The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-07-10
ARTHUR ROPES. General Editor.
Celebrated Around the World.

On the Plains of Abraham, saith ira
dition, recalling the victory of Wolf
there and impressed with the extent of
Eugland's power, Daniel Webster
penned and stored in his memory for
future use the famous passage 80 eff
fectively employed in one OF his
speeches, and which has been 80 often
quoted, to The effect that the drum
beat of British military power is heard
around the world. This saying has be-
come somewhat trite, but there ia moth
ing sensational or fgurative or hackney
ed in the statement that Americas great
national anniversary is now celebrated
around the world.
The electric cable has told of the OBJ
seryance of the day with great ecIdt in
London and Paris and in all the capitals
Of Europe, in the countries of Asia and
the island nation of the Pacific, in the
Philippines and the Hawaiian Islands,
till the circuit begun in the imperial
city of the Atlantic coast is completed
on the Pacific at San Francisco. IL
seems to be entirely within bounds to
say that no other political or secular
anniversary is so universally celebrat-
cd, or with 80 much spirit and enthu-
siasm, or has 80 drawn into its observ-
ance the people of every other nation
under the sun, as has the day we cele-
brate here in the United States.
There is abundant reason in this uni
versatility of the observance OF the ami
versary of the independence of the
United States. When Jefferson wrote
the Declaration, the Continental Con-
gress adopted it and Washington and
his compatriots in arms made it real
ity the doctrine of the divine right
of kfags to rule was still high in the
ascendency. Absolute despotism was
the character of the governments oil
Europe. Behold the change century
and quarter after the evolution of the
fundamental principle of mans fright
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness"l Monarchy survives, but for the
most part it is only the symbol of SOW
ereignty. However circumscribed OF
limited by the divinity that may still
hedge about a king, the people of Eu-
rope, excepting possibly 10 Russia, in q
large measure make their laws, their
rights are protected by barriers the
king dsres not overleap. They practi-
cally order their own government
they rule through parliaments or legis.
latve bodies which, under other names
are possibly more representative in
their constituency than some which
assemble under the stars and stripes.
The light and warmth that have ra
dated from the American Republic, nc
one can doubt, have been largely in
strumental in thswing out the ice
bound remnants of medieval abso
lutism and tyranny and compelling
them to respect, if they could not Who'll
ly acknowledge, the "certain unalien
able rights"with which all men are zen
dowed by their Creator" The Ameri
can Republic first demonstrated thu
fact that civilized men could rule them
selves. The prophets of the divin
right dogma were brought to confu
sion. Then there arose another rae
of false prophets who proclaimed tn
doctrine that the Union of the State
was rope of sand, that it would no
endure the final test of the opposition
of its own members to the general gov
eminent. The civil war exploded tina
theory; the Spanish war completed tn
revealing of all Americans into on
compact and fervid nationality, con
and inseparsble-now and forever
and the result is seen in the spectacl
we have noted, in the circumstance tina
the Fourth of July is now exceeded i
the universally and fervor of it's OF
servance only by the great religion
festivals Of Christmas and Easter.