of a wood pile on the edge of Long wharf But before It was half over the rain cams pour ing down again; general stampede began; the sounds of music ceased the Chinese lanternJ, which hung by thousands through Thames street, were washed away by the | torrents of rain loaded carriages went dashing away in all directions, and chose who ing drabbled and wet to their homes And | this Is the ending up Of the grand day at 1 Newport. MAO.