The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-07-05
HOW HOLIDAY
WAS SPENT.

/
yesterday was without doubt the most
| quiet and orderly seen in this city for a
number of years. The new ordinance
passed by City Council prohibiting the
sale and use of the dangerous dynamite
| crackers and torpedocs was largely re-
| sponsible for this. There was little
| noise compared with last year and
| tho list of accidents was much
smaller. There was little disorder and
the police report few arrests. 10 be
sure there were some violations of the
! law but the police did all in their power
to make the over enthusiastic people live
up TO the law.
Favorable comments were heard on all
sides. There were plenty Of fireworks
however, but they were not the dangerous
kind that did so much damage last year.
| During the day there were but two fires
and they did little damage. The rain
| which fell in the morning and early in
the evening was responsible for this as
| it kept roofs and awnings dry.
The only public demonstration was that
of tho Broome Street Heights Assocla E
ton on the lot at Fourth and Rodney
streets last evening. The flrewo.l.s dis
play was nlarred by the rain The tire
works that could not be set off last even
ing will be exploded this evening or OH
the next clear evening should it rain to-
night
Hundreds OF people from all parts of
the city were present and enjoyed the
part of the program that preceded tho
fireworks display. Many Of the Houses
in the vicinity were decorated with
Chinese and Japanese lanterns and the
scene was pretty one. A stand was
erected on the lot and from which speak
crs addressed the crowd. DR.. Horace
Bradley presided. The Rev. Il. a. ELL
wood, pastor of 'Olivct Presbyterian
Church, opened the exercises with prayer.
A selection by the First Regiment Band
followed. A chorus of fifty voices under
the direction of L. B. Preston sang the
'Star Spangled Banner" Henry q. Con-
rad then read the Declaration of lndc-
prndence. After patriotic selection by
the band Horace G. Knowles delivered
the Grafton of the evening.
Mr.. Knowles said:
There never was time in the history
Of our country when we had so much to
| be proud of and to be thankful for as on
| this 125 anniversary of our independence.
Well, indeed, do we as nation rejoice
today. Too much cannot be done and too
much cannot be said in praise of our
national glory. In the history of the
world the United States occupies a place
all its own. From the moment it be-
came free and independent country, it
| has made every page of its history a
record Of marvellous and unprecedented
accomplishments. or all the nations of
the world, there exists none today, nor
has there ever existed any in the past,
with which our country can be COM
pared. 1t is no longer n question as to
whether the United States is surpassed
by any other country in its progress and
development. wealth and power. The
statisticans have placed lis at the top,
and oven Great Britain comedies tho
superiority of the United States to that
OF our mother country. There seems to
be no channel or line of work to which
ouI attention has been directed that wo
have not been successful in. In agricul-
ture and the manufacture Of iron and
steel they being the two most important
classIicatiors of the worlds productions.
we have not only surpassed any other
country but have actually outstripped
all other nations combined.
In population we have grown at
most marvellous rate. and, judging by the
average Increase during the last so years.
it would seem that within the lives of our
grand children the population of the
Vuited States may exceed that Of amy
other nation on the face of the earth.
The wealth of our country has so in
creased that it has reached a point where
it is almost incaculablc, and, as it seems
that our national wealth las increased
in almost the same proportion as our
population, and kept pace with our pro"
grcss in other directions, it must follow
that in the future years our wealth will
increase in the same ratio as our popula-
ton.
With our increased greatness and in
creased power comes to lis proportion
ate increase of respopsillitie As it is
fact that our country has grown so
great by reason OF the proper Use of the
power and means we have had at our
command, it must be that whenever we
cease to use properly our powers or on
the other hand misuse them, we will not
only cease in our national progress, but
commence to fall backward, As our re-
sponsibiites increase, so must our duty
to equip ourselves to properly meet and
Il han, ~,
Il Is 4 mistaken notion that patriotism
is an attribute or quality which can exist
only in times of war Or national danger.
There can be just as much patriotism in
times of peace as in times of war, and |
am inclined to believe that there is even
more need Of it when our country is at
peace than when it is in danger of in
va>ion b, foreign foe The true pat
riot is one who loves his country and
seeks to preserve its institutions and its
government with just as much earnest
ness as he would fight for the defence
of his country. In time of peril man
can be a patriot who neither loves or
estcclns his fclow-citizrns. There can
be no such thing as one loving his coun
try and at the same time despising the
people that live in it. The man, there
fore, who has the true spirit Of patriot.
ism, loves his fcllOwcitzen and loses no
opportunity to hold out to him a helping
hand TO better his condition, to tighten
his burdens and romoyr from his path
any obstacles to his progress and sue.
cess. 1t is only in this way that there
can be developed broad Fellowship with.
out whcl, there can never be that union
of purpose and community Of interest
which actuated our forefathers and On.
ablcd them to succeed in their efforts to
establish this Wonderful government Of