Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1906 — THE FRENCH FOURTH. [ARTICLE]

THE FRENCH FOURTH.

Similarities in the Holidays of the Sister Hepnblics. The French Fourth of July, coming as it does on the 14th of July, recalls to both Frenchmen and Americans the date of the destruction of the Rastile and the generous republican sentiments that at the time vibrated between the two countries. Justus the Declaration of Independence was acclaimed by T renchmen in those early days, so in America the news of the destruction of the Bastite was rereived with hurrahs of rejoicing as a new declaration of the rights of man. Like our own Fourth, the French 14th comes in the hot month of July, when the great cities are deserted by the posing fashionables anti are in the full possession of the great mass of average democratic citizens. As on our own I ourth. it is a day of iced refreshments, with the streets and houses decorated with all kinds of festive flags and bunting. As with us, there is the smell of powder in the air. a pandemonium of explosions in the streets, and everywhere the small boy with his-crackers, cannons, drums, hbrus. flags and lanterns.

Early in the morning eVetjlddy ornaments ths windows with Venetian lanterns, Hags ami bunting, Here. again, the colors are the same —-red, white ami blue. Salvos of artillery announce the dawn: the bells are rung in the church towers of all France: the marines of every warship on the coast tire the great suns, while in each city, town and village as the sun rises they chant: ‘•Domino, salvam sac rempublicam In city, town and village the trumpeters salute the day in the open squares, and the hot sunlight of July falls on a population proud to be republican. In Paris, the fete opens on the night of the loth with immense torchlight pro•cssions of choral, patriotic, gymnastic and shooting societies. led by brass ba mis that pl'.v the patriotic songs whose words arojknown to :»11—-the “Chtnt du Depart." the "Marseillaise,’’ the "Motjv’rs of Alsace” and "Returning from the Review,” With thym the multitude sings itself in'o * sori of drunkenness as rhe grand old words roll out from the memory. Then woe to the ill advised swelj who dares to smile mo-klnr’y! IVHi'n the past five venrs men have been half kiljed for nothing more when the hot ’gho«t of 1783 walks the s’wets of Paris ter one night in July. There are fierce-words for children even in those old songs, us— We envy the fate of Barra and Vlala. They died, but they conquered I Both Barra and Vial* were Loya of the

great revolution.. Every school child in France knows their history. As with us, the boys are much in evidence upon the independence dttj of their republic. While their fathers and their mothers sleep or sit beside cool drinks in shady cases, amused by a hundred vagrant mountebanks, the boys of France for one day in the year make more noise than their elders.—Washington Star.