Evening star., 1901-07-04
THE SPIRIT OF '76
Birth Of Liberty Celebrated by De-
scendants of Patriots.
SONS OF AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Address by Dr., Bristol, Pastor of
Metropolitan M. E. Church.
FEATURES OF THE OCCASION

The Sons OF the American Revolution
celebrated independence day at the CO.
| lumbia Theater at 10 o'clock this -ning
| The Sons were not alone in bowling before
| the shrine of civio glory and national
| greatness. They were Joined by other
| Americans, whose ancestors may not have
borne victorious arms under Washington.
but whose hearts attuned to the national
anthem. and whose voices swelled the
mighty shout of patriotic fervor.
The gathering presided over by Noble
| ID. Larner, president of the District OF CO.
| lumbia Society, Sons of the American Rev.
olution. The Marine Band under the d.
rection of Prof. w. II. Santelmann, pune
tuated the program with the national airs.
| Seated on the stage were Mr. Noble ID.
Larner. Mr.. F. w. Hackett. assistant sec
retary of the navy; Admiral Greer, Mr..
| VIM. A. De Caindry, Capt. l.. NJ. Kelley,
Mr.. Frank l.. Campbell. assistant secretary
| OF the interior; rhos. s. Childs. DID: Nc
| Leon Lelanne Channel, MIR. Leon Ielanno
| French, Mr.. Philip Larner. Mr. John Paul
| Earnest. Mr.. Edwin B. Hay, Rev. Frank
| NJ Bristol and Messrs. Frank 5. Pierce,
| w. l.. Marsh, Philip Walker and w. H.
! Bayley.
AS the Marine Band was rendering The
| lnvincible Eagle the curtain went up.
| The only flag in view was the silk standard
| President Larner presented Rev. Thomas
! S. Childs, ID D., who prayed for national
bless ng. We bless Thee for the past.
! which cannot be changed" he prayed, for
! the continued visitation of Thy blessings
toward us as people; for the way in
which Thou didst plant this nation and
watch over 1t and order its well-being; for
those men whom Thou didst endow with
courage to issue that great Declaration un-
der which the nation has SO long been free
| and prosperous"
At the conclusion of the Invocation Mr..
| Frank S. Pierce sang 'Eive lAmerica.'
The Declaration Of 80.
The Declaration of Independence was read
! by Mr L. b. Hay. Introducing the re-
| vered document, Mr. Hay comforted the
| audience by saying that although it was
warm today, it was much warmer for some
! people in Philadelphia on July 4, l776.
1T will be remembered he continued,
that Great Britain was very much in
censed by the ofiiciOuSness OF one John
Hancock who was presiding over the Con-
tinental Congress, for his expression OK
sentiment and the origination of ideas that
augured no good to the sovereign power,
| SO that a reward had been placed on his
head But when John Hancock signed
| that great document in his bold and fear
| less hand, which expressed his determina-
| ton, he said: There, John Bull, read that,
| and double your reward.
Mr. Hay then pictured the scene when
| the great document was being signed; the
| for the verdict; and the old man waiting
! for his grandson to ring the liberty bell.
And when that youth pushed his way
| through the crowd and cried: Ring out,
! grandpa; ring for liberty! the sound that
| ne made upon that old bell reached in ef-
| feet the uttermost parts of the earth. IL
| tolled out the news Of newborn country
! and of a free and independent people.
| Mr. Hay then read the document. and as
| he emphasized its simple eloquence he was
| frequently interrupted with applause
The Star spangled Banner ana our
Glorious Banner" preceded the address OK
| the day by Rev. Frank NJ. Bristol. DID
Applause by the audience and hrecrackers
on the street punctuated Dr; Bristols en-
thusiastic address Expansion was his
watchgord and round after round OF ap-
plause greeted him as he put by name In
the column of eXpansionists all OF the
great American statesmen OF the past
DIR. BristoTs Address
DR. Bristol said in part:
lone. hundred and twenty-five years OK
law-protected freedom has clearly demon
strated that the most benign, intelligene
and righteous sovereignty is the sovereign
ty of the people. We are assembled TO eel
ebrate an act which was the genesis not
only OF a colonial but of a worldwide reNo-
mtion for on the 4th day of July 1915, the
signerS of the Declaration OF Independence
hurled into the Of political thought an
idea W nich has sent the circling, expanding
wave Of agitation to the utmost limits OF
human society; and all the world has
right to hail the anniversary OF that zlori-
Gus day which declared as self-evident
truths that all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator with
certain nalienable rights; that among
these are life. liberty and the pursuit OF
happiness.
There is not a country claiming recog-
milton in the brotherhood of nations and
COT rihuting it's share of progressive inn
pulse 10 the civilization which anticipates
the federation of the world that has not
been benefited by the inSpirat ton, the cman-
cipating power, the guiding enlightenment
and the prophetic genius of the Declaration
of Independence. The Significance and
growing power of that immortal Deciara-
ton, its influence upon universal ciViliza-
ton, the historic justification of its authors
and defenders. and the gradual adoption OF
its principles by all peoples are guaranteed
by the marvellous development, the unchal-
lenged stability, the enlightened progress
the unparalleled prosperity and the diari-
fled, commanding position among the world
powers of the republic which rest upon that
Declara ton.
IF one hundred years ago Je,fer.
son. the author and one of the
signers OF the Declaration of In
dependence, In assuming the presidcncv
could only say of this republic that II was
IN the flIll tide of successful experiment
the time has come when even the most
ancient forms of government on the earth
must admit that the splendid dream of our
fathers has become glorious fruition the
prophecy has become history and the .suc
cessful experiment is successful demon
stration.
Too marvellous and awe-inspiring has
been our material, Industrial. scientific in
tellectual, political and territorial develop
ment; so much and so magnificent has
been the history made on this continent
since that epochal Fourth OF July that it
does not seem possible there are still among
us honored and revered citizens who may
have looked into the faces of some of the
signers and have touched the hands of men
who drew sword or handled the hint-locks
at Burke Hill, with Hamilton, Lafay-
ette and Washington received the surrender
of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Up to 1913
ten of the signers were still living. John
Adams and Thomas Jefferson adorned the
earth until 1896 Then both entered
on immortality the same day. the day they
had dore much to immortalize. the 4th
of July. Charles Carroll of Carrollton was
spared to be the last of the signers, and
did not depart until 1S32 at the glorinus