Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-04-05

it in shouting and singing to their
hearts content. A stranger coming
into this crowd without knowing whta
had happened, would have thought a
lunatic asylum had been emptied of it's
inmates.
And now, hear! What is this new
sound? In the midst of all this
clamor, the large bell of st. John S
cathedral joins in the chorus with its
deep metallic voice rising triumphant
above the other noises with its jubilant
and melodious pealing. Then another
and another bell rings forth, and soon
all the bells of the city with their
metal tongues are singing the song of
victory. Whistles on BOATS and factor
les add their voices, and never in the
history of the world did another or
chestra and chorus proclaim so grandly
to the world the heavenly message
GLORY to God in the highest, peace
on earth and good will to ALL
All this. which it takes two hours
to write, passed before my eyes within
sixty minutes. The bells and the
whistles have aroused the whole city.
Men, women, and children, old and
young, rich and poor, all leave their
homes to JOIN In the Qualification. All
are decorated with the red and the white
and the blue, with steramers and with
flags Haunting their colors proudly in
the breeze. They sing. they laugh
and their faces shine with a greater
JOY than if fortune had come to
them. Bands parade the street,
music is heard on all sides, horses and
vehicles people and buildings are
decorated with the nations victorious
colors. The streets are one mass of
singing, shouting, happy humanity.
Possibly some of my younger readers
may think that | am exaggerating.
Let them ask some of their older
friends who saw a.. Il did the glorious
JOY of that day, and they will hear
that my pen has given but feeble
suggestion of the scenes and of the
great and indescribable happiness
which filled the hearts of the Ameri-
can people to overlooking.
And Was not this wonderful outburst
natural? Four years filled with an
xiety, suffering, defeats, calamities
and terrible tragedies lie behind the
people. Four years they have waited
uespa,ringly for the news, Richmond
is taken,' for this meant the end of
the war. But they had waited in
vain until this moment. For four
years, instead of the hoped for news,
new drafts have been ordered out ana
constant demands maze for money.
So much of worry, of anxiety, anu of
sorrow has accumulated in the hearts
of the people so often called upon to
grieve for lost friends, that it must
free itself in some way or it will burst
with this sudden and unexpected joy
if in times of great sorrow the
tear soothes and relieves, JOY also
needs some outlet, and ont his occa
sion the singing the shouting and the
hammerIng serves as the conductor for
the Joy and happiness which fills the
hearts Of the people to overlooking.
Scenes imilar to this We're being en-
acted in all the larger cities OF the
north
Why is it that our Fourth of July
celebrations cannot be like this instead
of those dangerous demonstrations in
which hundreds are yearly killed and
crippled?
But if the reader wishes TO see how
this same nation. which can be so
lavish and so extravagant in its de-
monstrations of joy and happiness, can
also weep and grieve and mourn as
only moth er weeps and mours at
the bier of beloved child, then let
him follow me five days later to
another scene. A scene just as sublime
and impressive, but inexpressibly
sad.
Let him 60 with me to that day
when this great nation stood heart
broken at the deathbed of her best
beloved son. weeping in It's bereave
ment as never a nation wept before at
the death of her ruler