The Newtown bee., 1892-07-08
The Fourth at Nichols.


 breeze fine flag, 15x25, on it's new lib- erty pole, about 116 feet high. This pole is a marvel of symmetry and grace, is in three sections and Is surmounted by a gilded eagle with spread of wing three feet, two inches. It stands on the center of the common in front of the M. E. church that Village Improvement is retaining from frog pond. The ex- ercises consisted of a program of speech es and songs on platform erected in front of the M. E. church, collation. spread with generous Nichols hospitality in Cooks hall for 800 or 600 people and an evening concert of banjo music at Cooks hall ,.followed by grand illumi- nation and fireworks. Mays club was represented by five members to do itself credit. The choir, led by Samuel Vile man, with his daughter Miss Lizzie at the organ, sang 1.-The Star Spangled Banner" while little Rosie I. Nichols and Ruth Reed, daintily clad in white, flung Old Glory to the fresh western breeze. Rev W. F. White, pastor of the Trumbull Con- gregational church, followed with pray CT, after which Dr Starkweather present. ed the flag to the village and A. B. Fair child, courteous president of the day, briefly accepted it as a silent exhortation to their youth to keep alive the embers of patriotism. The banjo club gave "Marching Through Georgia" and Rev H. c. Whitney, the young pastor of the NJ. E. church, welcomed their visitors. The work of village improvement so hap oily begun should not stop, he said, un- til Nichols became a home for Bridge port business men, with macadamiZed road and electric cars to the city. Mich ols had done her best, but was not com peting with city or other villages. N. B.. Curtis took his audience by storm with his local allusions, especially in regard to the heroism of the man who worked all day on the liberty pole in the face of his wife's prohibition and he invoked Gods choicest blessings on Ezra and Isaac Smith, who have done so much to secure the flag and pole. He looked forward to republic of 650,0O0,000 people and it was our privilege to make it one of the greatest powers on earth, if we live up to our best privileges. The oration of Will fred M. Peck is given in full and speaks for itself in it's fervid patriotism and prac- tical suggestion. He stirred laugh to begin with by the story of the preacher who spoke of Paul's sufferings as ''Ne plus ultra," which led an old lady in the congregation to say that she never knew before that Paul had ulcers on his knee pans. He commended the enterprise of Nichols, where he once came courting, in turning a frog triangle into beautiful common:
 wILFRED M. PICKS GRAFTON.
 Mir President, Ladies and Gentlemen: :: congratulate you, citizens of this beautiful New England hamlet, in your endeavor to revive the old time Fourth of July celebration. The day has been sinking into apathetic abuse and unpa- triotic license. The reason is easy to discover. A half century ago, the Fourth of July was a pandemonium of fire and fustian. All the safeguards of SoIitby WCAC uo"h ch'S P@ triotic small boy and the devastating son of '76. It was the only day they had on which their martial enthusiasm could expend itself in perilous clamor. They had no victories to celebrate, but those of the Revolution and oratory, patriotism and buncombe drew on that far away reserve with violence and ex- travagance.
 Now History has turned a new page in our national record. The events of the war for Independence have not been discredited nor made unworthy, but they have been somewhat obscured by the greater martial events of the war of the Rebellion. Men who are comparatively close to the prodigious struggle of the late conflict cannot celebrate the magni- tude of the earlier struggle with so much ardor. We do not thrill at Sara toga, with Gettysburg so near. The day has passed into the domain of sa- cred memorial and out of the domain of popular clamor and anti-British buster. With maturity and soberness and large national experiences of what we can do when actually put to the test, there is less disposition to celebrate our youth ful valor.
 What we ought to keep alive by every national and festive expedient of art, lit- eratare, eloquence and discreet merry making are the principles, the motive, the epoch making spirit of patriotism fIak ,;ea tn dau MaHa tho l day an occasion when the best eloquence, the best character, the best of all pa- triotic gifts shall celebrate; when wom- an shall bring her garlands and her graces; when art shall decorate and music commemorate and the Fourth of July will not die out. would have it day when the flag should wave from ev- cry pole; when the Declaration of Inde- pendence should be read and when the glorious deeds of the fathers should be rehearsed. Those heroic deeds in our country's history will enkindle spirit of patriotism and teach love of coun- try. Every land repeats her stories of bravery, when she would urge her sons to deeds of valor. Germany fires her youth with the heroism displayed at Lutzen, Gravalotte and Sedan; France points to Lodi, Solfereno and Austerlitz; proudly rehearses the story of Waterloo and immortalizes in song the noble 600 who rushed to death in the wild charge at Balaklava. And so may we rehearse the splendid story of our aa she has climbed grandiy up a century, gathering new power and glory, till, from the eminence of her proud to-day, we cry,