Evening journal., 1909-06-30
Editorial
Opinion
Slaughter Of the Innooents.

Slaughter Of the Innocents.
Trenton True-A American.
1t is about time now for parents to
make up their minds what they shall do
with the children on the Fourth OF July.
Win Il be for the little people day OF fun
and of innocent amusement or Of tragedy7
II Is for the parents to say This is what
Gilbert Hubbard thinks about #, as print
cd IN the New York American:
"A spasm OF horror swept over the coun-
try a little over a year ago, when 10
school children were caught In a fire trap
at colllngwood, Ohio. and killed
yet now we are getting ready 10 de-
stroy. or irreparably wound and injure at
least 5000 children exactly as we have
done once year for several decades.
"The instruments OF death are deliber-
ntely being purchased, placed on salel ad-
vertsdh in alluring lines, and on July 4
the massacre viii be at a maximum.
Last year there were reported. in the
large cities alone. over 800 deaths from
lockjaw. following injury TO hands; 4i0
persons lost one eye, and 90 children were
reported as having both eyes blown out by
explosives on this one day.
Hardly village can be found in
America where there are not armless or
slghtless beings who are living out linRer-
ing deaths. victims OF this violent way Of
expressing patriotism.
I'm every city and village care is now
being taken 10 see that Collingwood's
disaster shall not occur again. SO great
is the feeling of shame, remorse and re-
vulsion at Colllngswood that many fam
! tft. Ant ar11
and there is an effort being made TO
change the name Of the place.
1--WE would forget the slaughter Of the
innocents
AT Colllngwood the great silence came
TO the stricken children almost instantly.
sunocaton means quick insensibility and
the passing is painless.
A'There were no maimed and suffering
at Coningwood-death was merciful.
''But in this matter Of destruction Of life
and property on July 4 we are making
active preparation to repeat it with all It's
lingering variations.
''The tragedies are so scattered. and,
although we know that deaths will sure
" follow we are inwardiy praying that
It will not be our loved one that shall
perish.
aside from the lives lost and the hui
man bodies mutlated, there is an annual
average loss from accidental fires in
America Of about five million dollars
traceable to fireworks. The money spent
in these diabolical Chinese inventions is
also over five million dollars. We pass
laws to keep out Chinese. but we let in the
worst thing they manufacture.
'What have we to show for this7
'I'n tell you: We have noise. distracted
nerves smoke. fire. sghtess eyes. manned
hands. powder-blown faces and corpses
OF little boys and girls. And a debit entry
In money Of ten million dollars
rs the life OF one innocent, little pratt
Ting toddler worth the fun?
"Whose toddler?
"Why yours
Eyes, we shut out, the Chinese by law
but we welcome their diabolic noise
stencil and smoke and pay them good
money Ind we also pay the Lares and
Penates bonus in blood.
THE Chinese are not so bad as we are
for they only make these things to sell
mostly to Christians They say, We sup
ply a demand, and if you didn't wan
them we would not make them
IAN educated Chinese writes me that
there afe many towns in China where IL
Is crime TO fire of frecracker
with us the innocent little firecrackei
Is giving place to a giant cracker and
the toy pistol is replaced with b'anl
cartridges and sure enough pistol, viii
the I-didn' dn't-lSnow-it-was-loade story, Sc
in eleotrotype.
''Do not blame the children for thes'
things. II we prohibited the sale Of use
less explosives. there would be none sold
Men drink whiskey in silence but thu
bomb advertises its own futility.
Nov that a wave Of prohibition Il
sweeping over the land. let us prohibi
disgrace for which no argument can b.
made.
do not blame the chfdren--it is tn
full-grown men and women who set tn
example These city lawyers, preachers
railroad officials, store keepers, colleg
professors and bankers who so to tn
country on July A and desecrate the day
they are the people to blamel They hav
educated our children to think that nois
stands for love of country. when benin
all is the lust to break loose and indrlg
for a day in savagery, and wailow in IN
unusual
Il reckon we really haven't stopped I
think about it-that is ALL SO much nois
has been made that we couldn't hear our
selves think. Then we are such bus
peoplel
''But let us get together and boycott
the cracker. explaining the matter to on
boys ana girls-they will understand. W
will not be robbing them Of any thin1
There arc hundreds OF ways to have fun
aside from explosives. Let us be men an
women. not wild savages.
Let us protect the children"
$4,000 Year Alimony.
Trenton Times.
Miss Katherine Clemmons Gould ha