critical comments, nor any signs advertising firms or companies. No vehicles will be permitted and no uniforms worn except by our bandsmen and by the National Guard Division. No mounted men will be in line except the aides of the Grand Marshal. No existing organization, either commercial, civic, political, or patriotic, had any part in the starting or development of this parade.

It was the spontaneous response to the call for such a demonstration sent out by a few patriotic individuals on March 10, and the record-breaking number of business men who will be in line on May 13 proves that the people of New York City believe in, want, and intend to have the adequate protection that comes from businesslike, systematic preparedness.

The procession was one of the most remarkable ever held in the City of New York. It contained probably about 135,000 men and women. The Grand Marshal estimated 144,000, basing his estimate on the number of applications; while a careful compilation of counts made by the reporters of one of the great daily newspapers placed it at 125,683, as follows:

The

Another newspaper estimated 137,000 actual marchers. number of participants was limited only by the length of the day. At least 40,000 were refused admission when it was apparent that they could not pass the reviewing stand within any reasonable time, and many thousands more were discouraged from offering to march by the knowledge of the others' rejection.

The procession included every conceivable profession and occupation. Men from the offices of millionaires and manual laborers walked almost literally side by side. Everyone except the National Guardsmen and the bands were in ordinary civilian attire. The procession therefore lacked the brilliancy of variety but it was

wonderfully impressive on account of its monotony and its almost interminable length. There were thousands and thousands of American flags, and hundreds of red, white and blue pennants every marcher carrying a flag of some kind. There were uniform hats and hat bands in some sections; red, white and blue neckties in others. But generally speaking, there was nothing picturesque or spectacular about the procession.

The reviewing stand was at Fifth avenue and 24th street, and the reviewing party consisted of Major General Leonard Wood, U. S. A., Mayor Mitchel, Rear Admiral Nathaniel Usher, U. S. N., commandant at the Brooklyn navy yard; Hon. Joseph H. Choate, one-time Ambassador to Great Britain; Colonel Sherrill, Grand Marshal of the parade, and members of the Mayor's official party.

The paraders formed in the cross streets in the lower part of the town as far south as Wall street and began to march at 9:30 a. m. The route was by way of Broadway, Park Row, Elm street, Lafayette street Fourth street, Washington Square, and Fifth avenue past the reviewing stand to various points on Fifth avenue between 37th and 59th streets where divisions were turned alternately to the eastward and westeward and dismissed. Units that started south of Chambers street and prior to 12.30 o'clock were dismissed at Fifty-seventh street. Units that started south of Canal street and after 12:30 o'clock were dismissed at Fortieth street or the cross streets just south of Fortieth. Mounted aids, assisted by Police Inspector Farrell, handled all the dismissals and few of the organizations had to be warned to hold their company formations until they had passed several blocks into side streets. As each part of a division reached Fortieth street or Fifty-seventh street its head was turned by a mounted aid into a side street to the east or west. If it went to the east it continued beyond Park avenue and then broke ranks. If it went to the west it proceeded past Seventh avenue and then took to the sidewalks in orderly fashion. The only difficulty the police had was in breaking the deep line of spectators at a cross street to let a division turn out of Fifth avenue. The streets through which the procession moved were filled with cheering throngs. It was estimated that there were 1,000,000 spectators. The parade continued all day and into the night. When the division in which the writer of these pages

critical comments, nor any signs advertising firms or companies. No vehicles will be permitted and no uniforms worn except by our bandsmen and by the National Guard Division. No mounted men will be in line except the aides of the Grand Marshal. No existing organization, either commercial, civic, political, or patriotic, had any part in the starting or development of this parade.

It was the spontaneous response to the call for such a demonstration sent out by a few patriotic individuals on March 10, and the record-breaking number of business men who will be in line on May 13 proves that the people of New York City believe in, want, and intend to have the adequate protection that comes from businesslike, systematic preparedness.

The procession was one of the most remarkable ever held in the City of New York. It contained probably about 135,000 men and women. The Grand Marshal estimated 144,000, basing his estimate on the number of applications; while a careful compilation of counts made by the reporters of one of the great daily newspapers placed it at 125,683, as follows:

Another newspaper estimated 137,000 actual marchers. The number of participants was limited only by the length of the day. At least 40,000 were refused admission when it was apparent that they could not pass the reviewing stand within any reasonable time, and many thousands more were discouraged from offering to march by the knowledge of the others' rejection.

The procession included every conceivable profession and occupation. Men from the offices of millionaires and manual laborers walked almost literally side by side. Everyone except the National Guardsmen and the bands were in ordinary civilian attire. The procession therefore lacked the brilliancy of variety but it was

wonderfully impressive on account of its monotony and its almost interminable length. There were thousands and thousands of American flags, and hundreds of red, white and blue pennants every marcher carrying a flag of some kind. There were uniform hats and hat bands in some sections; red, white and blue neckties in others. But generally speaking, there was nothing picturesque or spectacular about the procession.

The reviewing stand was at Fifth avenue and 24th street, and the reviewing party consisted of Major General Leonard Wood, U.S. A., Mayor Mitchel, Rear Admiral Nathaniel Usher, U. S. N., commandant at the Brooklyn navy yard; Hon. Joseph II. Choate, one-time Ambassador to Great Britain; Colonel Sherrill, Grand Marshal of the parade, and members of the Mayor's official party. The paraders formed in the cross streets in the lower part of the town as far south as Wall street and began to march at 9:30 a. m. The route was by way of Broadway, Park Row, Elm street, Lafayette street Fourth street, Washington Square, and Fifth avenue past the reviewing stand to various points on Fifth avenue between 37th and 59th streets where divisions were turned alternately to the eastward and westeward and dismissed. Units that started south of Chambers street and prior to 12.30 o'clock were dismissed at Fifty-seventh street. Units that started south of Canal street and after 12:30 o'clock were dismissed at Fortieth street or the cross streets just south of Fortieth. Mounted aids, assisted by Police Inspector Farrell, handled all the dismissals and few of the organizations had to be warned to hold their company formations until they had passed several blocks into side streets. As each part of a division reached Fortieth street or Fifty-seventh street its head was turned by a mounted aid into a side street to the east or west. If it went to the east it continued beyond Park avenue and then broke ranks. If it went to the west it proceeded past Seventh avenue and then took to the sidewalks in orderly fashion. The only difficulty the police had was in breaking the deep line of spectators at a cross street to let a division turn out of Fifth avenue. The streets through which the procession moved were filled with cheering throngs. It was estimated that there were 1,000,000 spectators. The parade continued all day and into the night. When the division in which the writer of these pages.

marched was dismissed about 6 o'clock, he saw on the elevated trains men of other divisions going to their places of rendezvous to begin their march. The demonstration continued till 10:30 p. m.

FOURTH OF JULY IN NEW YORK

Origin of the Safe and Sane Celebrations

On Tuesday, July 4, 1916, New York City had its seventh "safe and sane" celebration of Independence Day. Now that the great benefits of a rational observance of this national anniversary have been demonstrated and are appreciated, it is a wonder that the reaction from the old-fashioned form of celebration which was so destructive of life, health and property, was so long delayed.

Noisy demonstrations with firearms and bells, and the use of fire, characterized Fourth of July celebrations almost from the very first. On July 3, 1776 (the day after Congress adopted Richard Henry Lee's resolution declaring the Colonies to be free and independent states and the day before Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted), John Adams wrote to his wife as follows:

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

When the Declaration of Independence was published at the head of the respective brigades in New York City at evening rollcall on July 9, 1776, it was "received with loud huzzas" (Gen. Heath's diary) but not with gun-firing, for gunpowder was then too precious. During the war, however, it became customary in the American army to fire 13 rounds of cannon July 4th. The first celebration of Independence Day in New York City under municipal auspices was in 1785. Thirteen rounds of cannon were fired in the Fields (now City Hall Park) at sunrise and the United States flag was displayed on the City Hall (then at Nassau and Wall streets). At 8 a. m, the bells of the city rang for an hour.