The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-06-04

berless calls which begin on the even
ing OF July Sd that response to pos
sible summons for help by neighbor
ing towns or cities Is impossible. What
fire chief would dare allow even a
hose wagon 10 go beyond immediate
recall while alarms in his own city
are coming IN at ten.minute intervais2
Even the large number of false alarms
due 10 the reckless use OF the day,
have their dire Significance, for they
tire ont the horses and the men, and
reduce the ability OF the department
to cope with actual fires. When the
gong begins to ring at headquarters,
It's call is as imperative for rubbish
heap ablaze as 1t Is for the home OF
a citizen The wear an dtear of the
apparatus, and even the injury TO the
horses during thirty-six hours of al
most constant runs, may be as great
for false alarms as for real ones 1t
seems a sort of folly almost too un-
speakable to relate, but there are In
stances where American fremen have
been killed in runs to fires on July
4th by being thrown from trucks by
frightened horses sweryng from their
course at explosives thrown under
them as they galloped past
/ Never an Independence" Day but
scores Of human beings are made de
pendent for life. Life and limb are
Ieopardized by explosives thrown
from windows above the level of the
street. setting fire to clothing and
menaoing the eye-sght of those pass
ing while upon the child, who in his
/ innocent love of noise and objective
! demonstration responds to our pres
+, ent absurd kind of celebration, falls
, the heavy hand of disaster. When
! our civilization was not SO complex. it
was possible for those who had the
courage to leave their homes to the
mercy OF possible oonnagration, to
/
shut them up and escape to the quiet
of the country. Not SO today The
trolley car and the automobile follow
the seeker after peace to his country
retreats, throwing explosives at his
head as they roar past in their reck
less responsibility
| And for what Nobody stops to in.
quire Nobody any longer cares We
have gotten wholly away from the
educational significance of "lndepend.
ence" Day, and lost ourselves in an
iorgy OF fire and noise,
1t is, perhaps. too much to expect
any sudden return to sanity; but
soMe effort at least may be made by
icities and towns toward leading their
people Into more moderate and more
Intelligent forms OF celebration If
explosives must be used the author
tiles eau limit their use to the public
parks during certain hours Of the day.
! where the folly.hunters may kill and
maim themselves and each other to
hearts content. without injuring other
people, or destroying property by fire
The firing OFF of explosives among the
closely built shingle-roofed frame
houses, which compose the greater
part OF our cities. is wholly in accord
With the reckless spirit OF Americans
regarding fire.
Ii before every Fourth OF July all
cities and towns We're given a thor.
ough cleaning of rubbish and all use
OF explosives then restricted as to
time and place, the police and public
wardeus might have at least fight
ing chance to minimize the disastrous
results of our public folly during the
years il may require to inspire in our
people q desire for rational kind of
celebration. And such desire must
be inspired Ii Is the duty of every
city to arrange for its people suitable
aniQsemeats or exercises definitely
calculated to educate them in ra-
tional observance Of this historic holi-
day. Habits Of folly can be most
easily eliminated by substitution Of
something better. The things city
can do to interest its citizens in a
sane aud wholesome celebration are
unlimited. and the municipalities
which. in the past two years have
taken steps in this direction, are Al
ready receiving national praise for
their wisdom and their high sense Of
civic responsibility
Independence Day Of 1919 is COM
ing. 10 what city, what town what
mother or father is it this year 70
bring sunering or sorrow she day
afters