The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-07-04
THE GLORIOUS FOURTH.

American devotes TO noise is the ann
versary of oar national Independence
He seems to think that.the occasion
demands something more expressly
and emphatic than the quiet and dig
nifty of modest responsibility. HI
wants to make, speeches and listen t.
orations; to have ceremonies and in
'dulge in demonstrative pastimes; t.
burn powder and create noise. Th,
enthusiasm of the year which has beer
pent up and restrained must now find
vent, and burst forth in. exhaustive
noise-producing demonstratve indul
gence, needless of everything save a
sentiment of patriotic recklessness.
Our fathers, the heroes who gave US the
Fourth, set the example,. They were
democratic had founded a demo-
cratic republic, and they wanted
democratic celebration; and in
casting about for an exercise that could
be universal and still be patriotic, they
found that IL could unite on the plat
form of noise-making; that the one
thing which was democratic and which
Americans could do equally well, was
t. make noise. The revolutionists
tried the experiment and it worked
well; their sons-and their daughters
also-have never thought it worth
while to change it. and have gone on
for more than century. shouting and
shooting, INDUCING in powder burning
and bonfres, in sound and show, and IN
being democratic in this the grandest of
the daysthat has been given to America.
Only IN one respect is there competition,
and that is in the quantity of the noise
that is made. The one who makes the
loudest noise feels that he is
most patriotic, and no amount of
argument or reasoning can convince
b m to the contrary. And not only is
social caste disregarded in this instance,
but age and sex are not considered, the
the youngest and the oldest persons, the
boys and girls, the men and women, the
grandfathers and grandmothers, all
me ting on the same platform. Noise is
The privilege and duty of everybo ly, |
and ugly and distracting as it would be
on other days, on this occasion. the |
friend y rivalry in its production makes
the exercise positively cheering The
Fourth Of July is the festival of patriot |
ic noise, and the man or woman who
would destroy it in any respect might
pr )perlY be questi oHed as to his or her
love for country and belief in republi- |
can institutions
AS We writes Startled and shaken every |
moment by the popping of crackers
and explosion of bombs-some of the
latter producing juvenile earthquakes
or suggesting the wrecking of powder
magazines We cannot help rejecting |
upon the noyel and delightful position I
in whlehtne small boy finds himself |
TO day. For three hundred and sixty
five weary days he has been held in
more or less check by the rules of de-
corum, and now al of a sudden the
restraint is thrown off and he is hidden
to do his worst. Without warning the
coast has been cleared for him. and he
is to have unrestrained liberty for one
whole day. The opportunity is rich
one, bat be is equal to it and capable of
the situation in its. grand
entirety. Daylight has not vet
stolen over the land. out the
small boy is up and abroad.
with cannonand horn, torpedo
and hre-cEacker, and has entered upon
his patriotic duties of the day. The
more stald and less demonstrative are
trying Vainly to snatch few moments
OF sleep. and they may utter an &C.
casional protest against the din and.
rattle, but in their hearts thew saw
God bless the small boy The Fourth of /
July would be mockery and sham
without him. 1t is he who ihaugurated
the day and with the boom of his little
'sst-iroil cannon plugged to the muzzle
2 tn paper and weeds proclaimed the {
arrival of Independence Day. We are Z
Inclined to give the young rascal credit 1
or Keeping alive the spirit o;
oyalty in the people, The sleep
hat he disturbs amounts to I
iothing when compared to the fires of
'atriotism that he finds and keeps t
BURNING.
If there is anything in the category OF
lrman virtue which should be lemon.
trative it is patriotism. The love of a
ountry is enthusiastic and exhilarat- !,
1g. 1t epHnok be kept within the c
ounds OF decornm, and it is better for |
eng free and unrestrai1ed. The tfae , 3
items heart swells at the name of h .
ountry. and when the ever IS which
ave ban he country are brought "a. y
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