The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-07-06
The Fourth in Bradford.
An Enjoyable Occasion.


lent entertainments usually given by
that society. Every thing was first class
and to say that the audience were de-
lighted does not tell half the story.
The program as given in last weeks
OPINION was followed, except that Mr..
Dunbar was not present. Mr.. Blake
ly's introductory remarks were full of
genial humor and touching reminis
cences and exactly adapted to the &C.
casiOn.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
see that | am down ON the bills' to
open these interesting exercises by an ad
dress. desire to correct the impression at
once, and to say that nothing OF the kind is
to be expected In the first place not even
on so exceptionally patriotic an occasion as
the Fourth of July, would the most flowery
orator IN the land be excused for keeping an
assemblage of people In doors on such a
sultry night as this, for the purpose of in
fiicting upon them a SO-called address"
There is little misunderstanding about it.
l will tell you how it came about. Just be-
fore my departure for New York few days
since, a couple of my old and most esteemed
lady friends came to the mansion ostensiby
for an evening call. They were interesting
ladies. Their call was an interesting call.
We chatted about pretty much all that one
COuiu W ClldJ dUOul vi q SuIlly ouIlluCl
evening; about everything on earth, in fact,
except the subject matter which | subse-
quently found out lay heavy on their minds.
1t finally came out, in an apparently I'M
studied and unanticipated way. My male
friends can testify how happily their wives
and daughters can come to the point at last,
especially when it affects the pocket book
by such devious but pretty ways, as finally
does and, in fact, always ought to, win.
To make long story short, the ladies
ChDH FOL yt1ny rI,atb of he
members of the family would be permitted |
to take part in the little program to be per-
formed IN the village hall on this auspicions
occasion. An affirmative reply was natur-
ally Immediately given. They were then
apparently satisfied, and got up to go. But
it ust then happened to occur to them
"a mere chance, of course, you know that
perhaps we would not object to having an
other member of the family contribute an
additional number to the patriotic program.
Consent was naturally again forthcoming.
TO put it in poetic, but paraphrastlc
phrase,
Lives there man with soul 50 dead,
Who ever to himself hath said
III shirk the duties that know, ,
All men and patriots gladly owe,
10 that great, proud, immortal morn,
When freedom to the land was born?
No! thousand times no. Having Sc
cured their last request, the ladies then q
made move as if intending positively to
DuI ouuutHIy tIClC w do lCulo
from the music room, the dulcet tones of a
piano, manipulated by an evidently skilltu !
hand. You see there happened to be In the 2
house, guest, by whom the exceptional y
music was reduced The ladies patised. a
Did we suppose" quoth they. 'that our Z
guest would object to helping out the little q
program by still another numbers" In {
asmuch as the little guest in question came y
from Canada, and the English and Cana L
dlans as you are aware, take more interest o
ID celebrating our 4th of July than we do II
ourselves (they were slightly lin it," you I,
know, of course her consent was obtained, u
and the mission Of the ladies was supposed IL
to end. But not so. They had one mo- e.
mentous inquiry yet in reserve, and that fl p
nally asSalled my receptive tympanum as a.
follows: Would not myself kindly piece Q
out the exercises by a simple "intrOduc- a
tom or sort of preliminary remark or A
two? What could 1 do but respond affirm u
atiyely, and with alacrity. feeling, as then "
felt, and as | now feel that firstly, l am al P,
ways ready, in behalf of the ladies, as well o.
as III behalf OF the 'aay we celebrate" to ~
do anything and everything L can, except o.
TO refuse them. The last point being final N
ly settled, the ladies left feeling as YlctQrs a
always feel, that they had conquered the ~
enemys last stronghold, and the spoils and "
scaIps were theirs, NO sooner. however, 81
hill, than up the other advanced another u
lady friend of the family; she was also glad =
to see us. Very glad! Whatever had been st
left unsaid by the first delegation. respect q
ing the news that app rtained to the locali- u
ty and its suburbs and the outlying coun- q
try in general was added by the second o.
one, and we were all made unusually hap az
by by the honor done US by two such charm CT
ing calls. But just as the latter visitor r.
started to go, apparently in the most care u
less, accidental, and purely chance way she W
dropped the remark that she was out ON a III
mission for ice cream and cake, and biscuit s.
and cold chicken and marmaade and lob III
ster sauce on pumpkin, and any other of 10
the long list OF goodies" which grace an
occasion of this hOspltable kind but of W
course. she said, she hadn't the remotest TO
idea of asking anything of us; she had sim A
ply come over to thank us Tor the success CO
which the other ladies had achieved in Sc OF
curing contributions to the programme. &C
But all the same, the dart found lOdgment tn
in our patriotic breasts. The Ice cream was pr
readily and gladly promised, and then the Ju
last delegation left, all radiant with smiles.
l dismissed the subject from nv mind. 1t an
did not cause me a single thought. that | IN
had merely been asked TO open the exercises IN
of the evening by sort of introduction" W
and ''preliminary remark" or two 1t W
was in this repOseful frame of mind that | w
left for New York. But day or two since va
| found IN the Bradford paper, which had an
happily or unhappily, as the case may be- wi
reached me at Manhattan Beach, a printed an
programme in which l encountered, to my eq
amazement. as the very first and startling mi
address by Mr.. Blakelyr' WI
Now Fourth of July address is, under co
the best of circumstances, an OminOus af- OF
fair. 1t requires for its production, firstly, or
gifts of scholarship; secondly, gifts of ora an
tory; thirdly, gifts of experience and gu
knowledge OF history, and in fact, those de
rare accomplishments which pertain to the sly
foremost of our brilliant publicists and yo
statesmen. 1t requires thought, and care, br
and time in its preparation. None of these ma
were mine. Not a moment had 1 to devote tn
to any other kind of contribution to the I'M
exercises in the Village Hall. than were lol
nominated in the bond''-to wit, a simple fol
or preliminary remark on
or tWO-a sort of kindly welcome to the wi
friends who were bid to the feast, OF words op
10 that effect. un
Now, here am, ready and willing to per- lis
form my contract to the mInutest fraction ac
But no more! Notwithstanding the fact i'm
that the Bradford OPINION states that / am un
going to deliver ian address" and nOtwith- 20
- Al. Al INaNa