IV.—INDEPENDENCE DAY.
The 4th of July is always celebrated in
America with guns, and processions, and
banners, and all those things.
You know why we celebrate this day.
The American Revolution, in 1775, was
perhaps one of the finest revolutions that
was ever seen. But I have not time to
give you a full history of the American
Revolution. It would consume years to do
it, and I might weary you.
One 4th of July, Reuben Pettingil went
to Boston.
He saw great sights.
He saw the dense throng of people, the
gay volunteers, the banners, and, above all,
he saw the fireworks.
I despise myself for using so low a word,
but the fireworks “licked” him.
A new world was opened to this young
man.
He returned to his parents and the little
farm among the hills, with his heart full of
fireworks.
He said, “I will make some myself.”
He said this while eating a lobster on
top of the coach.
He was an extraordinarily skilful young
man in the use of a common clasp-knife.
With that simple weapon he could make,
from soft wood, horses, dogs, cats, &c. He
carved excellent soldiers also.
I remember his masterpiece.
It was “Napoleon crossing the Alps.”
Looking at it critically, I should say it
was rather short of Alps.
An Alp or two more would have improved
it: but, as a whole, it was a wonderful
piece of work; and what a wonderful
piece of work is a wooden man, when his
legs and arms are all right.
