Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-07-12

~ don't like your pessimistic ideas
on the Fourth of July, Beth. And
your dislike for this glorious patriotic
holiday ard your grouchy expressions
simply come from either indigestion or
unhappiness, both ailments from which
a young woman like yourself should DC
free -
Just think what the day means to the
small boy. And then think what the
small boy means to the country, for no
10 the biggest part OF IT, What woula
any holiday be without nimY A tig for
your big conventions The real ruler
Of America is the small boy OF the
streets. BY the unphilosophio he Is
thought OF as akin to vermin, yet to
the man of insight he is The true con-
servator of customs. He regulates many
of our manners ana much of our dress.
His patriotic proclivity, his hostility
to costumes other than conventional are
noticeable. He is the soavender OF
manners. Shall women wear bicycle
bloomeis; She would; but there is the
email boy to face. Conciliate him and
you may do anything. He athors
human scarecTow, extremes OF size
whether OF tallness or shortness offend
him equally. He makes the nations
ballads and makes popular the songs OF
the stage. An English harrister once
said, Let me train nations small
boys and | care not who makes its
laws Oh. small boy, true ruler OF
America. / take off my hat to you.
And on this day, more glorious than
any other, this day when all Ameri-
cans should brag the greatest in tho
CALENDAR to quote Chauncey Depew,
the small hoy is in his element.
1t is difficult to imagine a festivity
without the small 10y and his fire.
works. Mankind has always been fond
of playing with fire ever since Promo
theus stole it from heaven and burnt
his fingers. The golden rain in which
Jupiter woed Danae was sort Of
bymenial fireworks. There were fire.
works at the destruction OF Sodom and
Gomorrah, so the love of fireworks is
natural passion. A boy would rather
have dry bread with fireworks than
cakes with jam. Every man, woman
Or child who breathes the air Of patriot-
| ism on this Independence Day is the
better for it. Think what the day
means not only to us but to those all
over the world 1t immortalizes Crom-
we'll and Westminster Abbey. 1t fills
the best panel on the House Of Lords
1 with a picture of the Landing of the
| Pilgrims. 1t created the French Re-
public and. best OF all. did it not make
us what We are?
But it is going out of fashion to cele-
brate the Fourth.
Society says its noise is vulgar and
newspapers poke fun at 1T. But let The
small boy have it Beth. Let his warm
little heart be stirred when he thinks
OF the importance Of this day. Let him
warm up when the memory of what bic
ancestors did comes before him and as
the giant Antaeus renewed his strength
by touching his mother earth SO let the
small boy renew his force OF patriotism
and love of country and ancestors when
he recalls the men and great deeds that
brought about the day.
Fireworks are very old, you know.
From times immemorial they have been
used as war weapons by the Chinese,
! though they were first used in Europe
for pyroteohnic display at Fontainbleau
10 1906, and then again to celebrate the
establishment of peace the grandest
display ever known ON the Ponte Neuf,
!, in 1888.
read an interesting thing the other
day regarding the signing the Declare
tion OF Independence. II related that
Jefferson used to tell with much merri-
ment that tho final sigring of the
Declaration was fastened by nm
shsurdly trivial cause The hall In
/ which those patriotic members sat was
situated next a stable, and the flies
, came in swarms in the windows and
, assailed the silk stockinged legs of the
honorable members with pertinacity.
They dashed them with vigor with their
. handkerchiefs, and were as energetic
, 10 getting lid of the pests us anyone
can be on July afternoon, but at Inst
, the annoyance became so great that the
! signing Of this famous document
/ finished before they had Anticipated.
: Tradition tells us that when John
1 Hancock signed his name fly followed
4 the pen in the ink. and this noble
: signer then remarked, There. John
a Bull can read my signature without
j speetscles.
\ Doesn't 1t seem q strange coinoi
= dent, Beth, that Jefferson should bave
died on the 18th anniversary of the day
a which he was practically the founder
n He departed this life on July 18th, 1926
|. So did John Adams, his predecessor
' in the Presidency
a 80, Beth, give up this pessimisti,
V would-be- fashionable growing abou
II this great national holiday. A luke
warm people W. would be who did MOI
!. feel our emotions stirred each year a
\ it comes about. Have bit Of tn
q sympathy ior the small hoy. Hi
u cannon and firecrackers may shoci
Il your nerves bit, but don't blame hi
;. enthusiasm, or the noise he makes t,
il express the same. Blame your methot
" of living or lay the blame upon thos
n who came before you, who endowet
~ you with such set OF vibrating string