The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-16
ny FnpDEr,iC I. HAyKfN.

In
With the attempt or Senator Hop
kins, OF Illinois, to have the date OF tho
discovery OF America made a legal l1ol.
iday IN the District of Columbia, and
YORK. to have n like law enacted IN
the-memory OF Lincoln comes the real
ization that In the United states there
Vs., ~ really only one national holiday.
ed by Congress making any one day a
legal holiday is that passed In the sec
ond session of the F'ifty-third Con-
iiday in that particular territory over
which Congress has jurisdlction--the
District OF Columbia. Not even. the
Fourth y q, q July is national holiday.
the proclamatIon naming the day Is
Issued by the nations Chief Executives,
that only. makes 1t a legal holiday In
ritories. -
The making OF legal holidays lies
wealth. and the list runs wide range
from the STATE tsr Of Mlis,sissippi which Which
states that observe with patriotic
State anniversary. and throw in an
arbor day. memorial day, ia nag ia, day
measure. Whether legalized by state
statute orlnot, New Years Day. Wash
In, BIRTHDAY Fourth Of July.
Union. Decoration Day I'm the North
and Memorial Days In the South have
made these ceremonial days. though OF
varying dates and of local application.
rather widely observed.
Thanksgiving Day and Christmas are
days. the North making most Of
most of Christmas. Then came Inde-
pendence Day first observed In the
Continental Army. and since followed
by general M, obseryanceNorth e nontn
lions had more dignity than now. Then
the great masterpiece OF colonial pol
tiles and literature was read by some
local orator; other speeches followed,
be fostered by the later years Now
the small boy, the fre-cracker. the pic
mic basket and the trolley car have the
day In their keeping, and much of Its
significance Is lost.
a fpw years after the independence
OF the nation had been won Massachu-
sets folk began an observance OF the
18th of April. the anni ~, Of the
the first Thursday in April for fasting
and prayer. but soon the religious sig
nihcance of the day began to- fade out.
Then the date of the Lexington victory
ton, and was called Patriots Day.
This is also holiday in Maine. In
Louisiana the 8th of January. the ami
versary of the historic battle of New
State holding In honor the memory OF
Jackson and his squirrel hunters"
from Tennessee and Kentucky, who
won so signal a victory over the troops
flor Englnnds defense. Vermont. with
pardonable pride. has set aside Ben
nington Battle Day." August 18th. the
anniversary of that day when General
a hnd NJ mil n n
feated in turn two detachments of Bur
goyne's army and saved the American
supplies that had been left in his Keep.
ing.
Texas is the only State that can cell
citrate personal Independence Day
in addition to that commemorating ma
tional independence. On March 2, 1885.
a convention of Texas representatives
was held at Washington. on the Brazos
River, and formal declaration was
drawn. declaring Texas a republic.
free and independent from the rule of
Mexico. A bitter contest followed. and
some tragic pages were written in the
history of the southwest before Mexico
learned her lesson. But the new re-
own autonomy until her admission as
a State of the Union In 1915. This is
not the only red-letter day on Texass
calendar of legal holidays. for while
Of newer things, April 2lst, known as
San Jacinto Day. owes eits red lines.
not to the Joy OF gladness, but to the
hue of hero blood It perpetuates the
memory of that day when the redoubt-
able Sam Houston led 1873 men in the
field. and routing Santa Annals army of
1900 Mexicans, avenged the massacre
OF the Alamo.
North Carolina. claiming declara-
ton of independence older than that
framed by Thomas Jefferson. for the
philadelphia convention. observes the
of her colonial people. and there. near
the Hornets Nest an appreciative
Commonwealth has erected a statue to
their memory. California. with par
donable pride In the achievements of
her pioneers in building up a State in
year. celebrates the anniversary of
her admission. September 9th. and Ne
vada has set aside October 31st for the |