The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-10
crackers. pistols. torpedoes,


 crackers and toy cannons.
 Public sentiment attempted to cali halt. Nearly forty years ago Julia Ward Howe told of an ordinance passed in her home town forbidding the use of dangerous exposives with in the city limits on Independence Day. But" she added, "the Mayor was personal friend of our family and granted us special permission to have in our backyard our usual pri- vate celebration with firecrackers. torpedoes, rockets. etc"
 This incident illustrates the spirit of much of the effort made to elini- nate dangerous explosives in Fourth of July celebrations. Everybody is sure that though firecrackers ought not be allowed an exception should be made for ''me and my son John. z The progress of the Sane Fourth was consequently. so slow in 1903, after more than three decades of ef- fort, there was casualty roll of 5,s23 throughout the United States
 Tn the midst of this losing fight, a few communities to supplement- pro hibition decided to devise substitutes that. because of their attractiveness and appropriateness, might crowd out the undesirable features of the celebration. This plan worked well from the start.
 In the spring of 1909 the Depart ment of Child Hygiene of the Russell Sage Foundation, arranged with the Playground Association of America to hold conference of municipal rep resentatives to consider plans for "a safer, saner, Fourth of July Forty five municipalities responded. The report of this conference was widely published and twenty cities respond ed by organizing celebrations along the lines suggested. The result was that the casualties dropped from B.. 623 to 5,307. 4rs
 Next year the campaign was push ed vigorously by welfare organiza- tions throughout the United States. Definite programs suggesting interests ing things to do were printed aud sent broadcast throughout the coun- try. Ninety-o one cities planned their celebrations in accordance with the new suggestions and the cauaities were reduced to 2,s2s. In 1911 the infection spread still further and 161 cities planned tsafe and sane" cele- brations. The casualties again drop ped nearly one-half, totaling only 1,603.
 As the movement spread state laws and city ordinances have been en- acted and enforced with fair de- gree of success, prohibiting the manu- facture,. sale and use of dangerous explosives in connection with the celebrations. Fireworks under prop CT supervision and handled by ex- perts are still a part of most cele- brations and there seems to be no good reason why this time-honored feature should not be continued. The program of the day, however. has been made up of games. parades, drills, tableaux, concerts. athletic contests and pageantry.
 A suggestion that has worked out most satisfactorily is that of studying the history of the community in which the celebration is being plan ned, taking those instances that are dramatic and typical of the spirit Of the day and presenting them by means of tableaux and pageantry.
 In large cities there has been a tendency. to provide numerous dis ! trict celebrations instead of one large central occasion. The public school buildings in many cities, are thrown open. For the coming Fourth of July the Board of Education in New York City will arrange celebrations in over two hundred public school buildings. The principals and teach CTS of the vacation playgrounds will be in charge of the programs. There will also be twenty-one athletic meets for> boys and grown-ups, special exer- cises at the City Hall. and neighbor- hood celebrations in each of the sev- enty-three aldermanic districts throughout the city.
 s The plans of the Vanderburg Coun- ty School Union at Evansville, Ind, for a parade, picnic. games, speeches and illuminations, are typical of what is going on all over the country. On their letterhead is printed, '1The As sociation numbers forty-four schools with ten thousand members. We be- lieve in a sane and a beautiful patriotic celebration with no fire- crackers and no cap pistols to blow off fingers and put out eyes. Just a big circusy kind of day-plenty of fun for the little ones, and day of inspiration to alf.'
 Topeka, Kansas, has conceived a plan for "A Birthday Party Given by Uncle Sam for Distinguished Guests" !" Among them are Miss Columbia, Boys and Girls of '76 and '61, Betsy Ross, MT. Industry, Miss Democracy and Cousins from Across the Sea.
 The movement now seems to have