New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-05
BANGLES FOURTH
BRINGS JOY
City, Happy in Whiri of
Diversions, Forgets 10
Miss Powder.
WEATHER MAN AIDS
IN HOLIDAY PLANS
Music and Speeches in All Bor-
OughS-TOmbS Joins in
Celebration.

Well. it's pretty safe TO say New
York never saw such Fourth. Out
Of all the 1873 of them since the gray
headed old man yanked the bell rope
so Justify in the unpretentious, little
brick building in Philadelphia. there
never was one of them exactly like the
one Father KnickerbOcker celebrated
Yesterday. Even the weather man was
safe and sane
IL was such a nice, easy, delightful
Fourth. characterized chiefly by an al
most utter lack OF that form of hys-
terra which ordinarily seizes American
cities when the time comes TO cele-
brate the birth of the Republic.
True. the trains for the seashore and
the country districts were filled, but
none of the passengers jostled each
other rudely or stepped on one anoth-
er's feet-and If they did, they apollo
giZed in the most startling fashion.
The Demon Rum was looked on with
as much disfavor as a British suffra-
gette at the Court of st. James's.
Mothers allowed their children to
wander out alone in the morning, con
fident that they would return in the
evening with all the legs and arms al
lotted them by nature.
The air was enchanting. and the soft
sunshine seemed to radiate straight to
New Workers hearts. Yes. ii was a
bland day. And when, last night as the
darkness came, and the great city put
on her jewels of light, the people
stretched themselves lazily with an
air Of satisfaction at such a Fourth.
Of course, after all it's really the
little folk that know most about the
Fourth and what il stands for: all
N,1l t.la
and Francis Scott Key and the battle
of Lexington and Betsey Ross. Even
the tots whose fathers and mothers
were born across the seas know more
about the great day than the average
grownup. For instance, in Public
School %. at Mulberry and Bayard SITS,
a little Italian girl stood proudly up
yesterday and read her original COM
position on "Our Flag" She bowed to
the applause and turned around to pick
a baby sister off the floor, and, catch
ing another fodder by the hand, went
back 10 the tiny tenement fiat where
she lived with eight sisters and broth
ers and her father. blacksmith, and
where she wrote Our Flag"
All over the city the school children
celebrated-in The Bronx, in the
crowded East Side. in dear old Green
witch Village, in Washington Heights,
all through Brooklyn, on Staten Island
oh. everywhere! One great group Of
more than a thousand stood in Fort
Washington Park on the very spot
where George Washington's ragged
men had encamped.
And there were celebrations IN many
queer places. Inside the Tombs, even,
there were music and dancing. The
chaplain. the Rev. George Sanderson,
had a big talking machine placed on
the fourth tier. and as it played, many
OF the $50 men prisoners joined IN
singing the music. Later DR. Sander
son had the machine set up in the
women's prison, and the cell doors
were opened. while the women danced
in the corridors.
Aside from the aviators, Mayor
Mitchell probably travelled as fast a
any one else. His motor car scuttled
ali over the place like a great red
beetle. From the time he spoke from
the flag draped City Hall, in the fore
noon, until last night, when he IN
spected the flaming parks, he was going
every minute.
Dancing is the craze now, and 1t had
its gala day. Everywhere there was
dancing. In the parks the little men
and women tripped in the picturesque
folk dances: in the restaurants ana IN
the pavilions hundreds and hundreds OF
fair ones swung and swayed IN the
arms Of care-free youths, while the
brass Of the bands crashed and the
bass drums doomed in lieu Of the can
e otb