The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-06-29

| home and not go 10 get killed. asked
Georgy, who did not like to hear OF
boys in trouble. He was so often there
himself.
Papa, you go on" begged Harry.
You know better than me. Tell us
all about it please"
Long ago." said papa, more than
one hundred years ago, all this hap
pened. If you boys had lived then you
would not have heard about fireworks
and professions. Instead, every body
was talking about the British soldiers
and their cruelty and the many things
they forced the people to do that they
disliked. Even the boys could not play
as they liked. Harry, don't you re-
member the story OF how the soldiers
plagued the Boston boys when they
went to slide or skateP'
Yes. And when the boys saw their
slides spoiled, they made a company
and had a captain and marched to the
General and they told him about the
soldiers And then the General said
they were brave boys"
What was Fourth o July?' asked
Georgy.
mo, dear, not yet" said papa. The
soldiers grew more and more imperti-
nent and kept on doing cruel things to
! the people. The King of England sent
the soldiers here and he would not
take them away for he had sent them
to make the Americans do as he wished.
The people kept growing more angry
and at last they could stand it no long
er, but they were not strong enough to
drive the soldiers away.
Didn't they have any guns to shoot
the soldiers, papa?' asked Georgy.
Not many, and they had not much
money to buy any ammunition, neither
had they been drilled as the British SOL
diers We're. So altogether they hardly
knew what to do"
Would fifty cents buy gun, papa?"
asked Georgy, looking at his silver
piece.
What little goose you are" said
impatient Harry, do go on, papa.
What did the 'Mericans do?"
The men formed companies and
raised money to buy arms. They had to
drill at night off in the country. They
hid their guns and swords in the day
time so the soldiers could not find
them"
Il know about that" cried Harry.
THE soldiers found out that the 'Meri-
cans had hid Il whole lot of guns and
powder and they went after these. But
the 'Mericans hurried up and hid be-
hind fences and trees and fired off their
guns and made the redcoats run. Wasn't
that jolly! Hurrah for the 'Mericans.
'Hurrah! shouted Gecrgy, That
was the Fourth O. July, wasn't it,
papa?"
mo, not yet. The people were de-
lighted when they knew they could
beat the redcoats, but the English King
was furiously angry. He sent more
cross messages and disagreeable orders
and shiploads of soldiers. The people
held great meetings in every part of
the country to see what could be done.
From these meetings the wisest men
were sent to Philadelphia There the
troubles were talked over in Congress,
until at last these men decided to send
word to the tyrannical King that they
would have nothing more to do with
him. They would make their own laws
and have their own soldiers and do as
the people thought best. If he insisted
on ordering them as he pleased, they
would fight all the soldiers he would
send against them. A long letter was
written with all this in to send to Eng
land This was called the Declaration
of Independence. The chief men of the
country signed it. and when this was
done all the bells in the steeples rang
loud and long. the cannons were fired,
the bands played and the great crowds
of excited people cheered."
''And that was the Fourth O July"
said Harry.
That was the first Independence
Day in America Since then all good
Americans like to show that they re-
member the barve men who were not
afraid OF an angry king and his armies,
but were determined to make their
country free
And then did the boys buy fire.
crackers and did the papas give them
fifty cents?" asked Georgy.
''No. Boys did not have such good
time then. The papas and big brothers
had to march off and fight for nine
long years, more years than either of
you have lived. Many of them never
came home again, but died on the bat
tlefeld. There was so little money to
spare from the war that the boys often
had to go hungry, and when the cold
winters came they had no fires to warm
them. Their clothes were ragged and
their shoes full of holes but the soldiers
were too brave to give up their liberty
At last King George was obliged to call
all his soldiers back to England and to
promise to let the Americans alone.
Then every body had fine Fourth OF
July. and every year since the day has
been celebrated in remembrance Of
those brave people OF the Revolution"