Putnam patriot., 1910-07-08
Putnam had a Safe and Sane Fourth.


 With no concerted plan of eelebEat. ing Independence Day. Putnam had anee of the Fourth AS any city in the State, or anywhere else for that matter,
 Mayor MacDenaId's public warning against firing cannon, or any other noisy powder explosives, ringing bells, blowing horns. beating drums, or any i other disturbing noise, or making bon. fires between sunset July 3 and sun. rise Tuesday morning-except on the evening of the 4th until Il o'clock, was strictly observed. There was an unus- al quietness throughout on the Fourth until about s o'clock in the evening, when there was fine display of fire. works all around the city and some within it's limits.
 The little tots were allowed to ex- plode firecrackefs-which were unusu. al but which disturbed no one. No report was heard of . single in- jury from explosives. There were, how ever, four slight fires, for two of which the fire department was called out, one was an alarm for fire on the roof of house in the rear Of the Ar. cade Block, in the afternoon, but was soon put out; the other alarm was giv- en in the evening for slight fire at . house on Railroad street, which also was quickly extinquished. Thereiwas no real damage.
 A fire on the roof of the piazza of a house on School street, occupied by Major A. D. Mcintyre, was eNtinguish- ed by passer-by, and hammock at a house on Woodstock avenue caught fire from a burning fireeraeker, but was ex- tinguished before it extended to the house.
 The auietness of the Fourth greatly pleased all citizens, for none suffered any disturbance, and the weather was delightful, with a cool breeze all day, making rest in the shade delightful.
 It might be supposed that the quite
 
 young people would have no enjoy ment with so little going on, but they were as full of happiness as they ever were when the city was full of noise, confusion and--danger. 1t was the Fourth, and they were determined to be happy, and found plenty of ways and means to become so--closing the day with delight witnessing, the beau- tiful display of fireworks.
 The older ones rejoiced in the rest fulness of the quiet night and morning and nearly a thousandtof them antici- pated the pleasure from the two base ball games-one in the city in the morning, and the other at North Gros- yenordale in the afternoon-the same teams contending in both games. Like the young fry the other grades of the population closed their Fourth with a sense of qualification and content ment with one of the happiest Fourth of their lives.
 There were dear ones from abroad whose presence in the family circle added to the gladness of the day, and friends found welcome and rest with those who were made glad to meet and entertain them to mutual qualification.
 Throughout the country there was change this year in keeping the Fourth which has proved that Inde- pendence Dayl can be celebrated with out causing death and mutilation to thousands of helpless children. Here after the blood of the hapless creatures injured on the Fourth, by dan gerous instrumentalities, will smirch the skirts of both citizens and city officials--the latter for not preventing the sale of the dangerous explosives as well AS their use; the former for not doing their part ia diverting the minds of the young from dangerous amusements to those that are safe and joyous.I IL can be done, for this year s celebration demon strates that wherever effort was put forth by restriction or attractive diver sions, there was freedom from death and.mutilation of the young-and there were hundreds of such cities. No city hereafter can offer any excuse that il has not had safe and sane celebration of the Fourth.
 In closing we would say word or .t |. Ax. serves public encouragement. It gives diversions that are ioyously exciting without causing injury or bad infiu- ences to thousands of the community, young and old. Human beings must have diversions to be healthy and hap py, and the more exciting the better. where there is nothing injurious about them, as there Is not about base ball games, the American National Game. It was regretful: that the young peo- pie who eagerly. desired to witness the local ball game on the Fourth were debarred for lack of means to pay the small entrance fee. A few score of the lads, however, were so excited to see the game that they hung around the en- trance to see and hear what they could from without. The shouts within of exciting character only caused an ago ny of feeling to the excited lads outside because they could not be participants with the harpy crowd inside. Final ly the good-hearted managers, who ap- preciated the anxious feeiines of the