Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-04
The Pity Of the Holiday.

of orr readers were doubtless made
aware while they were striving in vain
to get a little sleep during the night.
The 127th anniversary of the birth of
American independence has been duly
ushered in to the Notwithstanding ac-
compartment of every terrible noise of
which young America, with the aid OF
all kinds of explosions, is capable. The
preliminary poppings began several
days ago, before June had ended, and
the climax of the fusilade and of the
casualties will be reached, this fore
noon.
Bows will be boys and everybody
wants them to have just as much fun.
as possible in celebrating the glorious
Fourth, but the great pity of the days
celebration lies in the fact that the
having of this good time involves,
every year, the loss of so many lives,
the manning of so many bodies and
the destruction of so much property by
fire. In the cities, today, all over the
land there is no such thing as holi-
iday for the doctors, the ambulance
drivers and the hospital staffs, and
the full force Of the fire departments is
kept busy through the day and night.
A few days ago New York paper
told of the large supply of antitoXin
and other remedies for lockjaw and
blood poisoning which the druggists
were laying in for use on the Fourth.
In the old times of Rome's barbaric
glory the gladiator was "butchered to
make a Roman holiday" and now in
the 10Th century thousands of children
are manned and murdered to make the
greatest of American holidays. What
caustic comments upon our civilization
and humanitarianism a visitor from
Mars would have made if he could
have toured the cities of this country
last night. He would have called it an
Internal saturnalia, and would have
WOndcreu WHdt SoIl VI Il PcoPlc W.
could be to have all law and order sus-
pended, life and limb and property de-
pendent upon the within of the small
boy, sick people tortured by the I'M
speakable din and the hours filled with
suffering and horror for those who
were unable to exile themselves in some
remote rural retreat.
When a person condemns the noisy
demonstrations and the practically I'M
restrained use of dangerous explosives
which have degraded the observance of
our great national anniversary, he is
pretty sure to be denounced as lacking
in patriotic enthusiasm. But 1t is a
poor form of patriotism which makes
the annual celebration of the Fourth
cost more in killed and wounded than
many of the important battles of the
war which gave us national indie
pendence. There is no happiness, even
for the small boy. in the blowing off of
fingers and the putting out of eyes
and the burning of homes. 1t is not
an appropriate celebration of the day
or fitting expression of patriotism
when liberty is superseded by license,
lawlessness made rampant, and the
comfort and safety of the sick and the
aged contcmptuously disregarded by
the young.
Young America, as showing his APP
probation of the manner in which his
forefathers twisted the tail of the Brit
ish lion, should have full liberty to
ring his bells, and blow his horns and
discharge his torpedoes and fire.
crackers in the early hours of the
morning oc the Fourth, but he should
not begin his celebration several days
in advance and keep it up all through
to handle explosives so powerful as to
endanger himself and others. He, and
older ones who handle explosives and
fireworks, should keep away from dam
gerous proximity to buildings. People
who pass by on the street should not
have explosives thrown under their
feet or pistols snapped in their faces,
and persons driving teams have rights
which should also be respected on the
Fourth as at other times.
1t is not to be expected, nor is it to be
desired, that the country will so back
to the days when a cannon salute,
ponderous Grafton in the village church
and a barrel Of Medford rum on tap in
front of the tavern weret6 features
of the days celebration. Tht salute we
still have, but people will not jlistn to;
ponderous Independence day orations
and the country has likewise outgrown
its Medford rum stage. Noise and
games and races, excursions and pic
MICS and reunions, parades and music
and fircworks-these are some of the
features of the Fourth in our time and
against them there is nothing to be
said. 1t is the tendency to make the