The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-07-07
A NOISY Time!
A HOT Time!
A BIC TINE !
On the Glorious Fourth !

1t seems to be an unwritten law
that Young America is free to in
dulge in unrestrained frivolity and
have big time on the 4th, and so
long as he keeps in reasonable bounds
no one should say him nay. There is
a good deal in old John Adams idea
of celebrating the 4th, with fire
works, ringing of bells, beating of
tom toms, making speeches, etc.
The old patriot understood human
nature, and the influence that noise
and pyrotechnics have on the
average human being in arousing
enthusiasm and developing patriot
ism.
But John Adams had little concep-
tion of the multiplicity of things to
disturb, annoy, provoke, terrorize
and paralyze the average human be-
ling, that the manufacturers of fire
works would invent: and he hadn't
the remotest idea of the discovery of
such a thing as dynamite; so 1t Is very
doubtful if he would ever have whis-
pered his idea of celebrating with
such a racket and din, and devilish
4 discontinue, as now characterizes
4th of July celebration.
But even John Adams never
thought the 4th of July begun on the
Sd, nor its birth at midnight should
be the signal for waking up every
thing animated and inanimated that
had gone to sleep with the sun: and
by robbing them of sleep, utterly de-
prive them of the capacity for a
pleasant and fitting observance of
the Nations birthday.
But John Adams idea of the 4th of
July celebration has taken deep root,
and has grown and spread, and has
been magnified and distorted, till it
has become a day of unctuous tor
ture, and fiendish pleasure, and only
those who flee to the mountains of
Hepridam, rolic in it sweetest pleas
ures.
| So 1t was in Bellefontaine. The
sun had hardly sunk in the west, Fri
day evening; the birds had scarcely
finished their mathis; the tired were
scarcely sunk to rest, when the din
broke out. Phiz. bang! boom. slam:
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat. bang. bang.
bang. bangl bang. And all through
the night it was kept up! The nerv-
GUS and sick could not rest nor sleep,
and came out of the night haggard
and worn, and would, if they could,
have enlisted in the Army of George
I'LL The malignant wished they had
those boys by the neck, and the aver
|age citizen could only say: "How
long, OH how long!r And nobody
could sleep unless he had a good
conscience-like an editorl And so
it kept up till midnight! with few
sporadic spit devils on Sunday.
The formal celebration of the day
was more quiet but not less imposing.
The parade of the Commercial Club
was very creditable, and in their
white caps, some of them, especially
the gray bearded veterans looked
handsomer than ever. Uncle Billy
Robinson, veteran member,s5 years
of age, marched vigorously the whole
line of march-ten blocks-to the
depot.
The business houses nearly all
closed for half the day;but the saloons
save one showed their usual lack OF
patriotic sentiment by keeping open
all day, but they proited little,
and the cases of drunkenness and dis
order were very few.
The celebration at Silver Lake drew
a large crowd, the Big Four selling
some 1000 tickets for the special
trains, and many going out in buggies
Swimming, wading, boating, row
. ing, resting, visiting and enjoying
picnic dinners, occupied the time Of
many.
III A fine game of base ball between Z
Bellefontaine High School team and
{: a West Liberty team, was watched
D by large crowd, in the afternoon
, It was an orderly. quiet, friendl.
: game, and excepting one or two bat
5 plays that ran up the score, was al
. Exceedingly well contested game
5 The score stood at the close of tn
the eighth inning-which was tn
last-6 toe. The Bellefontaine boy
= were smaller and lighter, bu
- olproved themselves a match fo
the other nine. Each side had fin
pitcher and catcher.
I'll After this game was closed, tn
: two mines of Capt. ]. F. McCollocl
= and Capt. George T. Brandon
played two innings to show tn
High school nine and the We:
!. Liberty nine, how good pla.
= ing was done. And it took only tw
|. innings to show it. The score stan'
= ing to 17.in favor of the other mir
-four times the score. in two inning
that the High Liberty teams made.
E. The two mines were constituted ;
lie follows:
es MCCoLLocH TEAM. BRANDON TEAM.
Horace n. More. J.w Thatcher.
Addison Fawcett. G. l.. Lane.
Roy Kerr g. +. Doty.
DC John Reinhart. j. 2. Brandon.
1t Don b. Swisher. William Defenbaug
slE. k Campbell. J.W. Stilwell.
IC. ID. Campbell. W. G. Huston.
Il