Show v 4 BY A boutrin BOUt nin WRITER timo tim brings its changes and we old fellows fellows are prone to think tile the former things were better than those that now exist one fact is ig evident that as tho the years pass people pet get further farther away from tho the enthusiasm and abandon that marked the celebration of the everto ever to be glorious fourth of july whether the th e calm dignity the commonplace picnics or 0 seeming indifference of the present be as inspiring as the commemoration me demor eions a of other days let the reader determine when he be shall have perused what hat follows ali ah h how diw 0 fresh in memory is the fourth of july of fity 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 aties and probabilities of the occasion the pro gramme usually began as early as the hour of one in the morning mornine v lien hen every church bell the city hall and the court house hoube bells tank tang out clanging and clai Jung 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 ix is TUB FOURTH the th e bell towers without the consent ot of the th e officials in charge of the same with the firt first notes of the many toned b bells c ills 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 armed arrael with a flintlock flint lock horse ten pistol a musket of the revolution or a gre great t bore shotgun loud and yet load louder e r the firearms hashed flashed for a ah enthusiasm grew the charges of powder became larger until it would seem that the guns must surely burst while tile the bells bella clanged and the sharp reports rang out in the darkness childish voices thrilled with patriotic songs conga that fired the hearts of the one or two tw yet living soldiers of the revolution in alm almost at every southern as well as northern town and made them think afresh of t cowpens coppens and yorktown so rang the bells bella and so fired the guns until sunbeams sms began to dance upon the church steeples St when urchins and adults betook retook themselves horn home to has ba my wallow their breakfasts then followed firecrackers firecracker galore everybody Tery body men and women joining in the aport apart being continued through out ut the day and until midnight the ceremonies onies which began at eleven dock included a real oration all afire with patriotism the reading of the declaration De and enlivening music and onga the uniformed militia as well as the od paraded the streets follo followed w d by an innumerable procession le 1 I 0 of admirers of all ages and both exes the negro slaves queer travesty upon light and knowledge entered into the spirit of the occasion just as heartily as though the declaration included them to ia the birthright squal quality ity A ragamuffin parade was an le accompaniment of the day follow fellow ag close after the barbecue rom which nobody was excluded here her everyone ate his hie fill tb otley crew made up of men in pill all lanner of disguises rode or drove al lannor of incongruous cres creatures tures allied ailed into requisition every kind attic trap broken down conveyance no roam an so poor that he might V fet d drunk uk on the fourth whisky serve erred d in the ladle and without fatic faucet et direct from the barrel the night was ushered in by a central bonfire fed by tar barrels barr elb de seated outhouses out houses lumber mild all man ner of combustibles everybody shot off fireworks and no one was un gappy as long the blaze burned acci outs were plentiful but no one em and the events of the day ning afforded ample food for foe ip until the next fourth came cam nd lid |