The record-union., 1897-07-03
DAWN OF FREEDOM.
Interesting Historical Events Cit
ed by S. Luke Howe.

Interesting Historical Events Cit
ed by S. Luke Howe.
At the Union Primary School,
Seventh and streets, the speaker was
S. Luke Howe, the young lawyer,
synopsis of whose address follows:
Friends, Boys and Girls: 1t affords me
much pleasure, I can assure you, to be
here and participate with you in cele-
brating the 121st anniversary of our
countrys birth.
I wonder how many of you know why
you are having exercises here to-day,
why we celebrate the Fourth or July by
the booming of the cannon at sun-up, al
noon and at -down-why we have a
big parade in the morning, and the
reason for all the firing of the fire
crackers, bombs and other noise-making
explosives, and why at night we usually
send the beautiful sky-rockets and
bombs which burst and send forth
great many very pretty little stars IN
the sky. Well, if you will listen, will
tell you why all these things are done.
A great many years ago number OF
brave and daring men and women came
over here to America from Great Bri-
tain and settled here after a while more
people came and they kept coming; little
boys and girls were born here, and when
we had over million people here, Great
Britain began to trouble herself about
money matters. She had spent a great
deal of money in several wars, and con-
sequently owed a great deal of money.
She tried to tax us without letting our
people here have a voice in the matter.
This was a very wrong way for her to
do and our forefathers objected to hav-
ing to pay money without having some
one sent to Great Britain with the power
to represent US
This difficulty gradually grew until it
ended in war between our country and
Great Britain, and I want to tell you
that we succeeded after eight long years
cf hard fighting and the losing of a
great many good men in battle, in com
ing out victorious. And it is this vic
tory that you and all the rest of the
good people in America are celebrating
the Fourth of July.
On this same fourth day Of July, one
hundred and twenty-one years ago,
number of men from the colonies, which
then numbered only thirteen, met in
Congress assembled and they then and
there adopted what is known as the
Declaration of Independence. This
means thatwe have certain rights which
are ours and cannot be taken from us.
Let me tell you a little incident about
how this same declaration was once
saved from being burned. This same
declaration was made in the White
House at Washington about
thirty-six years after, when we again
had trouble with Great Britain, and the
soldiers marched into our beautiful Cap
itai City and destroyed it with fire. Mrs.
Dolly Madison was then the wife of the
President of the United States, and just
as she was about to leave the building,
in a flash she called to mind that this
most precious of all documents was still
in the house, carefully treasured in
case apart from the other papers, and it
had thus been overlooked in the worry
ment and excitement But she thought
it must be saved at all hazards, and
without a moments hesitation turned
and rushed back into the house. Her
friends cried to her, stop, for heavens
stake, stop!" Regardless of their COM
mands, regardless of her danger, the
brave woman sped to the room contain
ing to sacrifice her life. She snatched
the priceless parchment, hurried to the
door, where she entered her carriage and
was rapidly driven away. This little in
cident will serve to show you how valu-
able this Declaration of independence
is. And on every Fourth of July, it is
read to the people in almost every town
in the United States.
After the Declaration of Independence
had been adopted it was thought to be
time that the United States should have
flag of it's own, as being an indepen-
dent nation. At the opening of the war
a number of flags had been used, but on
June II, 1717, Congress voted that the
flag of the thirteen united States be
thirteen stripes alternate red and white,
and the Union be thirteen white stars in
the blue field.
You will readily see that this is still
the flag of our country, and you all
know how dear it is to every boy and girl
in the Union I trust that you may all
grow to learn more of your country and
feel that patriotism that is born in every
American citizen, and when you have
arrived at the age of maturity and take
the places of your fathers anr mothers
in the control and management of our
Government that there will be no cause
to fear that the same flag will be sup
ported by the same character of men
and women who so bravely fought for
it, and that it will continue to wave over
the land of the free and the home of
the brave