Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-04
Independence Day.

independence Day.
There are many old-fashioned Amer
leans who regret that the present day
| celebration of the anniversary of our
| national independence differs SO widely
from the method of it's observance in
| earlier times. Yet the change was
bound to come about. 1t has been in
the natural order Of thirs5 and the
change has been no more l..di.HI than
| in tho case of our other holidays. To
the present generation a holiday is a
holiday, an occasion for dropping work
| and indulging in recreation. To our
ancestors the special days set apart
were not holidays as we know them,
but days wien a serious business was
made Of carrying out the appropriate
exercises. They made a more serious
business of life than we do and took
their pleasures in ponderous fashion.
Thus Thanksgiving day, which was to
them largely a day of religious observ-
ance. has become L happy old home
day of the autumn season, dedicated
mainly to family reunions around the
festive board. Fast day long since
ceased to be a day of general fasting
and prayer, and rather than make a
farce of what was once a sacred OBJ
servance our people have wisely
dropped il from the calendar and sub
stituted more appropriate spring
holiday
Independence day, for the first gen.
Grafton or two after the signing of that
immortal document in Philadelphia in
the summer of 1776, was celebrated in
an eminently safe and sane fashion.
From the very nature of the anniver-
| sary it was however always celebrated
with more or less noise, as the ringing
OF bells. firing of salutes. etc. But it's
| chief feature was the gathering of citi-
zens in groves, churches and public
| reading of the Declaration of Inde-
pandence, and patriot, music. Now
there is occasionally Il country town
which has what is called an old-fash-
| Toned celebration, but for the most part
| throughout the country the day is
| merely bedlam of noise with more
people killed and injured than in any
battle Of the Revolution. Most people
flee from the cities to escape the noise,
or else 60 to ball games and horse
races. 1t is midsummer holiday, en-
joyed by some. dreaded by many, and
wholly meaningless as far as the
method of it's observance relates to the
events which the day commentaries.
This change, as we have said, has
come about naturally enough with the
| passing of many years and with the
| changes in The spirit and character of
| Our national life. But the change does
net after all mean that the spirit of &c
10 uN'th VI dSlHS. II uotS IlOl Hledn
| that the hearts of our people are less
| filled with honor and reverence for the
| men whose courage and sacrifice gave
us the blessings of free and inde-
pendent republic. 1t does not mean the
real kind Of patriotism is decreasing
| throughout the land. 1t does not mean
that our intelligent and thoughtful
citizens, and that includes the great
| masses of Americans, have forgotten
what Independence Day stands for or
that they are unmindful of the lessons
| of the past. The change does involve
| a menace to property and to life and
| limb in way that is to be regretted,
but it does not involve any menace to
our cherished institutions or the fruits
of the victory won by our ancestors.
And so let the eagle scream on the
| Fourth Of July. even though the
scream comes to our ears as the noise
of giant crackers rather than the
voice of the orator, as in the days of
our grandfathers.