The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-05
Picnics and Athletic Sports, Fire
works and Unlimited Racket
Marked the Celebration.
WEATHER TO MATCH THE DAY.
Mayors Proclamation Went En-
tirely Unheeded - Policemen
Kept ROwdyism in Check
Busy Day for Firemen.

II the spirit of Thomas Jefferson had
come back 10 earth yesterday and lowered
over St. Louis, that great statesman's ego
would have been highly gratiiied by the
demonstration made by the people Of this
city In honor Of the one hundred and TWEEN
ty-fourth anniversary of the signing OF tina {
world-renowned document. The Declaration
of Independence.
The celebration of the Glorious Fourth in
81. Louis was complete. II began edrly-at
midnight Tuesday-and continued lat--all
last night. practically. Fireworks of all
kinds. pistols. powder. dynamite. balloons
and colored lights furnished the outlet for
the enthusiasm and patriotism of the ccle-
orators. All day long the din was uninter-
rupted and uusurpassable From the Set
ting of the sun till midnight the sky was
illuminated with rockets. candles, balloons
and artificial meteors OF every description
Blocks and blocks Of streets in the resi-
dence districts were brilliantly lighted up
with the red display lights. which furnished
an inspiring radiance for the larger opera
tions OF the irrepressible small boy. whose
right there was none to dispute.
And when. along about midnight. wsari-
ness or stern parental exactions called that
small boy home, an odoriferous trail OF
cracker smoke followed him to his bed
room. emerged from his discarded clothing
and lowered about his pillow-a small boys
perfume of the gods bringing sleep TO tired
eyelids and thrilling dreams TO overexcited
youthful brains.
The small boy Is but the type. Every
body. nearly. celebrated yesterday. The
person with nerves was in sadder state
than was the man who hated pancakes and
was condemned to live in a West Belle place
h. fir,ry- srnu
cars. the parks and the summer gardens
Downtown was practically deserted. The
mail carriers took a holiday and the great
body of citizens who were participants IN
the holiday turned themselves loose TO en-
joy the peculiarly delightful sensation Of
sound and sight afforded only by the Glor-
ious Fourth.
OF course there were casualties not
few. There always have been and always
will be as long as indiscrtminate firing OF
cannon crackers and revolvers Is per-
mittef. The Mayors proclamation. pro-
hibitins the use of pistols. guns, cannon
crackers and loose powder, was utterly
and generally disregarded. II the police
had attempted to arrest every man. woman
and child who disrespected the proSiama-
ton, they would have been compelled 70
call out the posse comitatus to do the work
and would have been at loss then what
To Go with the prisoners.
Fires there were a-plenty. Fireworks,
firecrackers and balloons caused them
Fortunately up 10 the hour OF midnight
none mad broken out IN the business Sec
ton OF the city. But IL was a busy day
for the firemen just as IL was for the police
men, the dispensary and hospital men, the
street car men, the peanut men and the
small boy.
As for those celebrations which were held
at parks and gardens and groves. they were
numerous and entirely satisfactory to the
swarms of people who participated. Cab
anne Clubs TODD was one OF the most en-
joyable and complete. In the morning
there was a flag raised and pleasing pro-
grainme carried out by children. In the
evening there was an elaborate fireworks
display and dance
AT the Fair Grounds thousands Of people
enjoyed the field sports. the races and the
fireworks, the features of the celebration
provided by the jefferson Club.
The Scottish Clans held their twenty-sec-
Park. a great crowd being in attendance
and the programme of races. contests and
public speaking being very complete The
park was decorated sxtravagsntly with
American. British and Scottish flags.
At Meets Grove the Grand Army of the
Republic represented by two local posts.
celebrated In patriotic fashion.
The letter-carriers had their blow out
at Concordia Park, where there was no
lack of irecrsckers and fireworks. patriot
ism and things to eat and drink and shoot.
The sixteenth annual reunion OF the St
Louis County Old Settlers Association was
held at Creve Occur. where there were pat
riotic speaking. more fireworks and dis
cussion of plans for holding the Old Set
tiers picnic this year.
The Modern Woodmen's picnic al the
Belleville Fair Grounds was also a feature
of the Fourth OF July celebration, and many
other minor jubilations took place at gfo!es
and towns adjacent to st. Louis
II was an ideal Fourth of July dsy-swel-
tetring hot, noisy and turbulent. Patriotism
asserted itself, and rowdyism was kent
down remarkably well. The casualties were
not so numerous as they might have been.