Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-06-25
WoMAN's DEP ARTMENT,
MABEL II poMERoY, EDITOR.

Phillipsburg has at last reused her
self to have an old fashioned Fourth
of July celebration. The celebrations
have in the last few years degenerat-
ed into neighborhood picnics and fish
ing parties, or horse racing, and it
has come to be an undeniable fact
that the celebrations of the day Of In
dependence is not taken any more
notice OF by hundreds of people than
any common week day, and it also a
gospel truth that there are children
in Phillips county who do not know
what a celebration is. We give q
clipping below
Just one hundred and nineteen
years ago, on the second OF July,
sturdy cd John Adars returned to
his lodgings in the Quaker City and
wrote the following letter to his wife;
"The day is passed. The second of
July, 1775, will be the most memoir
able epoch in the history Of America
l am apt to believe that 1t will be Gel
ebrated by succeeding generations as
the great anniversary festival. 1t
ought to be commemorated as the
day of deliverance by solemn act OF
devotion to God Almighty. 1t ougnt
to be solemnized with pomp and par
ade, with shows, games, sports, guns,
bells, bonfres and illuminatons, from
one end of the continent to the other,
from this time forth forevermore."
The declaration was formally ap-
proved on the fourth instead Of the
second, 80 the Fourth of July became
the Nations birthday.
In these latter days Of polite indif-
ference, 1t may be useful to reread
those ringing words from man who
was not afraid to express genuine de-
votion and enthusiasm.
We have had the very demonstrs-
tions on that day that he foresaw and
we have lived as a nation to grow a
little ashamed of what we call hear
ing the eagle scream"
We are little afraid that 1t is
crude and primitive and raw to "cele-
brate the Fourth" and we talk of
going out OF town to get away from
the noise.
The great fire insurance companies
look forward to the day with appre-
hension and the English companies,
represented here, tell that the Fourth
Of July IS again an unlucky day for
English interests"
However, the United States could
better afford to pay for all the losses
by fire, rather than let the noise and
rejoicing Of that day grow less in the
land.
When we read of the life and death
struggle for liberty that the July
days of '7G saw, we should feel the
fires Of patriotism glow anew within
lis.
The people who have become ultra
fastidious and so refined that the
Fourth of July has an unwelcome
sound to them, should read John
Adams letter.
The old-fsshIoned Fourth with it's
bells and guns and speeches should
be preserved as memory of our
glorious past and a promise for our
future,-EaStern Exchange.
.**
The interest in ''occultism" appears
TO be on the increase, or the believers
are taking courage from the express
ions of people who adopt these ideas
as a fad. 1t is an interesting COM
ment on human nature to find this in.
terest IN the supernatural extending
it's lines of thought parallel with the
intensity practical ideas of a utilitar-
ian age. The question that follows
any new scientific discovery Is what
is the use of thus fact2" The disciples
of the occult have been laborlng for
many years to convince the incredul-
GUS worlp that the alleged phenomena
OF hypnotism, spirituaism, mesmerism
aud theosophy were facts. The 80
ciety of psychical research has COL
tected vast amount of data relating
to the occult, and IS endesvorlng to
place the matter upon the basis Of
science. When the world has been
to accept the phenomena
as facts, it will begin to ask, of what
benefit to the world are these facts
Do they increase or lessen the ethical