The Natchitoches enterprise., 1920-08-05
An Old Fashion Fourth

Everybody who attended tn
e recent u. ID. G. convention will
recall the charming ''young' del
egate from Minden, who though
f she numbered over 50 summers
took vital and Intelligent inter
est IN every matter that came up
and while here made friends be.
cause of her delightful personality,
At a recent mec,ing of her loca
chapter Mrs. Goodwill gave remi.
nlscences, recounting the manner
OF celebrating tn national boIi.
day N her early childhood, and
Knowing that her friends would
be interested sent the paper that
she read on the 4th of July. Be-
sides giving a graphic account of
those days which IS now history.
it is SO cleyerIy written, rema rk-
ably SO for writer OF those ten
der Years, that we publish it
below:
JULY 4th, 1912
Courage and love of country were
part of the daily diet OF the Southern
child. They ate it with their fried
chicken and hot wales, drank it with
their eggnog, and on independence Dav
they simply glowed with patriotism.
They didn have fire crackers or tor
pedoes with which to blow off their
arms and legs ard b1rn up the barn,
but we had plenty Of excitement.
We began to feel cold shivers run up
and down our spinal columns when on
the morning of the 3rd they began to
dig the big ditch and haul up great
big hickory logs. then the bringing up
the big slaughtered OK pigs and lambs.
AS dark came on the blazing ditch.
surrounded by dark, swarthy forms
forming silhouettes taat made you feel
'hiVery like when your nurse told you
ghost and witch stories. Then the sing
ng began. "Old Molly Hare, ..Old
black Joe, Down Oh the Suannee
tlver, sang fifty O. hundred or more
'oices, as discipline was relaxed
mong the negroes n the 4th. About
nidnlght they would al. swing into ;;
hat good old tune, The Old Time
'eligion is Good Enough for Me-"
his would be our lullaby, to be awak- c
ned at dawn by th, booming of can !
On that asaerea il. !, al s rcd. intiepend-
nee Day, when our country was
eclared free and Independent nation.
ar flag with its stripes and thirteen tt
.ars was not only unfurled but defiant ls
Haunted In the face of England who q
proudly boasted that flag of St.
Gorge fioated on every ocean and in
'ery port in the world. Sternly we
ing back to England her old taunt to
;otland centuries before:
hat Nottingham has archers good.
no Yorkshire men are stern of mood. f,
S prickies wild and rude, NJ
! Derby's hills the naths are steep;
Anse and T!}le the Fords are deep.
~ iAany hammer will be torn,
ID many a knight to earth be borne 49,
ID many sheaf of arrows spent :"
e Scotland's king shall cross the ia'
Trent so
ABOUT . O'Clock the crowd began to 20
Iner; the Declaration of Independ- 90
,e was read IA platform had been M
cted), some prominent man made a cit
'ecn. everybody sang. "My Country
g. 1aee.' Then came dinner.
g, long, tables, filled with all sorts =
good things. The thrilling time came h,o
Is children when our black man. "
IS took US to the shade of tree and are
US ghost stories and witch stories by
how If we were bad the witches VIII
I'D plat our hair at night, and fairy Th
les, Bro Rabbit and legends. Then h;s
would feel stirred by the doings of w.
day and tell US Of the heroic deeds oo
our ancestors. One, | remember. the
med his grandfather was a great An
lean chief and always wore his Sighn and
I'd his neck. In this country he be-
,ed to a great man and in the biz
ne was a colonel, rode big, black d
'e; he fought with Gen, Washing red'
his horse was shot from under ping
he rolled in ditch with a broken
his grandfather rescued him and
ght him home, then his Young
ter had to go. In a few months q
dark, stormy night silent process.
came to the old home. With only
ckering lantern to guide them,
bore back the body of the young
:er wrapped in his country's flag
ay buried him darkly at dead of .
night, r,
a drum was heard, nor a funeral
note"
quiet "taps," and they slipped
in the dark leaving HIM to solve
ternal mystery. After that we
ly went home and the great festi.
7as over for that year.