St. Paul daily globe., 1893-07-04
DAY OF JUBlLATI0N.
Young Americas Proudest
Time Ushered in Just In
the Old, Sweet Way.
Old-Time Celebrations Con-
traSted With the Mod
ern Fashion.
Season for Fashion, Muscle
AMI Beauty at the Boat
Club House.
Picnics an1 Pastim 9s Galore
Announced to Occur
Today.

Old, indeed, must the American be
whose heart does not beat {. littie faster,
whose thoughts do not turn back ward
with little thrill of pride at the men
tion of the Fourth of July. True, it
comes in the hottest time of the year,
when, if ever, one would choose to be
excused from extra eXertion. One may
even frown and growl at the prelIm-
mary skirmish of the evening of the
third, but when once the sun rises on
that day Of days, where is the man or
woman who does NOT excuse all the
noise and hustle of the time, conscious
that it is the birthday of liberty, and
that liberty is the inheritance of eve ry
American on whom the sun shines.
Fourth of July is celebrated now with
much less pomp and ceremony than in
the days before the war Now the
widest form of rejoicing confines itself
to mild little picnic, or an excursion
down the river, or boat race, where
custom confines the expression of de-
light to mild huZZaS or clapplng of
hands. Today there will be no large
celebration, no parade, and only the
crackle of fireworks to recall the fact
that this IS day made memorable by
the heat and roar and smoke of battle
Perhaps this is the best. Many little
pleasure parties will go out 10 the
scores of pretty places in the vicinity of
st. Paul and enjoy themselves. but
there will be little to distinguish this
from any ordinary Sunday school picnic
day.
J'he old-time celebrations were far
different. Then the booming of can
mons shook the earth as the sun came
slowly above the eastern horizon. Ev-
erybody was up and astir. long before
the dew was gone from the grass. By 9
O'Clock the procession began to form in
front of the court house. There were
gathered the cannon, with their queer
heavy harness and stout horses, and
there. proud of their charge. were the
boys of the militia company, looking
and feeling strange and stiff
In their unaccustomed uniforms,
but when the procession started
sitting in sOldier-like. state with
folded arms on the ammunition boxes
that ratified along in the wake of the
numbering cannon. At the head of the
procession, hOnored for that one day at
least. rode the few Revolutionary SOL
dlers that the neighbOrho0d possessed.
Following these came the dignatarieS,
the judge and deacons, and the man
who was later to deliver the Grafton,
and he who should read the Declara-
ton of Independence, and then
came the artillery and soldiers,
followed by motley string of
+ wagons in all sorts and styles, from the
heavy old family carriage from whose
square windows smiled the sweet face
OF the grandmother or the frown of the
stately grandfather whose word was
law. to the big farm wagon piled full
and swimming over with children not
all of the same family but all belonging
to the younger generation for whose in
struction this day was so sacredly Kept.
Big baskets of dinner jOstled fat coffee
pots or jugs of milk, Comfortable splInt
rocking chairs were slowed there, TOO,
whose ample arms should render the
long day more endurable to many
tired woman who would have felt it
Sacrilege to murmer at the days de-
mandS.
The grove reached. the cannons were
wheeled into place, the salute fired. and
the spe eches begun. In the outskirts
of the crowd busy throng gathered
about the barbecue trench, over whose
glowing Goals the tender quarters of
beet were being done to turn. How
hot 1t was just out here, but what fas-
cination the place held! Uncle Dan'l,
with his head tied in his big bandanna,
presided over this ceremony with the
powers of an autocrat. His long pitch
fork was held like a seepter of
king, while his willing subjects,
white and black, flew to do his will.
Then the dinner and the toasts and the
long ride home with the one you loved
best. All, me! those days are dear.
But to-day the young people will cele
brate in the modern way