Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-07-03
THE LESSONS OF '76
BY JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE.

Middle aged men must remember how
very different the celebration OF the
Fourth of July was during their boy
hood from what it is in these days.
Everything of course seems tame after
maturity in contrast with its seeming in
our early teens.
The civil war, with its terrible tension,
solicitude, agitation, uncertainty, made
the youngest of us feel old.
But, apart from age and event, the
Fourth has in its observance long ceased
to be what it was before the war; That
great strife naturally dwarfed the minor
but not less heroic struggle of the last
century and rendered us comparatively
Indifferent to its commemoration. We
should still remember, however, that
our independence was won by trials, by
hardships, by unfinching fortitude, to
which in our later abundance and pros
perity we were necessarily strangers.
In this generation we can scarcely
realize, SO altered are our surroundings,
what our forefathers endured, suffered
and dared, as colonists, in taking up
arms against the eXactions and oppres-
sions of the mother country-one of the
strongest governments and greatest pow
ers of the Old World. They did not
hesitate to oppose regular, disciplined
soldiers, who had fought on many fields,
with raw recruits, having no other weap-
ons than such as they could get in an
emergency, and no other hope than that
inspired by love of freedom, and the
resolution to resist tyranny to the death.
Those were indeed the times to test
courage and patriotism, and the hardy
colonists never WINGED or faltered.
1t is pleasant to recall the ringing
words of Patrick Henry at the begin
ming of the troubles, when he declared
at the old Continental congress in Phila-
delphia, in IVA: british oppression has
effaced the boundaries of the colonies.
The distinctions between Virginians,
New Workers, Pennsylvanians and New
Englanders are no more. l am not Vir-
gilman; am an Americana The seven
arduous, often desperate, years of the
Revolution, in which we were so gener-
ously aided by the French, proved the
stuff we were made of. Always without
money, often without food or clothing
or any proper equipment for war, Wash
ington sustained defeat after defeat with
equanimity and unfailing courage, and
won his cause at last at Yorktown. De-
feat and disaster never diminished his
faith in ultimate triumph or dampened
his excessive ardor. Within three
months, during 1880, two American
armies, numerous for that day, were
destroyed, and the most formidable of
the partisan bands in the south, under
Sumter, was dispersed by Tarleton.
Nevertheless a detachment from Corn
wallis forces was wholly defeated in
North Carolina, at Kings mountain, by
900 of our militia, and l, 100 of the enemy
were killed. wounded and captured.
Thus failure and success alternated until
the final and complete victory gained by
the surrender of CORVALLIS, with more
than 5000 men, including sailors.
Our troops raised during the Revolu.
ton numbered some 23O, 900 Continental
soldiers and $4,000 militia. How small
this force seems, compared with the
grand armies the north and south mar
shaled in 1865; how insignificant the
cost of life and treasure then to the est
mate in the later struggle, of a loss of 8
million of men and more than billion
of money. But in the civil war the
Union was immensely rich; it had un
limited credit; we were provided will
every martial requirement. In 1776-S'
the gallant patriots marched often ovei
frozen roads with shoeless and bleeding
feet; fought while half famished ant
half clad; left their plows in the furrow
Quilted the harvest with scythes in thei
hands to give their lives, if need be, TO
independence. They were intrepid son
of intrepid sires; they were genuine grit
of unconquerable stock.
Too much honor cannot be paid them
We. their descendants, should Away
keep their memory green. Their ez
ample should never be permitted :
grow dim. We should not allow tn
celebration of the glorious Fourth :
languish. We owe it to them to keepit u
as we did in the earlier days. when W
, were boys. We are boys now, thong
of an older sort; we should be boys i
our enthusiasm and rejoicing over tn
immortal day that disclosed the spirit 9
! 1910, commemorative of the stern pt
riod that put us to the proof, that trie
! us by fire in the crucible of adversit
J and brought us out pure gold.
Let us observe the Fourth as afor'
r time, with bonfires and illumination
D with music and cannon, with frewori
0 and reading the Declaration, with larg
= assemblies and patriotic speeches. wit
4 every form of sympathy and demoi
o stration belonging to the day and d
serving of ourselves.
a.. -. xU.A.s.w