The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-07-05

cline the honor, as my time was wholly
occupied in studying these islands, but
on reaching Honolulu l was assured that
| could meet the requirements OF the
occasion by giving such thoughts con-
corning our country as might readily
occur to me as a traveller. With this
understanding | have accepted the posi-
ton, feeling that my refusal would be a
poor return for the many acts of kindness
extended to me during my visit.
We are assembled to commemorate an
event in our history which is dear to
every American heart-an event to
which 'Fthe glorious Fourth" has been
consecrated as the chief festival in our
political calendar. Whoever has spent
his boyhood in the States will recall the
thrill of excitement with which the great
holiday has always been ushered in. l
confess l was hardly expecting to find in
any foreign country such demOnstra-
ton as we had last night and this morn
ing. The sharp and familiar explosives
around your houses, revealing the pre-
sence of youthful patriots, with undated
zeal, the salute of thirteen guns from the
shore battery at sunrise, the display of
the national colors on SO many private
houses, on the shipping in the harbor,
and even on the tramcars and carriage
buses in the streets. And here in this
large Opera House we have the inspiring
strains of national music and choral song
to aid us in worthily celebrating the day
You have also made generous provision
for aquatic and field sports which are
sure to be in order at this time.
We are nominally concentrating the
achievements of our country's Indepen-
dence in 1776, the official declaration of
which has just been read. We shall
never forget the men who signed that
immortal document, nor the results that
flowed from it. The nation can never
out4row it's early history. 1t will never
be ashamed of it's birth.
But the present year is suggestive of
other events, and we need not dwell now
upon the independence which the fathers
secured for US, nor even the later conflict
upon the question of political union
which Webster argued with such elo-
quence in the Senate, and which PreSi
dent Lincoln maintained when he called
the nation to arms. Those great issues
are settled-we hope fOrever-and we
can turn our thoughts the more willingly
to themes relating to the development OF
our country in various directions.
The speaker then referred to the recent
celebration in New York, commemorate
ing the Inauguration of the first Presi-
dent under the Constitution; to the
Victorian era which covers little more
than half of the entire century of our
national existence; to the character of
the nations founders; to the stability of
American political institutions, and to
the fact that not a country in Europe is
now so firm and prosperous as the Amer
can Republic; which was owing in a
large measure to the general diffusion of
knowledge, which made the people the
ruling power He spoke OF the wide
distribution of property in America, COM
pared with other countries; to the NUM-
ficent gifts Of charity for public libraries,
technical schools, colleges and universe
ties, now amounting to millions annu-
ally. Our foreign relations were re-
formed too, and the respect shown by not
only European nations, but by those of
Asia, China, Japan, Corea, Siam, Ha-
wall, etc.
We are obliged by want of space to
abridge this report of most eloquent
address, and give merely an outline OF it.
The exercises closed with singing two
verses of the national hymn, "Star
Spangled Banner" followed by the band,
which had assisted in the music through
out.
At noon a national salute of forty-two
guns-one for each State now in the
American Union-was fired from the
shore batter.