The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1935-06-24
YOUR
CHILDREN


Hindsisht is better than fore
sight, or will there be any sight
after the Fourth? A little insight
right now before the beautiful day
dawns may do some good. 80 let's
discuss II.
No use quoting figures about
casualties last year or the year be-
fore that. Each holiday there are
more, so let 1t 20 at that, except
to say that the numbers of thou
sands of people killed and and hurt
are appalling.
This year, however, we may
look for q turn for the better. II
not, Il won't be the fault Of those
cities and towns that have passed
anti-reworks laws in the past year.
Many communities have not
banned reworks altogether but
merely put the lid on selling to
private individuals and children,
unless such individuals can show
q permit from authorities attesting
that they are to be used for public
celebrations and set Off BY COM
petents.
Danger Increased BY Makers
1t seems too bad to have to de-
prive merchants Of the prots for a
formerly lucrative and rather joy
full business; but II the trade de-
clines through legislation or dis
appears altogether, they can lay
the blame where It mostly belongs,
to certain manufacturers who have
overstepped the safety line. With
out meaning to jest t might be
said that reworks have dug their
own grave.
Parents go to a nearby booth
to buy few innocent looking lit
tie shooting crackers" as we used
to call them, loose jacketed little
fellows with a few grains of gun
powder. Now, they pick up some
packs of crackers that look harm
less enough and tote them home.
The labels tell nothing except that
they are number so.and-so with a
name that means nothing. Perhaps
the explosive inside may be mild
one, but they are 80 solid the dan
ger Ia increased tenfold.
II In wrong to say that the hu-
man element doesn't enter into
II too, because II IL natural for
children to experiment. They ex-
plode recrackers In cans, boxes and
so on. They throw lighted fire.
crackers, not content with laying
them on the ground, and accidents
caused by hoodlums throwing ex-
plosives into cars and crowds have
become u regular part Of every
Fourth.
Children Should Be Audience
| Tho toy cannon IL q regular
collector OF fingers and eyes. II
adults wants to use them, let them
go out In the wide open spaces
where they can kill only them
selves.
Other pyrotechnics should never
er be handled by children, such us
skyrockets and roman candles or
pinwheels. There Is no use discuss
this. They just should not, that's
oil.
80 parents, II you live In a COM
munity where the Fourth Is going
to BIO glorious, and Daddy comes
home with an nrmful OF stuff TO
celebrate, please get hold of your
will-powor and let tho children be
an audience rather than stars In
tho show.
Through the day 500 whore
they are, watch what they do, give
them instructions and warnings. No
bending over duds or holding In
hands. No cans or monkey. busi-
ness and no throwing. Like tho
candles on the Christmas tree, per-
haps some day reworks will BIO Just
memory, and ! for one shan't be
sorry. The Fourth has become an
annual holocaust that moeks civil
ization.
Copyright, 1895, NgA Service, Inc.
silent and disapproving. She had