Show Changing Ideas About the Fourth off of July Duly 0 d of q HE legislatures of seven states and the city councils councils councils coun coun- A of scores of cities have passed laws prohibiting prohibiting pro pro- the use of fireworks fireworks fireworks fire fire- works on the Fourth of i w July This adverse leg- leg which began as n A LJ W 4 early as 1901 has so swept over the country that the Fourth of July celebration this year will be a radical departure from Tom the time old-time methods of honorIng honorIng honoring honor honor- ing this auspicious day The terrible loss of life lite that has accompanied every Fourth of July celebration in recent recent recent re re- re- re cent years Is the cause of this legis legis- lation atlon The present generation does not remember remember remember re re- re- re member that during the latter part of the eighteenth century aid aud even during the greater part of the nineteenth nineteenth nine nine- there were no such fireworks and explosives as are used today in celebrating the anniversary of independence inde inde- Our forefathers in knee breeches and powdered hair hall celebrated celebrated ted the day chiefly by patriotic speeches and dinners Every club every society and organization met around the festive board and honored the day in song and story The nature of the speeches and dinners varied with the locality but butIn butin butin in one respect all were the same They agreed absolutely in the number of toasts It was the custom to have thirteen toasts toasts representing representing of course the thirteen original states With the admission of new states this custom died out probably because the were unable to drink so much Parades in n the larger towns were features of the celebration during the early years of the republic but the principal part of the celebration was the banquet and its oratory In recent reent relent re re- lent cent years however there has been a great falling off in the exuberant qualities quail ties tics of patriotic oratory and the day has been celebrated with mere noise The prophecy of John Adams has come true The day is celebrated with pomp and parade with shows games sports guns bells bonfires and Illuminations from one end of ot the country to the other Oratory prayer and praise are arc forgotten and the old time decorous celebration of the day has seemingly passed away forever It should not b bo be taken from this that there was no noise connected with the early celebrations Quite Quito the contrary Salutes of ot guns were fired bells were rung and in the evening evening evening eve eve- ning tar barrels were burned but there was not the tho continuous I succession sion slon of noises which mark the celebration celebration celebration cele cele- bration today Nor was there any list of ot dead and Injured on the day following Nearly every resident of a n city who can do so goes out of town to to avoid the noise of the Fourth Just the reverse reverse reverse re re- re- re verse was true of the early celebrations The first big celebration was held in Boston Doston in 1779 All the vessels vessels ves ves- sels in tho the harbor fired salutes In the morning and the day was given up to oratory prayer and praise Societies s end and organizations held banquets at noon and in the evening and the celebration cele cele- bration was concluded with the burnIng burning burn burn- Ing of tar barrels and more salutes harbor rom from the ships In the Ear Early y in the nineteenth century fire fire- works began to have a place in lq the celebration These were harmless and simple compared with the nerve shat explosives which are put on the market today Not only were they less dangerous and noisy but their use was restricted to a comparatively small number of people Those who were unable to get fireworks fireworks got out but their muskets and shot them off oft Others fired improvised cannons Even blacksmiths got out their anvils and by placing powder In little holes were able ahle to touch It off oft so that It made a satisfactory amount of ot noise With the increase of the noise came the decrease in the patriotic orations and prayers Before the fiftieth celebration celebration cele cele- bration of the day had been observed noise had almost entirely supplanted oratory The question today Is how should the Fourth of July be celebrated The manner In which it Is celebrated many declare is not In entire keeping with the spirit of the day nor the comfort and pleasure of ot the majority of citizens Those who would reform the manner manner man man- ner of celebration say the day should be kept not so much In remembrance of the feats of American arms as for forthe forthe forthe the spirit of liberty and progress It should be a true festival without forgetting for getting the claims of the young There should be civic banquets gatherIngs gatherings gatherings gath gath- at which the progress made in inan n nall all an lines during the past year could be reviewed There should be oratory and speeches In every community with an effort to make the celebration more like the early observances There should be processions but they should be less military In character character character char char- acter than formerly And quite as important there should be no monster monster mon mono ster concerts and entertainments where nobody has a n good time but divers assemblages where every everyone one can enjoy himself The day should be ushered in with martial music and sufficient military display to be De In keeping with the spirit of the occasion occasion occasion occa occa- sion but hut orations feasts and banquets banquets ban ban- exercises for children and public public public pub pub- lic gatherings should be the real features features features fea fea- tures of the celebration In the evening evening eve eve- ning ping there should be fireworks the less noisy noise and the more spectacular the better When the day Is celebrated In this way there will be no occasion for people people people peo peo- of refined taste and sensitive nerves to leave the city to escape the noise and crowds say the reformers In fact the celebration proposed will attract rather than disperse them And If It Maxims Maxim's new noiseless gun Is adopted there is no reason why the problem of a safe and sane Fourth cannot be bo solved for all an time I |