The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-06-26

the British crown and that political connection
between them and the state of Great Britain Is
and ought to be totally dissolved"
This of course is the real Declaration Of INDIE
pendence. the document now known as the Declara-
ton being adopted two days later OF the adop-
ton of the Lee resolution John Adams wrote to
his wife the historic letter which says among
other things;
"The second day of July, 1776. will be the most
remarkable epoch IN the history of America 1
am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by
succeeding generations as the great anniversary
festival, 1t ought to be commemOrated as the
day os deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to
God Almighty. 1t ought to be solmenized with
pOmp and parade, with shows games, sports bells
bonfires and illumination from enc end of this
continent to the other from this time forward for
eVermore"
Time has proved That John Adams though he
got bis dates mixed. was true prophet. Probably
the Fourth Of July is our dlstinctively American
celebration. All the civilized world celebrates
New Years, Easter. Memorial day. Thanksgiving
and Christmas In one way or another. But indie
pendence day is ours alone To be sure, we have
WashingtOn's birthday and LlncoIn's birthday,
which are also ours alone but -'the Fourth" IN
cludes most II not all Of what they stand for
In short tlle Fourth of July Comes mighty near
being our national day when the American Eagle
screams for everything from the Mayhower to the
Argonne-from 1920 to November IL, 1918
Arnistice day That Introduces the pertinent
point that another change must be made in the
Dong evolution of the celebration of the Fourth of
July. For IL the Fourth Of July stands for one
specific thing that one specific thing is just ex-
Actly what its original neutrality-suspicious. day
signifies. And after Armistice day-and all that
1t stands forit's quite evident that the American
eagle must he taught to COO instead Of scream
when II goes to the John Bull part of its perform
ance.
For we have seen our old-time-two-tme-
lighting for his life and for our lives too against
a foe that would have destroyed all that we Eng
iish-speakng peoples In common hold dear And
after a long while we crowded in alongside our
ancient enemy and got busy to make up for lost
time. Never mind who won the war; We have
gumption enough to know exactly what John Bull
did for Uncle Sam-and are grateful accordingly.
And it's quite likely that Uncle Sam came near
enough to saving John Bulls life to feel something
more than a friendly interest in him. So some
parts of our Fourth of July celebration win have
to be toned down from on.
Moreover, it's high time that the American peo-
pie put their mind to fixing up the "day we ceIe-
brate" For the Fourth of July celebration right
now Is betwixt and between. The old-fasE!oned
Fourth done away with The "Sane Fourth"
supplanted Il. Now the "Sane Fourth" is in dan
ger Of becoming merely holiday. Holiday cee-
bratlons like men and nations. do not stand still
And the Fourth of July is worth the closest at
tention and best effort OF the American people.
The first Fourth of July celebration, which was
held in 1777 in Philadelphia. canot serve as mod
ell Its principal feature was a banquet at which
many tOasts were drank. each toast being follow
ed by the discharge of firearms and cannon. Ger
taInly too "wet" and possibly too noisy.
The peace era inaugyrated by the coming Of the
Monroe administration and continued during the
Juveniles was unfavorable to demonstrative cele-