The Washington times., 1901-07-07
Fourth of July instruction.

Fourth of July Instruction
Some inquisitive person, in the inter-
ests of the New York sun" wandered
through New York during the busy hours
Of the Fourth of July, this year. and
asked the children whom he met if
they knew why they Were celebrating.
The answers which ne received were
often peculiar.
This is his account Of some Of them:
1t celebrates the signing Of our Constitu-
ton said West side girl who couldn't have
been under fourteen
% The Constitution
g Yes That's the set Of rules our country
goes by, YOU know she returned confidently.
a boy Of nine came nearer 10 il. The battle
Of Bunker HiIl was fought on the Fourth Of July,
l776.' be said promptly. Other children said the
Revolution had ended that day
1.-TWO little girls. about te1 and twelve, oceu-
pied a doorway with their small brother. IT.
just made a holiday TO shoot crackers on the
boy declared.
No; think it has something to do with
flag said the younger girl, her eve wandered
over the display Of bunting up and down the
- oh, yes; it's the day on which the first
flag was adopted ehimed in the elder sister.
Further down the East side a well-dsessed girl
Of fourteen gave the following remarkable exp ana
tion Of the holidays origin:
=. Perhaps you've heard Of Benjamin Frank
lin. long ago. In those days We had nothing but
candies to burn-and candles were very dear.
But Franklin didn't care and so he tried and
tried 20 get the electric into the candles And
the day he got the electric into the candles ne
glad he got up this celebration.
Another little girl was much interested IN
the question. She was about ten years old, and
cuuversed many worldly topics with much
wisdom. 'Oh, yes, III tell you she said.
Our f0refather, on the Fourth Of July years ago,
Then ! suppose children in other parts Of
the country don't have any Fourth Of july said
the reporter.
the child cOmpacenty.
Crowds Of Jrghtfaced boys and girls shook
their heads and oheerfuliy acknowledged that they
had never heard the meaning Of the feast thcy
were celebrating. Finally child explained:
- They don't teach Us anything about that
till We get up in the higher Schools she said.
90 And how soon Is thatE
Wal. Pm eleven said this little girl
Some girls get up when they're twelve. / maynt
until I'm thirteen q"
This is rather a queer state Of things,
and it seems as if something ought to
be done about it. OF course, the igno-
rance Of some of the children is ac-
counted for by the fact that they were
the children of iliterate immigrants
who taught them nothing at home, but
it seems as If it should not be very
hard to teach a child in the schools
what the Fourth Of July is for.
They did it in the old-time district
school. They also did it in the church
that is, the Sunday school. Every
child for weeks before the Fourth
dreamed over the Sunday school picnic.
1t was not the mere prospect OF getting
out of doors that excited them So
- h.
marching, the games the flags, the fire.
crackers, and the speeches. The mi.f-
lister, or the judge, or the great man of
the town, always read the Declaration
of Independence, somebody else always
made a speech describing the signing
Of that famous document, and patriotic
songs were sung, and patriotic airs
played by the village band. The inqIis-
tive mind of the village urchin did not
fail to enquire what it was all about,
and there was always somebody to tell
him. Not infrequenuy he was made to
tell it himself, in some Grafton or reci-
tation, which was part of the school ex-
hibition; but if he was not required to
do this, there was always some kindly
man or woman to explain;
''Wen. son. this is the day which they
signed the Declaration OF independence You
know what that isI Ii the paper that made
free from Great Britain. Before that we were
colonies, but now are the United States OF
America and don't belong TO King George
have any King"
The child might not understand this
explanation, but he thought about it.
and. by and by, he learned more If IL.
The trouble with the New York child
seems to be that he does not ask ques-