“I agree with you. There’s many a truth spoken in jest and my opinion is that women excel in this direction.”
Then he stopped and hummed a tune that wound up with the words:
“I believe in all the people
’Tis through them we shall be blest.”
“Yes,” he added, “I believe especially in the women people and my impression is that the women of this town can settle this business with Schwarmer. You know what the town needs and what he has always been promising it. After the arrests are settled you might extend your wits and get him to ‘fork over’ as the boys say. I can’t tell you just how to do it. I don’t like the bossing business and I’m sure you will know how to act better than I can tell you. The work of the Common Council is to get their ordinance in good working order before the next Independence Day comes. Father Ferrill’s miracle and the appeal brought us through safely this year. The educational and moral waves which are the only true preparation for good laws were set in motion; but something more may be required next year for the scourging of the money-changers. There are signs in the air that prohibitory measures will have to be resorted to.
“Schwarmer’s determination to distribute fireworks in spite of the appeal is a sign,” said Ralph. He repeated the whole story, not even leaving out Ruth’s experience with Mr. Schwarmer in the matter.
“I see,” said the President. “Many kinds of effort will have to be made to squelch this many-headed monster. More and more laws may be called for but it makes me sad to think of it. I am prejudiced against law—its autocracy, its insulting enforcements, its perplexing entanglements. As to celebrations when they grow to be such dangerous nuisances as to require the interference of law to any great extent, it is a sure sign that they ought to be done away with.”
“How I wish this savage old Fourth which is so full of boasting and danger, could be done away with!” said Ruth. “It will be so hard to make it entirely harmless—especially for the children—the little innocent children who are born into the world so helpless, and have to live in it so many years before they can learn how to avoid its dangers—the simple every day dangers, to say nothing of the complex and deadly ones that lie concealed beneath attractive forms. Who have to be taught, denied, imprisoned and punished every step of the way almost. O what a task for loving parents!”
“And what a shame,” said Ralph, “that people should go on inventing and manufacturing more and more of those horrible things and almost forcing them onto the community and into children’s hands! What can we do about that?”
“There’s a place for strong prohibitory laws and a call for the enforcement of those we have. Appeals are all right for sensible grown-up American citizens; but the young and innocent should not be permitted to walk into the fire, the idiotic and mercenary should not be allowed to furnish the fire for them to walk into, and the devil’s imps should be prohibited from pushing them into it. Yes this is a good place for prohibition. Prohibition that does prohibit—not as it now stands. I believe that the whole system will have to be overhauled to make it largely effective. That the general government will have to take it in hand and appoint earnest ununiformed watchers for all perilous times and places.”
“O that would be splendid,” cried Ruth—“like having guardian angels, invisible but earthly, for the young and innocent!”