The Sunday Oregonian., July 01, 1906, PART FOUR, Page 41, Image 41

THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, JULY 1, 1906.
41
Pilgrimages Made
DfiwnPNCP Hall Philadelphia
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GOOD fortune and solicitous care
combined have preserved to Ameri
cans the most secred building in
the United States, Independent Hall.
It Ii possible to hold Fourth of July
celebrations in the shadow of the very
structure which saw the birth and sign
ing of the Declaration of Independence,
the most potent doctrine for freedom in
the history of the world.
The Nation has not ignored the chance.
There are many patriotic Americans
who make it a duty on July 4 to journey
to Philadelphia, a pilgrimage to the
shrine of liberty, there to raise their
voices in thanks and rejoicing for the
great deed that was there accomplished.
Since that day, now distant 130 years,
when Charles Thomson, rising in his
chair, read for the first time the final
draft of that momentous document which
Thomas Jefferson wrote, but which un
derwent many changes before meeting
with the final approval of the delegates
to the Continental Congress, not an In
! dependence Day has been permitted to
j pass without a proper celebration in the
I public square back of Independence Hall.
Presidents of the United States, Sena-
tors. Representatives, Justices of the
highest courts, and even foreign Ambassa
dors have poured forth their eloquence
at Liberty's cradle. The municipal au
thorities of the City of Philadelphia are
careful to see to it that some distinuished
man is always on hand as orator of the
day.
The pomp of military circumstances
has sometimes been called upon to lend
prestige to the occasion, and the best
musicians of the land have been proud
to play patriotic airs in the shadow of
the steeple where hung the bell that so
singularly fulfilled the prophetic mission
assigned It 24 years before to "proclaim
liberty throughout the land."
The location of the hall lends itself
to purposes of public celebration. There
Is ample room, both front and back, for
the building stands well back from the
pavement, so that a large company can
gather in front. In the rear, the beauti
ful Independence Square, there Is still
more space, and thousands assemble to
listen to the orations and hear the Dec
laration of Independence read.
This latter is really the distinctive fea
ture of the Fourth of July celebrations
in Independence Square. The day would
not seem properly observed were this
omitted.
It Is a notable record of which every
American may be proud that not a
Fourth of July has passed since we have
been a nation without the Inspired words
being uttered again to the air that heard
them first. The tall trees standing in
the historic square must by this time
know every word by heart.
The first reading of the Declaration
was that by Charles Thomson, the Sec
retary of Congress, when he announced
the completed paper to the men who had
framed it. Thomson did not, however,
read the Declaration from the balcony
of Independence Hall to the people crowd
ed outside to hear for the first time in
what terms the colonists should tell King
George that his control of the 13 colonies
was at an end.
That privilege was reserved for John
Nixon, a prominent member of the Com
mittee of Safety. In honor of the occa
sion delegates to the Congress filed out
in the July sunshine to listen to the
sacred words.
Nixon has been described as a master
elocutionist, with a voice so clear and
distinct that it was heard clear to Fifth
street, one square distant. He took his
place on the balcony, which was then
the favorite rostrum of the day. Crowds
had assembled to hear him, gathered by
the ringing of the liberty bell. It was
a memorable celebration, and the first
in the history of the Nation.
Later, long years after Edwin Forrest,
the most noted of American actors, whose
love for patriotism and the institutions
of his country was deeper even than his
regard for the stage, stood on the same
spot and on a Fourth of July morning
read the words of Jefferson as no man
lias read them before or since. A groat
crowd was present, perhaps the largest
ever assembled, and the actor during and
after the reading was cheered again and ,
again.
Forrest esteemed the Declaration of
Independence as the best single piece of
composition in existence, valuing it even
above his beloved Shakespeare.
It is" little wonder that he was cheered
so madly as his grand voice rolled out
in sonorous glory the indictment of the
wrongs King George had inflicted on the
colonies, announcing that the time had
come when they were at an end, and In
beautiful, solemn accents repeated the
manly resolve of the members of the
Congress to devote their lives, moans and
sacred honor to the cause of liberty.
Two years after the first Fourth of
July there occurred a celebration in In
dependence Square that had a special
significance. The advance of the British
and their occupation of Philadelphia dur
ing the Winter of 1777-L.8 had forced"
Congress to leave the Quaker City and
go to York.
After the evacuation Congress returned
July 2 and a. grand celebration of the re
currence of the promulgation of the
Declaration was held, in which nearly the
entire population of Philadelphia joined.
Chevalier Conrad Alexandre Gerard, of
France, the first Minister accredited to
the United States from any power, was
an interested spectator.
Chief Justice John Marshall spoke in
the State House yard at one of the cele
brations in the early part of his tenure
of office, and later Daniel Webster de
livered a notable address there.
During the Centennial in Philadelphia
there was naturally a notable demonstra
tion, and no less a person than Don
Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, sat among
those who cheered- the sentiments that
had sounded the downfall of monarchy in
this country, and were finally to take
his throne from the ruler of Brazil.
In later years another representative of
a foreign country was the central figure
at Independence Square. Wu Tung Fang,
Chinese Minister, spoke there with fine
eloquence, and made one of the best
I speeches credited to him In his many
felicitous utterances in this country.
The anomaly that he was the envoy of
one of the most absolute of monarchies
did not prevent the celestia- from paint
ing in most graphic phrase what the
venerable building stood for.
During his first administration Grover
Cleveland, President of the United States,
came to Philadelphia one Fourth of July
and standing on a platform raised in the
Square appealed to the young manhood
of America that the great lessons of 1776
be not ignored.
Samuel J. Randall. Judge Kelley, Gen
eral Grant and Lewis Cassidy have also
figured prominently in Fourth of July
celebrations there. f
During the administration of Mayor
Warwick, himself an orator of genuine
gifts, every year was made the occasion
of notable demonstrations to which were
Invited men of National fame.
One of the most commendable features
about all these affairs has been the
prominence given to children. In fact,
they might almost be called Children's
Day events. It has been the wise thought
of the men in charge that no better use
could be made of the Nation's natal day
than by impressing cn the younger mind
the great truths that had their best de
velopment within Independence Hall.
A liberal space is always reserved for
the youngsters. For months in advance
they rehearse their patriotic songs so
that on the great day they may pour
them forth from fresh young voices in" all
that glory of natural beauty which rivals
the tones of the most talented of trained
adults. Among the speakers there is al
ways picked some one who is not only a
great orator, but who also understands
the art of making himself clear to the
juvenile comprehension.
The children's exercises include march
ing and singing, and if man can look at
the throng of young Americans, each one
holding a small American flag, and decor
ated besides with red. white and bluo
streamers, and listen to their music, with
out a lump coming up In his throat, then
it is because the Impulses of sentiment
and patriotism have been neglected from ,
his make-up.
The charge that republics are ungrate
ful can never be established while the
representajfives of a Nation, young and
old. gather at its shrine of liberty once
a year to sing the praises of Its founders.
Pepper, a Biography, by Marcus W. Robbins
A BOY'S first love is a dog, for a
dog is the first living thing that
will flatter him by paying at
tention to his whims. You have seen
the small boy and his dog, and you
roay have been that boy himself, the
dog wagging his tail and barking Joy
ously on words of praise and slinking
hy in the dust of humiliation on words
of reproof, and all out of the mouth of
a ten-year-old.
We had a dog and his name was
Pepper. Homely? Why, he was so
ugly that It made him handsome. Long
hair covered him from head to tail.
His eyes were almost hidden by it, and
when he ate he showed the need of a
mustache cup. ,
Pepper was no poodle or spitz, but
above the average in size and of collie
extraction. We got him while a puppy
from a neighbor, and then there was
tho pleasure of watching him grow,
for a puppy will grow like weeds on a
Summer day.
A puppy has to be brought up and
trained Just like a boy. Who ever
heard of a puppy that would not suck
eggs? They are as scarce as the Lit
tle Lord Fauntleroys who never do
anything naughty. Pepper was no ex
ception. He started early In life to
robbing hen's nests and sucking eggs.
This was where the training came in
that was alike painful to dog and
muster. But after a few whippings
and some eggs doctored with cayenne
jpepper worked wonders where moral
suasion would have been a miserable
failure.
Every puppy has that human Instinct
of making a collection, and so In one
corner of our yard Pepper had his
cabinet. Here were to be found a
choice collection of beef bones, old
shoes, articles of clothing and a gen
eral miscelljineous array of things at
tractive to the eyes of a puppy. Tou
took a great risk If you laid down
your hat or paper, for the next min
ute was liable to see it between the
dog's paws being torn to shreds or be
ing carried off to that sacred corner.
The most attractive thing about a
dog is his love for human society.
Whenever there is any excursion to
be made, the dog always wishes to go
along. And thus when we took a skiff
to cross the Sound (we lived on Puget
Sound) for our mail or to buy groceries
at the small countrty store. Pepper
would sit on the beach and howl most
dismally, run up and down shore utter
ing short, angry barks, which was prob
ably the canine 'iuethod of cussing.
Sometimes he would swim out a rod
or two into the salt water, but the
wide expanse soon frightened him back
and he would then sit on the beach
with patient resignation and await our
return. When it came all the past
slights were forgotten, for the dog's
capacity of forgiveness is almost in
finite. We always got a happy wel
come and no grudges were harbored.
The same trouble arose when school
started, for the dog was bound to go.
If ne was tied up with a rope a few
minutes sufficed to gnaw it in two and
he would come bounding along with a
frayed rope around his neck. A steel
chain was the only thing that would
reduce him to submission. When he
got older we used moral suasion, and
would say, "Stay at home," but we had
no assurance but that before we had
gone a mile he would come sneaking
into theroad ahead of us with his tail
between his legs and a downcast look
in his eyes. Then if we spoke a kind
word, the transformation was almost
magical; the tall curled up again and
with some happy barks Pepper was
foraging each side of the road for
rabbits and grouse.
Certainly a dog can reason, but he Is
often illogical; however, even man Is not
exempt from that failing. For instance,
Pepper would often chase some festive
chipmunk Into the roots of a rotten
stump and would spend three or four
hours madly digging after him. The dirt
would fly on all sides, the small roots
would be chewed and bitten off with an
energy that was almost insane; every
few minutes he would lie down and thrust
his nose as far as possible into the hole,
snuffing for the scent, then he would re
new his digging with increased fervor. I
never knew him to catch a chipmunk In
that way. but he was as hopeful over the
last one as the first. Does not many a
business man chase the illusive dollars
just as senselessly?
But the thing that would arouse his
fighting blood the most was a skunk,
though he often caught a Tartar. On one
occasion he chased a large one under a
fir log. The log had burned on the
lower side so that it had left a long
shell under which a dog could just crawl.
Pepper started under and very' soon muf
fled barks and yelps were heard. Then
the dog backed out suddenly and began
to slide his head along on the ground,
lirst one side, then the other, and rub his
eyes with his paws like a boy who had
got soap in his eyes; then he would gaze
mournfully at the log and start under
again. After doing this a few times I
took pity on him and called him away,
but it made me laugh till I cramped to
see him shake his head and spit at the
evidently unfavorable perfume he had en
dured. There was one thing he was afraid of
and that evidently got on his nerves; that
was hornets. Tou let a hornet come buz
zing around and immediately an agonized
expression crept into his eyes, his mus
cles would become tense and after gazing
wildly about for the insect, he would
collapse Into the dust and roll madly
about. Then he would get up, shake him
self and slink off to some shady spot
where hornets never came.
Dogs acquire habits very easily. We
often had fried chicken on the ranch,
and of a consequence many a cockerel had
his head chopped off. Pepper regarded a
chicken's head as a rare tid-bit, and it got
so that the minute he heard a chicken
squawk he rushed to the chopping block.
Pepper lived during the days of the
Klondike excitement, when dogs were the
chief method of transportation in the in
terior of Alaska. We were offered $25 for
him, but it seemed cruel to condemn him
to that kind of life, and thus he was
saved, but, like many a man, he got the
wanderlust and the bad habit of staying
out late at night, and there came a morn
ing when he did not answer to breakfast
call, and Pepper had evidently gone to the
Happy Hunting Grounds, a victim of his
sporting habits.
MARCUS W. ROBBINS.
Grant's Pass. Or.
The Origin of "Bridge" Whist Not Known
The shipyards of Nagasaki, Japan, em
ploy 7600 workmen all the year round.
Saturday Review.
THE real origin of bridge is somewhat
shrouded in mystery. The game is
said to have originated in Russia, but
there is no satisfactory proof of this
statement. It was first known under the
title of "biritch, or Russian whist," and
this, no doubt, gave rise to the idea that
It was of Russian origin, although, as a
matter of fact, the word "biritch" is
not to be found in any Russian diction
ary. The game, as we play it. Is far
more likely to have been of Levantine
origin. It was certainly played, very
much in the present form, some 40 years
ago, in Eastern Europe, notably in Con
stantinople and in Greece, and If there
were any necessity to assign to it a
definite nationality we should not hesi
tate to award the honor to Greece.
The prevalent idea that bridge was
unknown in England up to the time of
Its introduction at the Portland Club in
18V4. is an entirely mistaken one. It was
quite unknown in clubland, but there is
indisputable evidence of its having been
known and regularly played in private
circles for many years prior to that date.
It is stated in the supplement to the
ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britan
nica that the game of bridge was first
Introduced into England in the year 1880,
but no information is given as to who
furnished this statement, or as to what
authority, if any, there is for it.
We have received a letter from an Eng
lish gentleman of Greek extraction, now
resident in London, in which we are as
sured that the writer can remember the
game of bridge, very much In its present
form, being regularly played among a
colony of Greeks settled In Manchester,
of whom his own father was one, as far
back as the '70s of the last century. The
only important point of difference between
the game as it was then played and as
as it is played now was that the value
of no trumps was 10 points per trick
Instead of 12, and that the four aces In
one hand counted 80 above the line in
stead of 100 as at present. Also the lead
of a heart in answer to a double of no
trumps by the leader s partner, which is
commonly supposed to have originated in
America, was the general custom. The
short suit convention had not then been
heard of. That was probably a purely
English convention of later days.
In the year 18S6 a small pamphlet was
printed in London, entitled "Biritch, or
Russian Whist." There is said to be only
one copy of this pamphlet in existence,
and that is in the library of the British
Museum. It gives a very attenuated de
scription of the game, with the method
of scoring and a few laws as to declaring,
passing the declaration, etc.; but again
we are without available Information as
to who framed these laws, or by whose
authority they were published. As the
game is there described, the most valu
able declaration, corresponding to our
present call of "no trumps," was "bi
ritch," or playing without trumps, and
the value of this call was again ten points
Instead of twelve, and also four aces in
one hand counted 80, not 100. The winners
of the rubber added 40 points to their
score. Instead of 100 points, as in our
present game, and this extra score was
called "consolation."
There can be no doubt that the score
for no trumps ought to be ten points per
trick and not 12, as that is following the
regular upward sequence of suit declara
tion, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and also if the value
of the tricks at no trumps Is to be 12
points, why should the honor score for
aces not be also 12 points, instead of ten?
When or why, or how or by whom the
change was made is quite unknown.
When the game was first Introduced at
the Portland Club we were certainly told
that the value of no trumps was 12 points
per trick, and the error, if error it was,
must somehow have crept in accidentally.
Cruising Along New Zealand.
Cruising down Milford Sound, New Zea
land, when the clouds are clearing after aft
shower, the mountains are like fairyland
No longer grim and black and fearful,
they are laced everywhere with the
streaming silver of cloud-born cascades.
One day we watched the giddy journey of
one of these cataracts. It sprang from
the very top of the Lion Rock a 3000-foot
perpendicular wall. Long and slender and
glinting like glass in the sun, It fell
straight down over us but never reached
us. It had dropped, say, 1000 feet when it
was caught by the wind, swayed this way
and that, and finally blown clean away,
di-ssolvihg in . misty rain. We steamed
right under it or rather under the place
where it ought to have been, and experi
enced the peculiar sensation of looking
straight up at a waterfall that, as the
launch-skipper put it. "never fell any
where." Four Track News.