Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-04-14
DR.. SNODCRASS
ON OBSERVING
4TH. OF JULY

everywhere are pFOulDltluS tue adle
Of explosives. One of the bills Just
signed by Governor Fort, making it
law, authorizes cities to pass ordi-
nances regulating the sale of such
explosives.
Along this line the people of Perth
Amhoy will be interested in the
Views expressed by a former pastor
Of Simpson Nj. e. church. Before
taking up his evening sermon last
Sunday night Rev. DR.. W. G. Snod-
grass, now pastor of the Market
Street M q. church, Paterson, spoke
as follows:
How shall We celebrate the
Fourth OF July? We have been cele-
brating 1t with fireworks and noise.
with killing and manning large num-
bers of people, with burning OF prop
erty worth millions OF dollars In
our free and glorious country cele-
brations OF the Fourth of July In the
past seven years have caused 1918
deaths, 33,073 accidents and fire
loss of $20.000,000. The Spanish
American war was won with fewer
casualties.
Is there any reason why this bar
barism should continue? / hear the
clamor Of interested parties who cry
out against interference with the
trade in fireworks Is the trade in
fireworks large enough to make
good the.-losses by fire alone? Is
1t to be mentioned in comparison
with the vast number of innocent
persons who lose their lives or are
hopelessly manned by the accidents
which inevitably occur? You can
not do a big enough business in fire.
works to compensate me If my child
is the victim.
1T is not strange that there is
now a movement to abolish these
needless dangers. The president of
the United States and the governors
Of fourteen states have given their
approval Many prominent newspa-
pers are aiding 1t by gathering in
formation concerning the raSages of
our present method or celebration, as
well as by encouraging influential
citizens who are urging on the re-
form.
"The experiment has been tried in
many cities with encouraging sue
cess. These cities are scattered
throughout the land Cleveland, To
ledo, Springfield, Mass, Baltimore
and Washington are amefg the NUM-
Der, which is now to be swelled by
Dayton, Boston, New York and other
great centers. Let us hope that Pat
erson will be on this honor roll when
the Glorious Fourth dawns again.
"The Board of Fire and Police
Commissioners OF this city last De-
cember passed an ordinance prohib-
iting the storage and sale Of fire.
works and other such explosives
without the permission of said
board. This is sufficient warning to
all trades people not To purchase a
supply of these dangerous articles
for the coming season, At its last
meeting the Board OF Public Works
passed to Its first reading an ordi-
nance prohibiting the use OF fire
works and explosives This ofdi-
nance will come up at the hext
meeting Of the board, appeal to
you to request the members or that
board to pass this ordinance with
out delay.
IF ] could make pass before you
"a funeral procession containing the
fifteen hundred collins of those who
have been slain. within the last seven
years by this unnecessary, this pa
gan observance OF the birthday of
our nation; II could follow these
.caskets with the thirty-three thou
sand living victims, some with finger
sIeslees hands, some with sfghtless
eyes and others hobbling through
life with crutches, believe you
would raise up in unison and stamp
out this barbarism forever. The
virtue of our glorious city has
cleansed the show-biIls of offending
filth and 1t will now vindicate intel
llgent patriotism by protecting the
lives of our children and the prop
erty of our citizens on the natal day
of our great republic.
'But when the noise and smoke
and peril Of the fireworks are past
how shall we celebrate the Fourth
of July?
What Is the Fourth of July? 1T
is national holiday. 1t is a holiday
not holy day Observances which
might be consistent with the sane
tity of the Sabbath or of Good FRI
day may not be out Of place on the
Fourth of July, provided, always,
that they do not observe the pa
triotic significance Of the day. The
nation gives its people thisf holiday,
not as a. largess granted to thought
less idIeness for barbarous indul-
gence, but as a day of grateful me-
mortal of the deeds of our fore
fathers by which freedom and ma
tional life became living realities in
this new hemisphere. The children
of America and the foreigners in the
land need to learn our history and
its glorious lessons. Human ears
are not sharp enough to hear the
note of patriotic anthem above the
roar Of pagan noises.
II would accord to the people
large liberty in the celebration Of
our national holiday II anyone
finds noise essential to his we'll be-
ing / would allow him the privilege
of making noise to his hearts CON
tent, provided he went far enough
away from other people not to dis
tnrb them.
But for others more sanely dis
posed, and for unschooled Young
Young Italia and Young
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, | would
plan a great procession for the az
Eernoon. would have that process
sion led by the officials of the city.
the officers of the banks and trade
the officers OF the la
b0r unions. the school officials, the
of the schools, the clergy.
Catholic and Hebrew.
and all the bands of the city. After
Lha manner Of nllr fnrafa thara- L