The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-07-07

Monday is the birthday of the ma
ton and the foolhardy element of
the country which is in the majority
since the agitation of the wiseheads
is comparatively recent, will cele-
brate by offering upon the smoking
affairs of the United States various
shapely specimens of young man.
hood and young womanhood, promis-
ing youngsters and plump babes in
token of it's recognition of the proud
birth of the fairest land of fair lands
and the most glorious nation of glo-
rious nations.
The elements of celebration with
which the heads OF households in
struct their descendants to glorify the
day are highly destructive in nature
and dangerous to life and limb and
the appalling sacrifice of the nation
is therefore a knowing sacrifice and
is not viewed as a catastrophe ex-
cept as it touches the individual
home. Then, indeed, there is weep
ing and wailing and crashing of
teeth and the throes or the mother
and father heart are no less terrible
than the birth throes of the nation.
And yet there is not so much pity in
the heart of the onlooker (unless it
be the pity for ignorance) as there is
scorn and disgust that grown men
and women of supposedly average in
telligence, at least, should entrust to
their youth the deadly weapons of
destruction and fonaly expect them to
handle such weapons without coming
to harm by so doing.
Sacrifice is ennobling but there are
kinds of sacrifice which for their very
uselessness are a drag upon the ma
ton and a block in the way of pro-
gress. The sacrifice or youths and
maidens by fire and powder on the
fouth day of the month of July is not
so much sacrifice as a cold blooded
slaughter q had it in my heart to
say murder) provided that the par
ents of the slain youth were aware
that he was handling explosives or
city authorities and health boards
took no steps to prevent the sale of
such explosives.
We have made of the birthday of
Christ a season for lavish exchange
of gifts regardless of the sacred
thought which set aside the 25th OF
December as a holiday. We have
made OF Memorial Day a season of
sport and game regardless of the
commemorative principle which set
aside May 30th as a holiday. We have
made of the last Thursday of Nov
ember a season of feasting and glut-
tony regardless of the spirit which
set aside Thanksgiving Day as holt
day and we have made of the birth.
! day of this nation season of deaf
ming noise and racket regardless OF
the splendid spirit of '76" which set
aside the fourth Gay of July as holt
day.
What is to become of our holidays
our holy days, # we ignore theil
primeval though, their fundamental,
purpose, for purposes of our own Of
ten absolutely at variance with the
first Interpretation of the day?
Are you planning 10 give your boys
| and girls free hand with the eX.
plosives next Monday or has the pas
experience of other fathers and mo.
theirs induced you to take heed be,
fore your youngster joins the ranks
of the young Americans sacrificed t.
the god of noise ana powder with the
| blind idea that it were a larger sac
| rifice to thus ignobly die for country
than to live straightforward, pur-
! poseful life for the sake of the spiri
| of the seventies and the future of the
! United States of America? A though
today is better than tear next weel
over some handful of inanimate clay
and if you are one of those hard head
| ed individuals who have commercial
| ICED their very soul throbs let IN,
suggest that a basket picnic or a tril
to Cancels Hump is vastly more pro
fitable than funeral expenses.