Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-28
THE FRENCH FOURTH
The Two Great Independence
Days Are Somewhat Alike.
FLAGS, NOISE AND FUN
LAMENTATIONS AND DANCING
IN THE STREETS.
Iced Refreshments and Other Kinds
Flow Down Thirsty
Threats
FLAGS, NOISE AND FUN
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
PARIS. June 10, 1902.
This year, on the French Fourth of July,
| all Americans in Paris are to be made to
/ feel particularly welcome. The honor done
| to France and her mission in the Rocham-
| beau celebration has recalled picturesquely
| to Parsians the ancient friendship of the
| two republics, and the prompt and lavish
aid accorded to their colony of Martinique
| has touched them deeply.
| Indeed. the two great Independence days
| have SO much in common that Parisians
| have always softened toward our country
| as their dates approached. so that the rec
| ommendation of the Paris papers for all
citizens to fly the stars and stripes along
| with the tricoor on both dates this year
| comes rather a a kindly expression of
the general sentiment than as an innova-
| ton.
| The French Fourth of July. coming as it
! does on the 18th of July, recalls to
J both Frenchmen and Americans the date
| of the destruction of the Bastie and the
| generous republican sentiments that at the
| time vibrated between the two countries.
| just the Declaration of independence
| was acclaimed by Frenchmen in those early
| days, so in America the news of the de-
| structiCn of the BastiIe was received with
| hurrahs of rejoicing as a new declaration
of the rights of man.
| Like our own Fourth the French Four
| teenth comes in the hot month of July,
when the great cities are deserted by the
posing fashionables and are in the full pos
session of the great mass of average demo-
| cratic citizens. AS on our own Fourth, 1t
| is a day for iced refreshments, with the
streets and houses decorated with all kinds
| Of festive flags and bunting. AS with us,
| there is the smell of powder in the air, a
pandemonium of explosions in the streets,
and everywhere the small boy with his
| crackers, cannons, drums, horns, flags and
| lanterns.
Red, White and Blue.
| Early in the morning everybody orna-
ments his windows with Venetian lanterns,
| flags and bunting. Here, again the colors
| are the same-red, white and blue. Salvos
| of artillery announce the dawn; the bells
are rung in the church towers of all France;
| the marines of every warship on the coast
| fire the great guns, while in each city, town
and village, as the sun rises. they chant:
| Domino, salvam fac rempublicamr'
| In city, town and village the trumpeters
| salute the day in the open squares, and the
| hot sunlight of July falls on a population
| proud to be republican.
| In Paris the fete opens on the night of
| the 18th with immense torch ght process
| sions of choral, patriotic, gymnastic and
| shooting societies, led by brass bands that
| play the patriotic songs whose words are
| known to all-the Chant du Depart" the
| 'Marseillaise. the Mothers Of Alsace''
| and Returning from the Review" With
| them the multitude sings itself into a sort
| of drunkenness as the grand old words roll
| out from the memory. Then woe to the i'll
| advised swell who dares to smile mock
ingly! Within the past five years men
| have been half killed for nothing more
I,nfr
| of Paris for one night in July. There are
| fierce words for children even in those old
songs, as
I'VE envy the fate of Barra and viaIa:
| They died-but they conqueredr'
Both Barra and Viala were boys of the
! great revolution. Every school child in
| France knows their history.
AS with Us, the boys are much in evil
dence upon the independence day OF their
| republic. While their fathers and their
| mothers sleep or sit beside cool drinks in
| shady cafes amused by a hundred vagrant
| mountebanks. the boys of France for one
| day in the year make more noise than their
| elders.
The Boys of France.
Regularly they form an oppressed corpo-
| ration, the boys of France. From their
| babyhood in the maternal school, compul-
| sorry education turns the key upon them.
| All parents who are we'll to do believe it
necessary for the future of the boy, as well
| as their own tranquility at home, to send
him off to boarding school early as his
| seventh year. The city schools. for those
| who cannot afford such a luxury, initiate
| the thing by watching the boys through
| their recess and lunch hour and accom-
panyng them to their homes, where pa
| rents take the guard duty until the next
morning. Certain holidays, like Mardi
| Gras, Mid-Lent, Easter, the Fourteenth of
| July All Souls day, Christmas and the
n lar;,, vel,
| thes children of the middle classes in the
| center of the capital. In the suburbs they
| are luckier, for the hours out Of school
| may be spent in certain freedom in the
| play squares which exist in every neighbor-
| hood.
| It therefore comes about that the Ameri-
| can finds all French boys peculiarly gentle,
silent, well-behaved and purposeless. They
show themselves subdued in their very
| play. Last summers Fourteenth of July
| spent in the easy-going, healthy old town
| of Saint GERMAN. There, If anywhere, one
might expect to find the boys in freedom.
In the large, open place between the rail-
| way station and the ancient palace there
! were some fifty Of them, celebrating. One
| with his little sister, had big brass can
| non. Fifteen or more others Of his own
| lance from 1t on each side.
| THAT cannon is too big for such child
to play with" said one of us. All agreed
| 1t was too big He might blow his head
off with it. Yet that small boy proceeded
| to load It and fire 1t with the Judgment OF
| q gunners mate The others did not try to
| take 1t from him. did not crowd around him
| saying, Now It's my turn They stood
| looking on with light jests Of approving
amateurs.
| Had System.
Another crowd of boys seemed to have
| bought up half the firecraokers in the shops
/ Of Saint German. Not once did 1t occur to
them, however, to set off a whole pack at a
| time. Methodically, one by one, they lit
them. threw them up into the air, made
| mines with them beneath the ground. or
| held one foot upon them to make 'hissers. -
| There was not one burning, not one fight,
| in the half hour We watched them.
| More picturesque was what soon hap
| pened. Into the square marched curiously
t masterful small boy with a big regulation
army trumpet. With him marched a de-
| misunderstanding partner carrying tricolor
| flag bigger than himself saw this seven
I year-old trumpeter raise the instrument to
| his lips. The next moment I was quite
| astenished One of our party, who had
| heen euga xed in looking at an illustrated