The Inola Register. (Inola, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 2, 1914 Page: 2 of 8
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INOLA. OXLA., REGISTER
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OLD CMMLO
LIBE1TY
NTIL the year 1776 the historic
shrine of American liberty In Phila-
delphia was known as the State
house; but after that It was called
Independence hall. Thousands have
made their reverent pilgrimage
thither from distant places as to a
sacred shrine, and yet a great many
are unfamiliar with the history of
the most famous edifice in America. They may
not know that it was begun in 1729 and finished
tn 1734, and that in those days the plan of it
was considered so palatially ambitious that its
building was bitterly opposed by those who, like
John Gilpin's wife, were of a frugal mind. The
cost waa $16,250, and the wings that were added
live years afterward brought the total amount to
$28,000. Doubtless there were many who dubious-
ly shook their heads at the extravagance. What
would they have thought of a city hall occupying
several acres and costing $24,000,000?
Although in the immediately pre-§evolutlonary
days the purpose to which Independence hall
■was put was serious enough, the long gallery
upstairs had often been the scene of "revelry
by night" before those times that tried men's
souls. In 1736 the mayor, William Allen. Invited
most of Philadelphia to a feast; in 1756 the as-
sembly gave Governor Denny a most pretentious
banquet; and again, In 1757, Lord Loudon, com-
mander-in-chief of his majesty's forces In Amer-
ica, was lavishly entertained, and the uninvited
grumbled at the outlay.
When the first congress met In Philadelphia,
In 1774, there was a "sumptuous collation" in
the State house, attended by 500 persons, and
«s they drank their toasts cannon were fired, as
happened in the case of Hamlet's unamiable
father. The same hall that was the scene of
these elaborate banquets became the prison of
the American officers captured in the battle of
Germantown, and after the bloody field of Brandy-
wine it was a hospital.
It was In this building that Washington de-
livered his memorable farewell address; Lafay-
ette was the guest of honor here at a reception
in 1824; and here the bodies of John Adams and
Abraham Lincoln lay In state.
Thus it will be seen that the social and historic
associations of the edifice are Innumerable, leav-
ing out of the reckoning what happened there on
the Fourth of July, 1776.
The signers of the Declaration came near not
having a bell to announce their epoch-making
resolution to the world. As soon as the building
was completed, in 1734. it was planned to boy a
bell commensurate with the dignity of the new
State house. Then the advocates of economy—
or parsimony—arose in their might and fought
the project tooth and nail, representing that the
"great cost of the State house had Imposed a
heavy tax upon the citizens and further expendi-
ture was useless." After several years of more
or less acrimonious debate It was decided to have
a bell; and It was then discovered that there was
not a foundry In the colonies capable of fashion-
ing it, the repressive policy of parliament hav-
ing well-nigh destroyed manufacturing enterprise
tin the new world. So the colonists had to send
to London for a bell, giving specific directions
as to the dimensions—the weight was 2,030
pounds.
When at last It arrived, in 1752, it waa more
than a nine days' wonder; the Pennsylvania farm-
ers flocked to the wharf from far Inland to ac-
claim Its arrival. It proved all that any reason-
able mortal could want In the way of a tlnttnnab-
ulum. Its tones were far-carrying and sweet-
ly musical, and all true-born Phlladelphlans (In-
cluding those who had opposed the expense)
were proud of It Alas! as It waa being trans-
ported with festal ceremony from the waters
edge to the Intended site In the belfry seme ner-
toos weakling gave way beneath his comer of
•the ton of metal and the ben fell to the ground
>and was mortally Injured. It had to be recast,
<and Isaac Norris, who snpeHateaded the opera-
lion. snnounced with pride that the result was
"a good bell, wMch pleases me much that we
should first venture upon and succeed In the
greatest bell, tor aught I know, la English Amer-
tea—surpassing, too. the imported one. which waa
too high and brittle -
The great occasion In the life of the Liberty
Bell waa not due to arrive until M yean after-
* It was on the lMk of May, 171$. that the
sbly prt toeti endues to (to
W527BT mir&Vir l)£LIKE7in> If/6
•fJU&WZU, ADMV&J "
gates In congress to present to that body s reso-
lution In favor of the flighty schism from Eng-
land, and the formal declaration of the colonies'
independence. Richard Henry Lee on the 7th of
June arose and solemnly moved that "the united
colonies are, and ought to be, free and Independ-
ent states, and that their political connection
with Great Britain is and ought to be dissolved."
John Adams of Massachusetts seconded the reso-
lution, and thereupon a long and vehement debate
began. It was adopted by the closest possible
majority—seven colonies giving it their approval,
six voting In the negative.
A committee was then appointed to draw up
the Declaration. Its members were Benjamin
Franklin, John Adams. Thomas Jefferson. Roger
Sherman and Robert R. Livingston.
The committee reported the result of Its de-
liberations on June 28, the other members of con-
gress in the interim having bestirred themselves
to learn the wishes of their constituents.
Thomas Jefferson, as every one knows, was
the author of the Declaration. He wrote
it in a house at the present site of 700
Market street, now occupied by the
Penn National bank building, and the
very desk on which the immortal docu-
ment was drafted is now in the library
of the state department In Washington.
It is not necessary to quote the sol-
emn language of the Magna Charta of
our American liberties. It was accepted
almost as it came from Jefferson's hands, though
a few passages were expunged which. It was
feared, might give offense to America's much-
needed friends In the mother country.
On-the Fourth of July all the delegates except
those of New York (whose representatives signed
a few days later) had appended their names to
the document and had pledged their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor In the cause of
liberty. Then came the moment for the Song of
the Bell—a song whose reverberations shall not
cease till the last page of American history has
been written.
Truly prophetic was the biblical motto which
Isaac Norris Is said to have chosen for the bell:
"Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all
the inhabitants thereof." And rapturously did
the assembled multitude and the distant patriots
receive the announcement of the bell, that at
last the 13 colonies had become the 13 United
States, and the days of the dominion of the for-
eign oppreasor were forever past.
LAST FOURTH OF JULY
Last Fourth of July I was only six,
A reg'lar little chump.
I got Into a dreadful fix.
You see there was a stump
In our back yard, where I used to play
All sorts of things alone;
On Sundays 'twas a pulpit.
On week days 'twas a throne.
I was preacher Sundays,
And the pickets on the fence
Were the people that I preached to.
But I didn't preach no Bense.
On other days I was a king.
The pickets were my people.
I wore a golden paper crown
All pointed like a steeple.
Well. Fourth of July my cousin Bob
Came from the great big town.
With crackers, punk and fireworks
To do the Fourth up brown.
I told him how I was a king.
He Is bigger some than me.
And he said we would have a siege.
The stump would be my fort.
And he would try to blow It up.
He said 'twas lots of sport.
Bo I got up upon the stump.
And the crsckers In s row
He piled up thick sround ths foot.
You should have heard It blow!
The stump cnught lire, I lost my besd.
My father carried me to bod.
1 stayed In bed s long, long time.
All bandaged—'twasnt run.
I'm big this ysar—yon needn't smile.
I'm not so big a champ.
And If *o have another siege
Bob can sit on the stump.
vices that a pretty little luncheon or piazza sup-
per Is r comparatively easy thing to prepare.
Of course, the red, white and blue predominates
and tfie symbols of the patriotic Fourth are re-
produced In cardboard and paper with such real-
istic effect that the candy counters tn the large
department stores seem to hsve changed their
usual stock for s supply of fireworks.
There are most natural looking packages of
firecrackers with the ususl Chinese paper covers
and glaring, red posters. The contents sre red
candy sticks for all the world like the real flro-
cracker. There are candy boxes In the form of
Roman candles, plnwbeels. large cannon crackers,
etc., all of which will make good souvenirs of the
occasion. Crape paper Is used for a greater va-
riety of boxes and baskets than ever and very
pretty and fanciful little devices are on hand,
mostly In red, white and blue.
Red paper forts hold up warlike little cannons,
keeping guard over the supply of candy stored
within; the Liberty bell Is reproduced In crape
paper, and other Ideas, all suggestive of the great
event of "7«.
The paper manufacturers have tablecloths and
napkins ornamented with American flags, and
flags In all slses sre found made of crape paper
and attached to wooden sticks. Those In paper
are a little more attractive than the ordinary stiff
muslin affairs. The candelabra, too. may be tn
the spirit of the event with Its red. white and
blue candle shade, and altogether without much
trouble or expense a table may be fitted up which
will be patriotic enough In Its appearance to satis-
fy the stanchest of admirers of Uncle Sam an#
Old Glory.
INDEPENDENCE DAY FAVORS DISPLAY OF
THE RED. WHITE AND BLUE.
Warm weather doss not in the least latarffsre
with the plana of the maid who la amblttoas
enough to entertain a coterie of Mends at aome
kind of an sad-of thsseason festival; aad tfce ap-
proaching Independence day holiday admits of so
of nervstUes m
FOUND BROTHER AY LA8Y.
Beggar—Kind sir, could yon help s brother
Mason. Odd Fellow. Elk. Moose, Bsgle, Owl or
Forester?
Pssserby—I belong to noss of them
Beggar—Ah. don. could yon help a fellow
Methodist, Baptist, catholic. Episcopal or Pro*
byterlaa?
Passerby—I belong to nous of them
Beggnr—Ah, don. shnke haads and assist a
feller SoctaMat and upliftsr In distress.
FATAL WORD*.
SOME WRINKLES OF
RAM'S HORN BROWN
Philosopher Dsllvsrs Himself of a Few
<fcms of Thought and Humor En>
gendered by the Nation's
Natal Day.
w
HAT the country will "be after
a while will depend upon what
we are teaching ths children
Ths nation that forgets Its post will
never have much of a future.
The Puritan came to this country
mors than a hundred years ahead of
the mule and did all the kicking until
the mule arrived.
Without the dreamers of yesterday
the world would not have been aa wide
awfcke as It Is today.
If there Is a day In the year when we
have a God-given right to swell up
and brag on ourselves It is the Fourth
of July.
The man who Is not proud that he
Is an American when he hears the
rockets slzs and sees the plnwbeels
go Is a disgrace to his sex.
Without castles In the air there
would never have been any palaces
on the ground.
Let us not forget the Puritan moth
ere. They not only endured all that
the Pilgrim fathers endured, but also
endured the Pilgrim fathers.
What we would put Into the life of
the nation we muBt first put into the
mind of the child.
Every boy should be taught that he
must sign his own declaration of in
dependence, and fight his own revolU'
tionary war.
We are what we are today because
we did unto our neighbor what he
wanted to do unto us—and did It
first.
A BOSTON DOG
The Cat—I heard 'em hollering "mad
dog" at you awhile ago. Are you
mad?
The Dog—No; only irritated.
"Ever hear fro* that coUs** chum of yom
who went to Colorado r*
"Oh. he's dead, poor cfcap. Ho amy be said to
hove talked hlmeeir to death. "
"What do rm menar
"He sailed
FOURTH OF JULY.
Though contented we roam all the rest of
the year
Amid palaces over the foam.
O, there la one day when American hearts
Turn fondly to country and home!
The ivy clad abbeys and caatlea and
tombs
Are seen through a tear in the eye
When'the calendar points to that glorious
date.
The Fourth of July.
We know from the pines on the Kenne-
bec's banks
To the live oaks. In mantles of gray,
On the Indian river, the land of the free
Is everywhere keeping the day.
From the walls of the mansion and cot-
tnge alike
In the breezes of summertime fly
The star studded folds of the red, while
and blue.
On Fourth of July.
Bo let cannons and cracks and pistols
and drama
And plnwheels and rockets that soar.
With booming and bunting and rattle
and bang
And sputter and whis and uproar.
Proclaim we are glad we were born In a
land
The best that is under the sky
And are proud of that truly American
day.
The Fourth of July.
—Minna Irving In I^eslle's Weekly.
Electrical Fourth.
The proposed substitution of elec-
tried Illuminations on the Fourth of
July In place of the old fashion of
fireworks is an excellent one. asserts
the New York World. It will be not
only saner and safer bat more large-
ly enjoyable by the greater part of
population. Moreover, It has wonder-
ful possibilities, tyen In the distort-
ed freaks of electrleal designs used In
advertising we can perceive the
chances of developing a really new art
out of the light that electricity has
pnt at our disposal.
There Is no limit to the variety of
colors, shades and tints that can be
produced. Consequently if skill and
taste sad a fairly liberal allowance of
money be at the command of the com-
mittee having charge of the celebra-
tion It would be quits practicable to
produce in different parts of the city
a series of Illuminations that would
be something more than a mere nov-
elty. Moreover, a scheme of this n«d
once well begun will advance and im-
prove with the years. By sod by New
York's FOurtk of July Illuminations
might become as world-famous as oace
were those of BL Peter's at Rome on
Caster night
WOMEN WHO HELPED
TO FREE COUNTRY
Numerous Instances Whsrs ths Wive*
and Daughters of Patriots Showed
Themselves Worthy a Share
of the Glory.
WOMEN gave their services In
manifold ways during the Rev-
olutionary war. Elizabeth
Zane, at the siege of Fort Flncastlo—
later Fort Henry—on the present slto
of Wheeling. W. Va., crossed a ion*
of fire swept by the rifles of 500 sav-
ages carrying an apronful of powder
from an auxiliary blockhouse to tho
main works, the fresh supply of am-
munition saving the garrison from tho
necessity of aurrender.
Catherine Schuyler, wife of the fa-
mous general, set fire to a vast acre-
age of wheat fields on the Schuyler
estate to prevent them from falling
into the hands of Burgoyne upon kin
advance from Fort Edward to Sara-
toga.
Mrs. Esther Reed of Philadelphia
defied the British, who were at that
time in possession of her home city,
by clothing and raising funds for tho
American army at Valley Forge. Upon
her death the work was continued by
Mrs. Sarah Bache, daughter of Ben-
jamin Franklin. Hundreds of other
Philadelphia women secretly co-oper-
ated.
The wives of most of the command-
ing generals—notably Martha Wash-
ington and Mrs. Nathaniel Greene—
accompanied their husbands in every
campaign, and did everything in their
power to alleviate the hardships of
the soldiery. Mrs. Washington even
went through the cruel winter at Val-
ley Forge, where her ministrations
are said to have saved many lives.
Still other women went into British
prisons and prieon ships to save the
sick and wounded American prisoners.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jackson, mother of
Andrew Jackson, In fact, died from
prison fever contracted while engaged
in this work of mercy among the
American captives at Charleston.
Mary Draper Invented the pewter
bullet, which came Into use after the
supply of lead was exhausted, and
thousands of patriotic women the
country over surrendered their prize
pewter utensils to be melted up for
ammunition.
Mrs. Rebecca Motte, whose splendid
mansion between Charleston and Cam-
den, S. C„ was turned into a fort by
the British, Instructed the besieging
Americans to set the structure afire
by shooting blazing arrows on to the
roof. The result was that the British
were smoked out, though the mansion
Itself was reduced to ashes.
But the most blcarre service of all
was rendered by Handy Betty Hager,
known also as Betty the Blacksmith,
who refitted guns and artillery for the
patriotic armies. Betty was a natural
mechanic, whose latent abilities were
developed In the employ of Samuel
Leverett, a blacksmith-farmer living
near Boston.
Prior to the battle of Concord, tho
patriots of the surrounding country
had been preparing themselves for the
conflict for months. Guns of all typeo
—matchlocks, flintlocks, smoothbores,
blunderbusses and what not, some of
which had not seen service for three
or four generations—came piling Into
the Leverett shop, and while LeveretC
himself could be observed by any
passing tory to be busily engaged in
shoeing horses, his unsuspected assist-
ant was working In a secret chamber
making the neighbors' antiquated old
firearms serviceable once more.
Betty kept up this volunteer work
throughout the whole course of the
war, never accepting a single copper
for her labor. To Betty and her em-
ployer, likewise, belongs the credit of
putUng the first captured British can-
non into action. On the retreat from
Concord the British left six brass can-
non behind them, thoughtfully splklagk^^
the touchholes so that they could not
be discharged.
Betty and Leverett. however, par
tlently drilled out the spikes at tho
rate of one a week, and In no long
time the British found the beleaguer-
ing Americans driving them out or
Boston at the mouths of their own
cannon.
MUST BE SPECIFIC
Friend—Oh! Doc, bow's Willie?
Doe (teetlly)—Which Willie. ..
Don't yon know every Willis within
two miles Is Mown apf
EQUALITY.
-All men may be born rrss, but Ife
absolutely foolish to say that they are
born equ#1."
"Sure, they're born eqmri. In bet
everyone that's bom to equal U sows
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The Inola Register. (Inola, Okla.), Vol. 8, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 2, 1914, newspaper, July 2, 1914; Inola, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc180644/m1/2/: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.