Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-07-03
THE NATION TO
CELEBRATE NATAL
DAY IN WAR TIMES.
The United States Is One Hun
dred And Forty-Two Years
Old Tomorrow
A DIFFERENT FOURTH
CELEBRATED THIS YEAR
The Year 1918 Finds The Coun-
try Again Battling For
Democracy Of The World

Again the nation has birthday. and
tomorrow the grand old United States
will celebrate its one hundred and
forty-second anniversary. On this oc-
casion the anniversary of the national
birth will be as unique as it is signifi-
cant For the second time in nearly
a quarter of a century this nation Is
at war, battling again, not for its own
existence alone, but for the democracy
of the world
There is, consequently, no doubt
that the Fourth of July this year will
be different from the Fourth OF July
of other years. Rather than a gem
eral rejoicing and an occasion for maxi
ing noise and indulging in other forms
| of ribaldry, the celebration will be
more in the form of an outburst of
| thinking patriotism. This is in line
with the plea of the public information
committee of Washington "that Inde-
pendence Day be observed this year
with solemnity rejecting the sober
determination of a democracy at war
for its ideals and its existence"
Noise and useless illumination
and unthinking celebration have no
proper place in times such as these"
said the statement. Let there be q
return to those ceremonies and ad-
dresses which prevailed in other days.
Every organization should cooperate
to make ii such a celebration as will
carry to every home and every ele-
issues that strike to the very root of
the nation born 142 years ago and
dedicated to freedom"
In Annapolis the patriotic committee
of the Council of Defense, Mrs Weems
Ridout, chairman, has planned a cele-
bration of the day to take place at
o'clock in the afternoon under the
old Liberty Poplar on st. Johns Col
lege campus. The program is in keep
| ing with the desires of the govern
ment
The special Fourth of July message
written by the President will be read
by Prof. William o. Stevens, of the
Naval Academy. The message is es-
pecially appealing to the foreign citi-
zens, who are urged to be present
Judge Robert Moss will be the orator
of the occasion and will deliver pa
triotic address, and Major Hugh r.
Riley will read the Declaration of
Independence.
The program will be interspersed
with music by the Naval Academy
Band, and the National Anthem of
France, "The Marseillaise," will be
sung in French by Prof Costet, while
Italy's National Anthem will be sung
in Italian by Prof W. E. Olivet.
The meeting will be presided over
by State Senator Frank NJ Duvall,
chairman of the Council of Defense,
Mems Section. for Anne Arundel Coun-
ty. The invocation will be by the Rev.
Maurice S. White, the new pastor of
the First Presbyterian Church, and
during the program Mr. Clarence L.
Clemson will lead in the community
singing of the patriotic hymns and
the National Anthem, 1.-The Star
Spangled Banner" IT is urged that
all citizens of whatsoever nationality
in Annapolis attend and join I'm maxi
ing this a record celebration of the
nations birthday
1t is interesting to look back over
the old newspaper files to see how
those who have gone before, the
fathers and grandfathers of the pres
ent generation used to observe July
4th. 1t was no mere affair of noise
and double header ball games. The
country people gathered from miles
around to hear the oratory at picnics.
Or they would assemble in stuffy halls
on hot days and rapturously applaud
the orators who responded to the
toasts.
The old-time Fourth-of-July address
had characteristic spread -eagleism.
The people glorified their institutions
of government, as well they might.
But they were too contemptuous of
the rest of the world They felt that
their system of government had ere
ated political elysium.
As the people grew more mature,
they began to see that they had not ac-
quired all wisdom. AS wealth increas-
ed, corruption grew The cities even
under the blessings of a republican
form of government we're worse adj
ministered than those of Europe Peo-
pie began to see that not all problems
are solved by giving men their lib
erty. Education and intelligence are
also needful
Today the world is rapily turning
toward those high ideals, first clearly
enunciated on July. 4, 1776. 1t is only
on the basis of those principles that
an enduring peace can be formed, and
for this the nation is fighting today in
! a world conflict across the seas