The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-06-29
THE GREAT FOURTH.


There was once time when the Fourth
lean holiday which was celebrated from
one minute after IL on the morning q the
Fourth until after midnight. Many an en-
thusiastic hoy would go % bed ~ 9 o'clock
p m In order that he might arise long be-
fore the lark, the shanghai and the milk
man to st the ever glorious day I'm motion.
Although this day Of days In our history
IL still as American as IL was . century
ago IL Is In n certain sense quite - dear 70
the Italian, the Frnchman and the China
man, who celebrate IL almost ~ enthusias-
tically as docs the old time American Az
soon a. one OF these Foreigners settles on
our shorcs he comes to the conclusion that
this Is the elysium Of liberty. and when
this conviction Is firmly settled In his mind
he becomes n citizen and buys . pack of
firecrackcrs-
In the case Of the ChinAman the FIRE
cracker Il particularly dear-in fact, be
tween the Chinaman and the hrecracker
there Is a sentimental relationship exist
ing which Is as tender and beautiful ~
that which exists between the oyster and
the butter cracker And this Is all because
the firpcracker il Of Chinese origin and
must ever be dear to the heart of the China
man, who when he hears the, to him, me-
lo<iious hang or sixzle Is carried hack In
spirit to the Flowcry Kingdom, where he
hears the melodious intcrlude Of the rics
bunting throbbing gently against back
ground Of fricassecd poodle.
A calm student of the principles OF
consistency would argue that the firecrack-
er. instead Of bsing . solid rcd, should be
nd, white and blue, II only to be in har-
mony with the stars of fire which ny from
its wick. But II IL hasn' Z all the colors OF
the flag we may find a patriotic relief and
consolation In the fact that these colors
may be found in the fireworks which 20
1nyly embroider the ebon tablenloth VI
night 80 to make even the fire Insurance
man forget himself In the wild deltrium
Of ioy that bursts from his heart like q
eeyser.
And these fireworks are very dear TO the
small boy. although they make no noise.
He watches them with specchlcss rapture,
and they make for him an Arabian, or
rather an American. night In the pin
wheels he secs bicycles and in the roman
candles baseballs, and the astronomer sees
shooting stars falling In gnycst showers,
~~~.>
On his horse, and the man whose ruling
passion Is for the chaste and gentle art of
angling IL 81 delighted when he observes
fishes darting from the pinwheels ~ from
q whirlpool that he imagincs he is sitting
on the banks of the CLASSY Delaware pull
ing black bass out Of the reflected sky.
The boy who would never think Of hid
inr his light beneath . bushcl thinks
nothing Of setting of pack Of hrecrnckers
under barrel OF course this II wild
cxtravagance, but the small hoy feels that
nc can bc extravagant in thus firing on
the fruits Of the money which he has been
carfully Swing for many weary moons.
And he r. quite right. for what appears 70
he rank prodigality on his part II only
fair illustration of the patriotic sentiments
that surchargc his tempcstuous being. lie
feels that he is part of the Fourth, and
his spirit never goes out like the punk.
But the poor boy who cannot have
brass cannon. or n pistol, or . hrecrackeI
a cally the only object that has = tendency
% make the day pathetic. Yet with . live
" imagination he can have lots OF fun, BE-
cause he can enjoy the bang Of the hre'
cracker OF the rich mans son and see the
fireworks that cost thousands, which real
" makes the Fourth to him like circul
10 which he has q frec ticket And 10 him,
a long ~ the Xmas IL merry, and the
New Year happy, will the Fourth OF July
be a. glorious ~ . sunshiny saturday upon
which there are two baseball matches and
he has : sweet and airy sess upon the toI
q . nearby telegraph pole.