Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-06-17
A MORE RATIONAL FOURTH.

FTOul HOW uHtu tue Hluule OI july
the citizens OF Las Vegas may expect
to have their ears bombarded with a
medley Of able noises, property dam
aged and the lives and limbs endan
gered az a result OF that license which
is supposed TO be founded upon a pa
triOtic instinct to celebrate the Fourth
OF July. OF course there isn't any
patriotism about a racket that com
mences In the middle of June and
lasts till the middle OF July. In fact,
patriotism that amounts to anything
Is expressed by noise, anyway.
The senseless manner that we, fol
lowing the example OF barbaric peo'
pie, have had OF celebrating the
Fourth Of July. the greatest anniver.
sary In our national history has done
much to obscure the real teachings OF
the day. much to turn the anniversary
itself into a bowling farce. The Fourth
Of July Is looked forward to with
dread and remembered with regret
II Is a day when thousands OF people
are killed or Injured, when hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars worth OF prop.
erty is destroyed by fire, when rowdy'
ism Is rampant and a lady cannot
appear on the streets without danger
Of being annoyed or placed In peril
All peace and liberty-loving people
who can do so, fee to the mountains
or 10 The woods. to escape the noise
and rowdyism OF the holiday.
All this Is principally because the
A vpSnfiN0n vAnnr1n In thntr nnnd M.
ture. have allowed liberty to become
license. They have allowed the noisy
and unpatriotic element to overpower
the sacred meaning OF the day with q
great volume OF nothingness. Even
the Fourth OF July orations and the
national songs are going down be
fore the internal propaganda Of can
O crackers and anvils and other
sound.making Vaccinations OF prodi.
gious capacity.
But the good sense OF the American
people Is asserting itself. The press
has taken up the fight for a more
sane and sensible celebration Of the
Fourth. Already the more progress
sive cities are adopting stringent reso
lutions governing the observance OF
the national holiday.
II Ia beginning to be realized that
II is more than folly to turn a city
into a bedlam. to burn buildings and
slay children because more than a
century and a quarter ago a narrow,
half idiotic English king and a silly
obstinate prime minister persisted In
a course against which the English
people at home and In every part OF
the world protested.
The Fourth OF July marks the birth
OF the most puissant and potential
nation Of the world. The anniversary
should be celebrated In a dignifed. up
lifting and inspiring manner, in a
manner that appeals to the best pa
triotism OF the people. The unthink-
ing pretense Of celebration that can
find no other venue OF escape but
that OF noisy e~ffervescence is on a
par with that expression Of senti-
ment, my country may she always be
right. but right or wrong, my coun-
try"
That sounds pretty but is radically
opposed to the highest ideal Of pa
triotism. IT IL the patriotism Of the
robber barons Of Germany whose an
Client battlements still adorn the vine
clad heights beside the Rhine. 1t Is
the patriotism Of the strong nation
that conspires against the weak; the
patriotism Of might Is right.
We. In this country are beginning
TO realize that the highest patriotism
Is not found In such principles as
these but In absolute right and Justice.
II is such teachings that need to be
disseminated by our press and our
schools and u pulpits and made
much Of on our great national ami
versary. II Is high time that the pas
time Of tweaking the British lions tail
should be discontinued with the wav.
ing Of the bloody shirt that once In
famed the north and the south.
with nations and with individuals
this Is a time when we should move |
to greater things before forgetting |
those things which are behind, those
things that have inflamed our pas
sions and our p~rejudices and have
blinded our understandings. And n Of
the most pleasing features Of our ad.
vance is the protest that Is going up |
from every town In the country against
the senseless dissertation OF u nat
ional anniversary.
Surely We should celebrate the day. /