New-York tribune., 1903-07-17
ANNIVERSARIES AND HoMEooHIyqs.

| The little Massachusetts coast town of Nahant
| has been celebrating this week her semi-centen-
| NAL with the assistance of generous portion of
| the United States Navy. A Senator of the
| United States told the towns history in an adj
dress to which he had given as much attention
as he usually does to those he delivers in the
| Senate Chamber. The Governor of the State
and his lieutenant were there and Joined in
praise. Thus we have another evidence of the
! growth of anniversary celebration in this coun-
| try. 1t is poor sort of town or village indeed
| which misses a chance to commemorate its
birth on every possible occasion. No longer do
| they wait for centennial years. semi-centen-
NAL gets just as much notice and when a town
reaches the dignity of twenty-five years it cele-
brates. In the West, where towns are new, It
has become the custom to celebrate every birth
day up TO ten and every decade afterward.
What they will do when a semi-centennial rolls
around is matter for speculation. The smaller
the town the more intense the celebration A
few weeks ago New-York City celebrated the
250th anniversary OF the foundation of her
civil government with infinitely less ado than
little Nahant put into her iftieth birthday party
1t all goes to show civic pride throughout the
nation which is most gratifying and American.
There has been a similar growth in that inter-
esdng institution, "Old Home Week" 1t was
New-England, where the love Of home has al
ways been particularly strong, that originated
this idea Of a town inviting its migrating sons
and daughters TO return, break bread and re-
new acquaintance with old faces, old places.
Other sections of the country have fallen into
line, and "Old Home Week promises to be-
come national feature. The reason for our de-
velopment in this regard does not lie in
greater love for the old home That has al
ways been an inborn American trait and needs
no cultivation One finds the reason rather in
the fact that more of us move away from our
places of birth, gathering by the thousand in
the greater centres of population. Fifty years
ago the man who moved away was the excep-
tion. To-day it is the man who lives out his
life in the small town of his birth who does the
unusual thing. Then the return of the wan
derer was of interest to his relatives and i'm
mediate friends. but It was nothing on which to
base celebration. Now the number is so great
that five hundred or a thousand of them.can be
induced to return at the same time, and there is
a real reunion.
There IS more than matter Of sentiment in
this coming together from here there and every
where and meeting on common ground There
is real benefit both to the wanderers and the
Stay-at-homes Those who return are taken out
OF the ferceness of the city battle for existence,
Tor wealth and position. Home thoughts belong
TO the better side Of mans nature, and their re-
newal mellows him. To the town people come
new ideas and broader point of view, which
often has good material effect on town affairs
The more often they are brought together the
greater the benefit to the city and to the town,
and through them both to the whole country.