The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-07-09
THE GLORY OF THE FOURTH.

Somehow the phrase, "the Glorious
Fourth, has come down to posterity.
What connection ever existed between
the Fourth and glory does not appear
to many people of existing genera
| tons Some have dim recollection of
celebrations of Independence Day"
in distant past, when in the
there was procession, headed by a
marshal girt with crimson sash, and
mounted on a prancing steed. a
drum corps, or band, according TO
the Importance of the town, furnished
the music, \ stand was erected on
the village green and dceked with the
national colors and evergreens. There
the populace assembled The citizen
with good presence and reaching
voice read the Declaration of Indepen-
dence. \ company of musicians sang
patriotic compositions. The master of
ceremonies introduced "the orator of
the day. who thereupon let loose the
freegle of edom' and the congregation
watched his soarings and gyratings
for an hour or more. How great was
this country, how small and insignifi-
cant were the other nations of the
world, and England sin particular,
in fervid rhetoric and soaring decla-
nation the speaker proclaimed The
hearers listened with mouths agape
and imagination conveyed to their
gloating ears the roaring of the British
lion as the orator frightened his twist
in the brute's tail.
There was the glory of marching
patriots and martial music and nation
al salutes lat sunrise - there was
the glory of patriotic song and ora
tory; there was the glory of belli-
gerency in each individual patriot
that was equal to the task of lick
ing" Great Britain single handed and
alone" There was the glory of
changing bells, and the unspeakable
and inexpressible glory of Young
America which found adequate utter
ance only in gunpowder exploded
the livelong night in cannon, anvils,
or any other continuance for human
ACKNOWLEDGMENT or for landing incar-
nate patriotism expeditiously in the
other world. There was the glory of
rockets and of amateur fireworks,
of bonfires and blazing tar barrels, OF
balls of wicking soaked in turpentine,
hurled skyward atiame by jubilant
youth, falling in meteoric showers
and again bounced into the dark
ness above. And there were the
minor glories, cards of gingerbread,
tubs of lemonade before science haC
given the liquid its alluring pink OIL
had devised the art of producing
lemonade without "a - lemon il
it, - and thousand other glorie'
which cannot be enumerated.
In the period of the evolution o.
the Fourth of July celebration which
: blazed with glory, the memory haC
not to travel far back to the tim
1 when Americans were in direct ant
i bloody conflict with Great Britain
in the War of the Revolution and tn
I later war of 1912. Veterans of bot
wars were in the flesh, as are veteran
4 of the civil war in the present times
l A soldier of the Revolution at thes
/ festivals held always the seat O
4 honor He was the hero of the day
i Oratory singled him out for its mos
n eloquent and patriotic bursts, An
A the orator himself, here.and there, wa
N the man whose lips heaven had tippe
u with celestial fire. He prophesie
and his auditors, listening with wraI
h attention, saw the national futuI
u unfolding in his prophecies, and
national glory bright with the brigh
| ness of the sun dimmed their eyes an
startled their credulity-all of whic
| their descendants have seen and pa
of which they We're
I This was the period of the nations
| existence when the Glorious Fourt
was not meaningless rhetorical con
bination- before the day became O.
- clusively day following a night