Are you old enough to remember when Abraham Lincoln and George Washington each had birthdays that were celebrated on their specific days instead of everything being gathered together into one Presidents Day? I suppose it harks back to the time when there was an apostrophe in "Hallowe'en", another thing that's gone by the wayside.
Time was that Lincoln's birthday was observed on February 12
and again on February 22 we honored the father of our country with much retelling of the story of Washington's felling of the cherry tree, even though that may have turned out to be more fantasy than fact. We didn't know that at the time and "I cannot tell a lie. I did that with my little hatchet" was a lesson unto itself to children.
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| Anne Van Tright with her son-in-law |
I feel as though I'm telling you all this in my old lady voice, with that complaining note that so many of us elders let creep into our speech. So in the same note I'll continue to say that I fear we're being persuaded to think of the Fourth of July as "Independence Day" and the minute we collectively look at it as such, the observance will be changed so that working folks can have a three day weekend. It's a little foolish to think of trying to change the patriotic Fourth to the first or the eighth of July, but mark my word, it'll happen sometime in the future. Just you wait and see.
With that, she stepped down from her soapbox and went about her day.
I am smiling ! Great A Non Y Mouse
ReplyDeleteMy father drew a series of cartoons that illustrated GW chopping down the cherry tree. It's all the evidence I need.
ReplyDeleteJane....As soon as we move a holiday as you have pointed out, the sooner everyone forgets why they even have it....It is like i heard about Halloween recently...someone wants to move it to Saturday all the time......We Americans will not honor a day "they" choose. We will celebrate on the day we know!
ReplyDeleteMoving holidays has been the work of the progressive left for decades. Their purposes are many and we have been so willing to do as we're told by their experts. BEWARE! Start saying no at every suggestion they make, telling us it will make us better. So much has been lost already. But your grandchildren don't know the difference.
ReplyDeleteI am old enough to remember that, and I bet you're probably right about the 4th of July...I can totally imagine that happening. If it does, I'll most definitely think of you!
ReplyDeleteFebruary was one of my favorite months in grade school. That was the month it seemed that we went from black and white to color. Woven silhouettes of Lincoln and Washington in black and white led to woven red and white hearts. We looked forward to the promise of brilliant green shamrocks and Spring!
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