Show BY A time brings its changes and we old fellows are prone to think the former things were better than those eliat now exist one fact is evident that as the years pass people get farther away from the enthusiasm and abandon that marked the celebration of the everto ever to be glorious fourth of july whether the calm dignity the commonplace picnics or seeming indifference of the present be as inspiring as the commemorations mem orations of other days let the reader determine when he shall have perused what follows ah how fresh in memory is the fourth of july of fifty years ago in the southland what preparations were made weeks in advance by old and young and how every one did talk of the possibilities and probabilities of the occasion the pro gramme usually began as early as the hour of one in the rooming when every church bell the city hall and the court house bells rang out clanging and clashing notes awaking everybody out of sleep the complete enjoyment of this bell ringing to the participants usually lads of twelve to eighteen lay in finding entrance to DT THE FOURTH the bell towers without the consent of the officials in charge of the same with the first notes of the many toned bells all of the boys of the town and many men with them sallied forth from their several homes to form in parties of from six to twelve each person armed with a flintlock flint lock horse pistol a musket of the revolution p great bore shotgun loud and yet louder the firearms flashed for as enthusiasm grew the charges of powder became larger until it would seem that the guns must surely burst while the bells clanged and the sharp rang put in the darkness childish voices thrilled with patriotic songs that fired the hearts of the one or two yet living soldiers of the revolution in almost every southern as well as north ern town and made them think afresh p cowpen aad yorktown so rang the bells and so fired the guns until sunbeams began fo dance upon the church steeples when urchins and adults retook betook themselves home to hastily swallow their breakfasts then followed firecrackers galore everybody men and women joining in the sport being continued put the day apa anfu mi dight the ceremonies which began at eleven included a real oration all afire with patriotism the reading of the declaration and enlivening music and songs the uniformed militia as well as the paraded the streets followed by an innumerable procession of admirers of all ages and both sexes the negro slaves queer travesty upon light and knowledge entered into the spirit of just as heartily ss though the declaration included them in the birthright of equality A ragamuffin parade was an inevitable accompaniment of the day follow ing close after the barbecue dinner from which nobody was excluded and where everyone ate his fill this motley crew made up of men in all manner of disguises rode or drove all manner of incongruous creatures and called into requisition every kaid of rattletrap rattle trap broken down conveyance ato man so poor that he might not get drunk on the fourth whisky being served in the ladle and without a faucet direct from the barrel tche night was ushered in by a great central bonfire fed by tar barrels deserted outhouses out houses lumber and a lwi lw i ner of combustibles ery body busily shot off fireworks and no lone blaag burned accidents were plentiful but no one minded them and the events of the day and evening afforded ample food for gossip until the next fourth came round |