New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-19
TO AMEND THE FOURTH OF JULY

4
a NJ. d." has written letter to " The Boston
Transcript covering proposition which is we'll
calculated to procure him the hearty ill-will Of
all the patriotic small boys residing at the Hub
This correspondent meditates what these indi-
viduals will regard as cruel blow at their hap
piness lie outlines conspiracy having for its
object to deprive them of the dearest Of their
inalienable rghts-even the right to make joy
full noise on the Fourth Of July with the assist
snce of gunpowder. Just listen to A. NJ d." :
Lot some philanthropic institution centrally To-
Gated with good accommodations and stationary work
Ing force-say the Young Mems Christian Unon.call
a meeting of representatives from other ASSOCIATIONS
Including women's also from churches. Let a COM
mittee appointed this meeting draw up an agree
ment promising not to purchase any Kind OF hrewOrks
Let the city and suburbs be so distrlcted ana can
vassed that every family shall be asked 10 sign this
paper Let the same obtain signatures 10
petition. prepared by the same committee praying
and the observance OF the Fourth shall embody the
sense Of the meeting.
Think of an anti-Fourth Of July plot like this
having its origin in the city containing Faneull
Hall, the city in whose harbor waters that
famous consignment of taxed tea was steepedi 1t
is lust as well that the fomenter of such plot
hides his personality behind initials. If he wrote
his name out in full the boys whom he fain would
discriminate against might rise as one man with
blood in his eye and make Boston too hot for
him.
a NJ. d. means well, of course. 1t is not
that he loves the small Boston boy less, but that
he loves an absence of the usual Fourth of July
accidents to life limb and property more. And, in
| deed, each recurring celebration of Uncle Sam S
| great day furnishes many cOgent arguments in
support of that which he wishes to see brought
| about-a Fourth without the burning of gum
| powder But the movement which he fathers is
| likely to fail John Adams wrote to Mrs.
Adams that this great anniversary ought to be
| soemniZed with pomp and parade, with shows,
games sports, guns, bells boniires and lllumlna-
| tions from one end of the continent to the other
| from this time forward for evermOre' To debar the
Boston small boy from any kind Of fireworks" as
| "A NJ d. proposes would be, would it not, to do
violence to the beloved memory of John Adams.
| For. of course the small Boston boys will argue
| that when Adams wrote guns he was using
that word in the generic, so to cover all sorts
| and descriptions OF fireworks. If A. NJ d."
makes canvass of Boston it will be interesting to
| learn how many families sign the agreement in
| question. We suspect that large number Of
fathers. recalling the days when they were small
boys themselves would meet the canvasser with
the remark Not this year, some other year, per-
haps'
| 1t is clear all the same that there is decided
| public sentiment which increases every year in
favor of practically eliminating the fireworks Gle
| ment from the National celebration. Sensible
people, with statistics of losses in their hands, are
| inquring, with constantly increasing earnestness,
| if the small boys fun does not cost too much.
Probably the best that be done for the present
| is for each grown person to form himself into a
| committee of safety on the Fourth for the protec-
ton of the small boy and of the general veal. If
this is DONE and if the toy pistol and the snake
could be entirely banshed, and if sensible-law
could be passed regulating the setting of of larger
pieces of fireworks, the day might be compare
| lively harmless II is doubtful if the Fourth Of
July evil can be cured, but it may easily be ale
| waited.