The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-04
M EN w o N E N
 A ND T HIN G s

II A IN U l Il IN VI D |
 hope the time will never come when Independence Day will be cele- brated in perfunctory manner; bet ter by far the spread eagle oratory than that its memory should die out.
 Independence Day celebrates the signing, on the Fourth of July, IT'S, tho document which declares that this country was forever free from British rule. From that time for ward, the American colonists were no longer rebels int arms against their country, but free people fight ing for their independence.
 
 At the time of the passage of the act, John Adams, that staunch old New England patriot, wrote to his wife a letter which has become his- toric. T am apt to believe" he wrote, that this day will be celebrated by succeeding genera tions as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliv- ance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty"
 Not only did the old patriot think it should have an air of religious solemnity, but after giving thanks to the Lord of heaven, fit ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from from this time forever more." am glad that it's & day given over to pleasure as well as pride.
 I like to think of Emerson, the de- scendant of Puritans, himself trans figured Puritan In spite of all his ranscendentalism reading his poem written for the Fourth of July cele- bration in his own home town of Concord, whose fire is tempered by the weight of thought, in that old town of Concord, where in his own marvellous phrase which has tray eled far and wide, called attention to The embattled farmers still, And fired the shot heard round the
 world"
 John Adams, as has been shown above, would have both sober and wild rejoicing over the birth of a new state, representing Q new order of things; but just at present there is little fear that there will be suf ficient noise and tumult; and it will be well if, standing face to face with great problems growing out of the World war, we shall carry out a cele- bration which shall speak less to the bodily sense and more to the inner sense. Time has brought nothing since the stern old fighter, John Adams, wrote his letter to his wife to diminish the joy, but new condi- tions call for sober and serious thought.
 United States, the ages plead,
 Present and past in under-song; Go put your creed into your deed,
 Nor speak with double tongue. Be just at home, then write your
 scrpll
 Of honor OCT the sea,
 And bid the broad Atlantic roll
 A ferry of the free"
 The fact that our forefathers fought for freedom against almost hopeless odds should be brought year by year before the minds of our American people, and their names should be hallowed in perpetual re- membrance. But without in the least degree of forgetting them let us look well to the fact that in our midst are thousands of living heroes who faced death in it's most hideous forms that the victory of their revolution ary sires might not be made null, and that democracy might be made safe to the world"
 I for one believe that the very best way in which we can celebrate sInde- pendence Day is by making much of the boys who went lover there" not because they were warlike, but be- cause they had job to do and did it. And do not let it be mere matter of talk, for it's high time that they receive the reward which IS their due from country which should show its gratitude in sub stantial way.