Show GREATDAY IN HISTORY ale 1T4ra7 r I L N 5 s rift t r V s i r w Is4 III I ar ijhnIjl n Iy t y p 4 dAHra No DLDJYlT4V tsar 4 mac ma-c ON JULY ott THE CCOLAnATIOM kN AatMS pr WOrPCWBCNCE WAD MtD FmSTRCAOTOTMC rurr4 uexS CONTINENT CQNCRCS3 Everetts I eulogy on Independence Ball r r DEED which neither France nor England Greece nor Rome ever witnessed was done In Independence Hall f In the cllu of Philadelphia a deed that cannot be matched In the hlstoru of the world That old Hall should forever be kept sacred as the scene of such a deed Let the rains of heaven distil aentlu on Its roof and the storms of winter beat softly on Its door As each successive oeneratlon of those who have been benefited bu the great Declaration Declara-tion made within Its walls shall make their pilgrimage to that shrine mau they think It not unseemlu to call Its walls salvation and Its gates praise Edward Everett Is possible to hold Fourth of IT July celebrations In the shadow of the structure which saw tho birth and signing of the Declaration i Declara-tion of Independence tho most potent doctrine for freedom In the history of tho world and the nation has not ignored ig-nored the opportunity There arc many patriotic Americans Ameri-cans who make It a duty on July 4 to Journey to Philadelphia a pilgrimage to tho shrine of liberty there to raise their voices in thanks and rejoicing for tho great deed that was there accomplished Since that day now distant 131 years when Charles Thomson rising In his chair read for tho first time the final draft of that momentous document docu-ment which Thomas Jefferson wrote but which underwent many changes before meeting with the final approval of the delegates to tho continental congress not an Independence day has been permitted to pass without a proper celebration In tho public square i back of Independence hall Presidents of tho United States senators sen-ators representatives Justices of tho highest courts and even foreign am I basbadors have poured forth their eloquence elo-quence at libertys cradlo The municipal authorities of the city of I Philadelphia aro careful to see to It that some distinguished man Is always on hand as orator of the day The pomp of military circumstance has sometimes been called upon to lend prestige to tho occasion and the best musicians of the land have been proud to play patriotic airs In the shadow of the steeple whero hung the bell that so singularly fulfilled the prophetic I pro-phetic mission assigned It 24 years before to proclaim liberty throughout t through-out tho land The location of the hall lends Itself to purposes of public celebration There is ample room both front and back for the building stands well back from the pavement so that a largo company can gather In front In the rear the beautiful Independence Indepen-dence square there Is still more space and thousands assemble to listen lis-ten to the orations and hear the Declaration of Independence read This latter Is really tho distinctive feature of Fourth of July celebrations In Independence square The day would not seem properly observed with this omitted It Is a notable record of which every American may be proud that not a Fourth of July has passed since we havo been a nation without the in iptrcd words being uttored again to the air th it heard them first The tall trees standing In the historic square must by this tlmo know every word by heart The first reading of the declaration iras that by Charles Thomson toe lecretary of congress when ho un jounced tho completed paper to the nen who had framed it Thomson lid not however read the declaration rom the balcony of Independence hallo < hall-o tho people crowded outside to hear for tho first time In what terms the colonists should tell King George that his control of the 13 colonies was at an end That privilege was reserved for John Nixon a prominent member of the committee of safety In honor of tho occasion delegates to the congress filed out In tho July sunshine to listen to the sacred words I Later long years after Edwin For eat the most noted of American actors ac-tors whose love for patriotism and tho Institutions of his country vas deeper oven than his regard for the stage stood on the same spot and on a Fourth of July morning read the words of Jefferson as no man has read them before or since A great crowd was I present perhaps the largest over assembled as-sembled nnd the actor during and after aft-er tho reading was cheered again and again Forest esteemed tho Declaration of Independence as the best single piece of composition In existence valuing It even above his beloved Shakespeare Two years after tho first Fourth of July thgre occurred a celebration in Independence squaro that had a special spe-cial significance The advance of tho British and their occupation of Philadelphia Phil-adelphia during the winter of 1777 1778 had forced congress to leave tho Quaker city and go to York After the evacuation congress returned re-turned July 2 and a grand celebration of the recurrence of the promulgation of tho declaration was held In which nearly the entire population of Philadelphia Phila-delphia Joined Chevalier Conrad Alexander Al-exander Gerard of France the first minister ever accredited to the United States from any power was an interested Inter-ested spectator During tho centennial In Philadelphia Philadel-phia there was naturally a notable demonstration and no less a person than Don Pedro emperor of Brazil sat among those who cheered the sentiments sen-timents that had sounded the downfall I of monarchy In this country and were finally to take his throne from the ruler of Brazil In later years another representative representa-tive of a foreign country was the central cen-tral figure at Independence square Wu Ting Fang Chinese minister spoke there with fine eloquence and made one of the best speeches credited cred-ited to him in his many felicitous utterances utter-ances In this country The anomaly that ho was the envoy of one of the most absolute of monarchies mon-archies did not prevent the celestial from painting In most graphic phrase what the venerable building stood for During his first administration Grover Cleveland president of the United States came to Philadelphia one Fourth of July and standing on a platform raised on the square ap pealed to the young manhood of Amer ica that the great lessons of 1776 be not Ignored Samuel J Randall Judge Kelley Gen Grant Lewis Cassidy havo also figured prominently In Fourth of July celebrations there During the administration of Mayor Warwick himself an orator of genuine gifts every year was made the oc caslon of notable demonstrations to which were inlted men of national fame Under tho direction of the governor of Pennsylvania a work of Incalculable Interest bus been finished at Valley Forge park by the state Valley Forge has a close relation ship with Independence day and tho old camp site has proed a Mecca on July 4 to thousands of Americans who I come from all over the union to pay a tribute to tho fathers of the United States who suffered and died on this historic spot Practically the entire site has been reserved A chapel has been erected on the spot where I Washington was discovered at prayer At the moment Valley Forgo park comprises about 175 acres It is properly policed and cared for by workmen whoso duty it is to keep tho roads and the entire park In perfect order Public interest has kept pace with the work On Memorial day 1500 per sons registered at the headquarters and this Is probably not onefourth of thoso who were In the park Anywhere from 8000 to 10000 Amer leans will fittingly celebrate July 4 fcfvX going aver the Ground on which their heroic forefathers under wont the sufferings that made Inde pendenco possible |