Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-07-02

will cost us to maintain this declaration
and support and defend these states. Yet
through all the gloom can see the rays
oof ravishing light and glory. / can see
that the end is worth more than all the
means, and that posterity will triumph
in that days transaction, even though we
should rue it, which L trust in God we
shall not"
While posterity has chosen to cele-
brate the 4th instead of the I'd
of July, the fact remains that this re-
markable prophecy has been abundant
ly fulfilled by a nation whose greatest
anniversary festival has always been
and still is the day of independence.
But if John Adams could revisit his
native land today he would seek in
vain in the large cities for the "pomp
and parade" the shows, games, sports,
bells, bonires and illuminations" which
his prophetic vision pictured among
the perennial features Of the nations
birthday.
"Pomp and Parade" Lacking.
Time was, and not so many years
ago, when he would have found Father
Knickerbocker on the job every
Fourth, but nowadays the 'pomp and
parade" are lacking, and the celebra-
tion is left to the small boy with his
firecrackers and blank cartridges. Gone
are the lays of the old fashioned cele-
bration; gone the resonant lunged ora
tor, who was wont to make the eagle
Scream gone the piping voiced po-
litical neophyte, who read the declara-
ton to admiring throngs; gone the
,glittering procession, the early morn
ing salvo of cannon, the night specta-
Gle Of fireworks or a large scale.
The holiday alone is left. The stri-
dent voice of the baseball umpire
shakes the air once rent with patriotic
%elouuence; the prosaic excursion con-
$1,000 = he tipon nnnn 6aNntl6 TO me
grand parade, and the reckless chauf-
feur n careless street car motorman
usurp the place once proudly held by
the grand marshal.
So much has New York refrigerated
in patriotism the while she has been
advancing in material progress. But
she is not alone. The sad story Is told
in every large city In the country. Let
a town begin to number it's inhabitants
by hundreds of thousands, and IT
soon loses that community OF spirit
necessary to concert of action by It's
citizens. In the average American
.city today it takes more than the hal
lowed memories of the Fourth TO pro-
aduce this concert of action.
Not so In the villages and country
towns. There the spirit OF T6 still lives
-and finds annual expression. Tnere the
leading citizens do not hin it beneath
their dignity to celebrate in the good.
old fashioned way. Today IN most Oh
these places, from Oyster Bay, N. "
to Port Townsend, Wash, n are
mia wing cannon booming and the
s,pomp and parade" of Adams vision
.arorse the cheers and enthusiasm OF
hundreds of thousands, in whom no city
life has had a chance to dull the whole
some American appetite for a glorious
Fourth"
Thrills the Heart.
And how they are celebrating! If one
could only take a peep into the vii
lagos and little cities of the Ian he
could verify the prophecy of John
Adams i'm every word. Even the sug-
.gestion of what is going on there thrills
the heart of the business man of the
metropolis and takes him back In mem
~ory to his boyhood days in his native
town.
For days the committee has been at
work erecting triumphal arches ana
seeing that every store and home flies
the stars and stripes. The local artil-
derry company has placed it's guns on the
hi and as dawn breaks sleepy heads
are aroused by the booming out of the
national salute. With the last gun ev-
.ery boy and girl and youth IS out OF
doors. tasting the delights of burning
;gunpowder in firecrackers and toy can
non. BY breakfast time the sidewalks
aare carpeted with red shells OF crackers,
and the odor of burning punk con-
tends with the smell of powder for a
monopoly of the air.
To pistols crack, toy cannons thun-
der. '"nigger chasers' sizzle and tor.
pedo<s make elCe.ly men jump and
urchins how with glee. And just as
this joy begins to pail the tread OF