thirteen guns and ringing of church-bells, followed by a procession and
exchange of courtesies between the Governor and the President. Then came
the march to church, where odes, addresses, anthems, and orations were in
order with, of course, the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Next, luncheon, with more salutes and bell-ringing and then, evening
having come, performances in theaters and gardens and the meeting of
various patriotic societies. Everything connected with the performances
was patriotically reminiscent. In the gardens, transparencies and
fireworks portrayed temples of immortality, obelisks of heroes, and
figures of Justice, Fidelity, Fame, and Piety, all radiantly intermingled
with shining pictures of Washington and of the Arms of the United
States, with its brilliant stars, while at the theater, patriotic plays
were given, such as “Bunker Hill” or the “Death of Warren and the Glory
of Columbia” or the “Retrospect of the American Revolution.” This all
refers to New York, but it is probable that virtually the same observance
obtained in other large cities.
Let us now consider what might be substituted for our present-day mad
and dangerous celebration, which serves only to keep in remembrance one
feature of our great struggle, the cannonading and musketry-discharges
which shook the country during the arduous days of its birth. I sincerely
believe that our national birthday can be observed with heartfelt
patriotic rejoicing, and yet without the slightest danger to life or
limb, without any nerve-racking noise or display of hoodlumism, and
without any of the extravagant outlay which has characterized our former
celebrations. Flags can float, national music be played and sung in
places now given over solely to the deafening din of cannon firecrackers,
the Declaration of Independence be read at all of our public buildings,
where inspiring addresses may also be made, and street-displays, such
as processions with floats, beautiful as well as instructive, furnish
delightful object-lessons of the greatest events in our history. Then,
at night, we may have illuminations, both private and municipal, and
displays of fireworks in open places, where the exhibitions can be
conducted by experienced men, thus avoiding all danger of the shocking
accidents which now sadden our celebration. Let us, on this day, forget
the noise of battle and the passions of international strife, and
remember only the wonderful spirit of sacrifice, and patriotism, and
brotherhood which animated our Revolutionary heroes. Let us, who know
what the day means, endeavor to make it both memorable and illuminating
to those who do not, by opening the hearts of the children, of the poor
and ignorant, of the distressed and disheartened alien within our gates,
to at least a partial significance of what we honor in our glorious
festival. Let us enter personally into the work, giving tender endeavor
as well as means to the task of making the occasion the happiest of all
the year to the ignorant and the wretched. Let us give them a day of
liberty in the country or in the parks, where they will see our beautiful
flag floating everywhere about them, and where their untrained ears will
become accustomed to the ringing rhythm of our national melodies. Let
us give them mementos of the Fourth, such as flags and pictures of our
heroes and of those whom we love as well as honor. There let them listen
to the story of the birth of our Republic, and have it told simply and,
if necessary, in their own tongues, so that all can feel how great were
those who made the country free, and how wonderful is the boon of liberty
now extended to the oppressed of other countries.
A SAFE AND SANE FOURTH OF JULY
BY HENRY LITCHFIELD WEST
(From _The Forum_, August, 1909.)
A little more than a year ago the _Century Magazine_ contained a
vigorous and convincing article by Mrs. Isaac L. Rice, entitled “Our
Barbarous Fourth.” It was a protest against a condition of affairs in the
United States which had long attracted attention but which no one, up to
that time, had criticised in such emphatic terms. “The grim statistics
of the Fourth of July,” said the article, “probably furnish a sadder
commentary of human folly than that afforded by any other celebration in
the world.”...
It is true that a few thoughtful people had in more or less nonchalant
manner observed the terrible toll of death and injury which the evil
celebration of the day demanded. Quite a number of newspapers—notably
the _Chicago Tribune_—were questioning the wisdom of a method which
in one day had resulted in the death of 164 people, and the injury of
nearly 5,000. “How can any satisfaction,” asked the _New York Tribune_,
“be taken in the perversion of a holiday to purposes of disorder and
destruction, and how can any pride be felt in methods of observance which
inevitably condemn hundreds—if not thousands—to be shot, burned, maimed,
and otherwise disfigured and tortured in propitiation of the great god of
senseless uproar?” The _St. Paul Pioneer Press_ deplored the fact that a
day which ought to be the most enjoyable in the calendar had become a day
of general carnage; while the _New York Commercial_ characterized the
popular celebration as ridiculous and senseless.
Notwithstanding these occasional utterances of truth, which indicated a
growing sentiment, the fact is, that at the time of the appearance of
“Our Barbarous Fourth” there was only one city in the country wherein any
curb had been placed upon the insensate and reckless custom of observing
the Fourth of July with dynamite and gunpowder. The cemeteries and the
hospitals were claiming their victims and yet no one in authority seemed
courageous enough to call a halt for fear of being charged with lack of
patriotism. I believe, however, that the article in question appeared at
the psychological moment. It was so straightforward in its presentation
of the facts, so earnest in its appeal and so logical in its assertion
that there were numerous sensible ways of celebrating our national
holiday, that it made a profound impression everywhere. At any rate, the
fact is, that before that article appeared only one city in the country
had prohibited the sale and explosion of fireworks, while within a short
period after it had been printed the authorities in several cities took
radical action along the lines therein suggested. It is no exaggeration
to say that within the next ten years the old barbarous Fourth of July
will have entirely disappeared, and it is also within the bounds of
accurate statement to add that the one greatest individual factor in
accomplishing the much-needed reform is the author of the _Century_
article.
All this is by way of preface to the fact that the experiment of a safe
and sane Fourth of July was tried this year in the National Capital;
and in the belief that its details will prove of general interest, they
are herewith recorded. If, as now seems to be the case, we are on the
verge of a revolution in the customs which have been in vogue for half a
century, the methods by which the change is to be accomplished are not
without their value and significance.
The celebration of the national holiday in the capital a year ago had
been marked by so many accidents and fires that some protest against the
indiscriminate use of fireworks was uttered, and the Commissioners who
govern the city declared themselves in published interviews in favor of
a safer and saner observance of the day. No definite action was taken,
however, until last November, when the question became acute because
hundreds of dealers in fireworks in the city were naturally anxious
to know whether they would be permitted to handle explosives. Inquiry
of other cities brought forth the fact that Cleveland had already
enacted an ordinance forbidding the sale and discharge of fireworks,
and a copy of this ordinance was secured. In Washington, as ought to be
generally known, there is no common council or board of aldermen, but
all regulations governing the municipality are promulgated by the three
Commissioners under authority delegated to them by Congress. The question
whether Washington should undertake the experiment of a non-explosive
Fourth rested, therefore, with these three men, and it did not take
them long to reach their conclusion. One of them had, more than a year
previously, formally expressed his sympathy with the object sought to be
attained by the opponents of the barbarous Fourth, and his colleagues
were, happily, of the same opinion. In November, therefore, eight months
before the arrival of the holiday, the following regulation was enacted:
“No firecracker, squib, or other fireworks of any kind shall
be sold and delivered, discharged or set off within the city
of Washington, or the fire limits of the District of Columbia,
or in the more densely populated portions of said District;
provided, however, on occasions of public celebration and
exhibition fireworks may be discharged or set off on special
permits issued by the Commissioners defining the time,
place, storage and such other conditions to be observed in
reference thereto as they may deem necessary to the public
safety. No gun, air gun, rifle, air rifle, pistol, revolver,
or other firearm, cannon or torpedo shall be discharged or
set off within the city of Washington, or the fire limits of
the District of Columbia, without a special written permit
therefor from the Major and Superintendent of Police, nor
within five hundred yards of the Potomac River, Eastern
Branch, or Anacostia River, Rock Creek, or any public road,
highway, school-house, building or buildings, shed, barn,
outhouse, public park, reservation, graveyard or burial place,
playground, golf course, tennis court, picnic ground, camp
ground, or any place where people are accustomed to congregate,
inclosure for stock, railroad track, outside of such fire
limits for the District of Columbia, without the written
consent of the owner or occupant thereof and a special written
permit from the Major and Superintendent of Police.”
No law or regulation can, however, be effective unless it is sustained
by public sentiment. The Commissioners were fortunate in securing the
voluntary and enthusiastic support of the members of the Board of Trade
and the Chamber of Commerce, the representative local organizations,
and, in general, the citizenship of the capital was favorably disposed
to the new order of things. Committees were formed for the purpose of
providing two patriotic public entertainments, one in the morning to
consist of the reading of the Declaration of Independence and appropriate
addresses, and the other to include a fine display of fireworks at
night upon the ellipse south of the White House. The funds for the
latter were promptly supplied by public subscription, and the affair was
managed most successfully by a volunteer committee, no less than forty
thousand people witnessing the display. In the meantime, the residents of
various sections of the District undertook to uphold sympathetically the
Commissioners by devising their own collective celebrations. In Cleveland
Park, an attractive suburban district, there was a public meeting
with a programme of fireworks handled by experts, while Bloomingdale,
another well-settled section, enjoyed a day of athletic sports,
speeches and aerial fireworks. In short, the people of the District of
Columbia cheerfully accepted the proclamation, which was issued by the
Commissioners, inviting attention to the police regulations which had
been adopted “to provide against the dangers incident to the manner of
observing the Fourth of July and Christmas, which previously prevailed,”
and appealing “to the people of the District of Columbia heartily to
second their efforts by observing and counseling the observance of these
regulations.”
Nor were the entertainments already mentioned the only forms of
celebration. The _Washington Post_ conceived the idea of an automobile
floral-flag parade, and this event proved to be a genuine spectacular
and artistic success. There were over a hundred motor cars in line, and
the decorations were extremely novel and pleasing. One automobile was
reconstructed into an accurate representation of the Confederate ram
_Merrimac_, and was manned by young men in sailor costumes; another was
converted into a yacht with masts and sails; another was a floral boat
apparently drawn by an enormous white swan; and still another was in
the form of a pergola, decorated with wistaria vines and blossoms. An
electric machine which elicited the applause of the thousands who lined
the route of parade was apparently a huge wicker basket of pink roses, in
the center of which and surmounted by a canopy of roses was seated the
lady who operated the car. Another electric machine was a symphony in
red, white and blue. Altogether, the event proved to be a most unique and
beautiful celebration, and the committee of artists who awarded the cups
and other prizes, valued at $1,500, was confronted by a most difficult
task of selection. When it is considered that the affair was the first
of its kind in the National Capital, and was merely suggested as one
form of rational enjoyment, its successful execution occasioned deserved
felicitation, and when it is repeated next year, as it will be, the
national holiday will be made literally a day of delight.
The real value, however, of the experiment in the National Capital still
remains to be recorded. Instead of a long list of dead and injured,
there was not a single gunpowder accident in the city, and the two minor
alarms of fire were not occasioned by explosives. The contrast between
the recent Fourth of July celebration and those of previous years, is
strikingly shown in the following figures:
Number of persons treated at local hospitals for injuries from explosives:
July 4, July 5,
HOSPITAL. 1908. 1909.
Emergency 25 0
Casualty 6 0
Freedmen’s 5 0
Georgetown 10 0
Providence 0 0
Homeopathic 52 0
Children’s 2 0
--- ---
Totals 104 0
Before the Fourth there was some division of opinion as to the outcome;
after the Fourth the public sentiment was practically unanimous as to the
humanity and wisdom of a safe and sane celebration. This sentiment found
editorial expression in the daily newspapers, and those communities which
are considering the advisability of abolishing the dangerous customs of
the past, might with great profit read these comments. They are here
incorporated almost in their entirety:
_Washington Herald_:
Having celebrated the Fourth of July in a safe and sane manner,
it is reasonably sure that Washington will not hereafter
entertain the thought of going back to the stereotyped, unsafe,
and insane way of observing the anniversary of the country’s
independence. It is true that the day, for the most part, was
so quiet as to be almost Sabbathlike; but, thanks to an ideally
delightful spell of weather, every hour, from dawn until the
night festivities concluded, was full of wholesome enjoyment.
A welcome relief it was, indeed, to be spared the affliction
of the ear-splitting firecracker and toy cannon nuisance and
kindred evils that made other Fourths so hideous. And a more
welcome relief still is the knowledge to-day that Washington,
at least, has not a long hospital list of maimed and suffering
victims of the reckless use of explosives.
_Washington Times_:
On the day following the Fourth, it will be difficult to
find many people who will not give their approval to the
innovation. Nobody’s home was burned up, nobody succeeded in
killing himself or his neighbor; there are no incipient cases
of lockjaw under observation. The tendency to those other
forms of disorder which grow out of indulgence in the cup that
cheers—and perhaps deafens—was less marked than ever before.
The police and the hospitals alike had an easy time of it. Not
a single accident worthy the name, of the distinctive variety
which has made Independence Day an occasion of carnage and
terror, took place in Washington. That is a remarkable record.
Safety and sanity, in short, vindicated themselves to
perfection. Promiscuous noise was simply impossible because of
the strict prohibition of the sale and use of fireworks and
other abominations in the racket-making line. Altogether, it
was a glorious day, and it is sincerely to be hoped that it
will come in similar fashion once per annum, and in time lead
people to a cheerful ability honestly to rejoice that their
country did attain its freedom.
Papers in unsafe and insane communities please copy.
_Washington Star_:
After yesterday’s experience it is doubtful whether Washington
will ever return to the old customs of Independence Day
celebrations. The “safe and sane” Fourth idea was carried out
in a manner to please practically the entire community, to
give some form of entertainment to the greatest possible number
throughout the day, without contributing a single accident of
any kind to the records.
Taken in detail, yesterday’s celebration features were
calculated to please all classes. For those who wished to dwell
seriously upon the patriotic aspect of the occasion there was
the open-air meeting, where exercises appropriate to the day
were held. For the children there was no lack of amusement,
with the daylight fireworks diverting them on three different
occasions. The floral automobile parade was a novelty that drew
large numbers to the line, while the day was appropriately
closed with an exceptional exhibition of fireworks, concluding
with the illumination of Pennsylvania Avenue.
An ideal day in overhead conditions, yesterday afforded the
best opportunity to try the new idea of Independence Day
celebration. In consequence of all the arrangements and
restrictions there was a remarkable lack of noise from morning
till night. There were no fires and the hospital ambulance was
less busy even than on ordinary occasions. The policemen had an
easy time, being occupied chiefly in preserving lines at the
various points of congregation. There was a noteworthy lack of
public intoxication. In short, Washington demonstrated that it
can enjoy itself in a dignified, decent manner.
With the experience of yesterday in mind, the authorities
and citizens who engage in such enterprises can proceed next
year to organize an Independence Day celebration that will be
even better. It has been proved that it is possible to stop
the promiscuous discharge of firecrackers and other forms of
explosives. This is in itself an immense advantage. There is no
reason to doubt the ability of the Commissioners to maintain
order in the same manner next year. It may be suggested that
the 1910 programme should include more public music of a
patriotic character at intervals during the day and that the
chief feature of the occasion be some form of historic pageant.
In the face of this splendid and sensible record, it is appalling to read
the reports from other cities. The death of Arthur Granville Langham,
uncle of the Baroness von Sternberg, which occurred in Louisville, as the
result of the explosion of a cannon cracker, was especially tragic, but
the occurrences in other municipalities are none the less sad because the
victims were not as prominent in social and financial circles. Here are
some of the figures:
NEW YORK. Five killed, 197 injured by fireworks, 82 injured
by pistols, 23 injured by cannons and 3 injured by torpedoes;
also, 116 fires started by explosives. Notwithstanding this
list of victims, one of the most prominent New York papers
remarked that New York had broken all records for a safe and
sane Fourth of July.
PHILADELPHIA. Five dead, 3 fatally injured, 8 seriously injured
and 420 painfully injured; 80 fires.
ST. LOUIS. Four dead, 205 injured.
WILKESBARRE, PA. Four dead.
PITTSBURG. One dead, 295 injured; fire loss, $50,000.
MEMPHIS, TENN. A crippled newsboy burned to death.
WHEELING, W. VA. One dead, 50 injured.
BUFFALO. Fifteen children injured, 40 fires.
BOSTON. One hundred and ten persons injured.
TOLEDO. Boy’s left hand necessarily amputated and a
fifteen-year-old boy blinded for life.
KANSAS CITY. One death from lockjaw.
ELMIRA, N. Y. Two deaths from lockjaw.
WOONSOCKET, R. I. One dead and a dozen persons injured.
Other cities, without regard to section, afford a painful repetition
of casualty. It seems strange that this annual holocaust should be
tolerated. There is not a civilized country in the world which pays such
a fearful debt to alleged patriotism as the United States. There is no
question as to the devotion of the Japanese to their country, and yet
their three national holidays are not marred by sad fatalities. Germany
celebrates the Emperor’s birthday with the greatest enthusiasm, but
without wholesale death and injury. France is patriotic, and yet France
observes its festal days in a safe and sane fashion. In the City of
Mexico, as the writer knows by personal experience, the celebration of
Independence Day is a great popular success, and yet not one firecracker
is exploded. The experiment in Washington demonstrates that dynamite and
gunpowder are not essential to a thorough and patriotic enjoyment of the
day. Surely the time will come when other cities will appreciate the
importance of celebrating in some manner which will appropriately mark
the day, and yet not leave a sanguinary trail of dead and wounded.
It goes without saying that the safe and sane method will not be
departed from in the National Capital. In that city, at least, there
will be an example of common sense which other municipalities might well
emulate. There will be ample opportunity for the expression of patriotic
sentiment, unaccompanied by death and disaster, and in less than a
decade the people will look back to the ancient and barbarous customs,
and wonder how they were ever tolerated for a single hour. Next year new
methods of entertainment will be devised, and more consideration will
be given to the children. This year the pupils of the public schools
sang patriotic songs at the various gatherings, and the children enjoyed
the automobile parade and the fireworks. The Fourth of July, however,
is essentially Young America’s day, and in any programme arranged by a
municipality especial consideration should be given to the little ones.
With this detail not overlooked, there will be no question of the real
success of any Fourth of July celebration. Certainly the experiment which
the National Capital has successfully inaugurated has proven worth while;
and if the example is generally followed by other cities, there will
be safety and sanity everywhere, nor need the splendid fervency of our
full-blooded patriotism suffer loss.
THE NEW INDEPENDENCE DAY
BY HENRY B. F. MACFARLAND AND RICHARD B. WATROUS
(As Observed at Washington, D. C., 1909.)