The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-07-11
OUR SOUTHERN BUDGET
SOUTHERN PINES, NC, July

HOW THE DAY WE CELEDRATE WAS
OBSERVED IN THE 'CrARHEEL" STATE.
go, ring the bells, and fire the guns,
And fling the starry banner out"
To-day is the "Glorious Fourth" the
day of all days that true Americans like
to celebrate There is a smell of burnt
powder in the air, and the horizon is be-
decked with the gay-colored symbol of
national liberty. Somehow | feel won
derfully braced up to-day. Many peo-
pie feel that way on the Fourth of July,
but they get their inspiration in a differ
ent shape from what have got mine
Ny inspiration comes from the fact that
we have had a regular old~fashioned cele-
bration down here.
There was time, and l can remember
it WE'LL when a Fourth of July celebra-
tion, even in the country, meant some
thing. That was away up north, in the
beautiful beech woods of PENNSYLVANIA.
The boys saved their stray coppers for
weeks to buy powder with, even if it be-
came necessary to crawl under the cam
vass of the annual circus in order to
practice economy with satisfactory re-
suits.
Then came midnight before the Fourth,
Silently, like trailing shadows, the boys
emerged IRON their iitlul slumbers in the
haymbw. Muskets and shotguns would
"bob up serenely' from somewhere. An
anvil mounted on wheelbarrow would
be in the care of skillful artillerists, and
the round of the neighborhood would be-
gin. Then, small boys, get out of the
way. Farewell to slumber, ye nervous
people. Prepare for trouble, oh, ye un-
happy possessors of young infants, for
the day of their tribulation is at hand.
Then the people gathered in the leafy
wood. In unison their voices were
raised in the triumphant singing of
Hail, Columbia, happy landl
Hal, ye heroes, heaveil-hOrn band"
Then some good reader read that
priceless boon from our forefathers, the
Declaration of Independence, after
which, the voices of the multitude were
again blended in the patriotic remem-
brance Of
"My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
OF thee | sing"
Then the orator of the day, the anvil,
the muskets, the shotguns, the torpedoes,
the fire-craolIers, the lemonade, the pickles
the cheese, ,and the pretty girls all dressed
in white were all let loose.
But that was many years ago. The
anvils are there yet, but they make other
music in the blacksmith shops The
shotguns and muskets do duty at fright
ening the corn-loving crow. The lemon
adel the pickles, the cheese, and the
pretty girls are all there, and, as near az
| can learn, doing their duty in the best
manner possible. But the Declaration
of Independence, the patriotic songs, and
the froedom-iuspiring remarks have all
been laid away. Traded off would be a
more truthful way of putting it, for what
was once n CELEBRATION of national |
liberty has given place to pic-nics for
dudes and hcart-smashers.
Down here people celebrate in the
good old way. am to-day in the Capt..
tai city Of North Carolina. The noble
old oak park that surrounds the State
House 10 alive with joyous humanity.
The stars and stripes are floating to the
breeze from public buildings and private
residences. A patriotic programme, in
Guiding cannon shooting, bell ringing,
whistle blowing, speech making, reading
Of Declarations of independence, music
and fireworks, has been religiously car
ried out
TWO DECLARATIONS.
Many of my northern readers will
open their eyes in astonishment when |
ell them that we have two Declarations
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