The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-07-08
INDEPENDENCE DAY.
Its Peculiar Significance-Suggest Is t.
Its Observance.

Its Peculiar Significance Suggestions Is to
Its Observance.
No national holiday kept anywhere
among the peoples of the world has quite
the significance which we attach to the
Fourth of July. England has no such fete
day. Her development has been slow,
continuous, unmarried by any really rad
ical commissions which essentially up
turned her political status. France, it
is true, celebrates the taking Of the Bias
tile, which inaugurated the French revo-
luton, but it is in perfunctory fashion,
which in no way reflects great national
sentiment. Germany makes an imperial
holiday Of the date of the self crowning
of Emperor William I at Versailles, but
this is rather glorifcation of the Hohen-
zollern race, specially dear to the Prus-
sian heart, and only acquiesced in by the
rest of the Germanic empire, which has
had many kaisers of other reigning fam
lilies before
The Declaration of Independence on
July 4, 1915, with Us had peculiar sig
nifcance, far greater than Lexington, or
Bunker Hill, or the stormtng Of Tcon-
deroga, or the first organization Of the
continental congress, all of which occurred
in 1775. The act of political birth was
fully contaminated before that solemn
appeal to the world and to history, which
we call Independence day. But all that
year Of struggle before the adoption Of
Jefferson's great masterpiece Of national
self assertion simply marked us in the
eyes of foreign nations as rebels fighting
against their rightful sovereign. When
the declaration pealed out its resembling
trumpet tones to humanity, the power
and logic of the plea in justification Of
the taking up Of arms at once gave us q
new status It was the legal seal which
consecrated and made official the actual
fact Thenoeforward the United States
began to be known not as rebellious
mob, but as gallant people, struggling
against tyrannical oppressorR Probably
no political act ever had more immediate
and radical effect than this great docu-
ment, far more indeed than its author and
signers ever anticipated. They considered
| they owed it to themselves and to the
| cause they represented to set forth the rea-
sons for revolt to the world. It was at
once glorifed as the magma charta of a
newborn commonwealth. Thenceforward
it was but natural that our history as a
people should date from this time, as it
was the cornerstone, even the whole
foundation, of our nation building.
It has sometimes been said that the cele-
bration of the independence anniversary
has fallen off in the physical joyousness
and enthusiasm which used to make it
the great day Of the year, particularly
children's day. Perhaps this is so in large
cities, where life has become more artif-
cia1 and blase. It may be that the keen
sense of the peril of fires from the explo-
sion of Chinese crackers and other fire.
works has grown stronger, too, in COM
munities where there is an enormous con-
centration of wealth in buildings. But it is
pleasant to know that in the rural regions
and small towns there are the same old fash.
toned hullabaloo and innocent, simple
minded jubilee of old and young What il
the orator, too, makes the American eagle
spread his pinions wide and emit his most
piercing shrieks! This is as it should be.
Probably modicum of bombast and rhe
torical fustian really goes quite as far in
whetting the patriotic appetite as would
the most rational and painstaking exposi
ton.
The traditional Fourth of July celebra
ton, with its picnic junketings and socia.
assemblages and its fireworks, whether
composed of gunpowder or of eloquence, il
wholesome institution, good to encour
age May it wave as long as Old Glory
streams above it! One thing may be sug
gested in this connection, however, in view
of the fact that it Is so much children;
day. The celebration might be made te
stimulate young people to closer anG
keener study of American history. Why
should it not be made the occasion of Civ.
ing prizes and other public honors to those
pupils Of the public schools who shall have
passed the best examination in the history
Of their country? Such function as this
might be SO managed as to invest the day
with tenfold more interest to the old as
well as the young. 6. T. T.