A Sane Fourth of July (1911)
The mayor of a small suburb of New York is asked to aid in the work of the Sane Fourth propaganda, the leader of which is a young widow with whom he is already somewhat in love. She pleads for the Fourth without explosives for the sake of her own small boy and the mayor's motherless girl. He is rather inclined to accede to her request, until he finds that the political bosses of the town are mixed up with the dealers in fireworks and that his chances for re-election to the office of mayor may possibly be endangered if he takes a positive stand in favor of the ordinance prohibiting the sale of explosives to the young people. The dealers even organize a popular demonstration in favor of the old-fashioned Fourth. Consequently, when the ordinance comes up for consideration, the mayor gets up and makes a speech which practically settles its fate and to the surprise and sorrow of the little widow helps to put it aside for a year at least. The mayor is very careful about what his little girl buys to play with. But the widow's little son slips into the store secretly and buys a good big cannon cracker. The little girl hurts her finger with a small firecracker. Then the little boy climbs over the fence from the next yard and brings his big cannon cracker, which he proceeds to set off for her edification. It explodes prematurely when he thinks the fuse has gone out and he is apparently blinded for life. Of course the mayor is conscience-stricken and the little widow is heartbroken. A week later the mayor finds that he is in trouble indeed, for symptoms of lockjaw have developed from the slight hurt in his little girl's finger. When the crisis has passed and he knows that she will recover, he shows his gratitude by calling the rival committee together and announcing his determination to help the ordinance for a sane Fourth next year. The widow is grateful, but cannot forget that her son still lies in danger of loss of his eyesight because of the mayor's attitude. Then follow successive scenes a year later, showing the joys of a sane Fourth. There are all kinds of games, dances, parades and processions and at night a remarkable exhibition of fireworks under the city's own control. In fact the day is so gloriously successful that the little widow feels that the mayor has done all that could be asked of him and as the boy's sight is beyond danger and he has recovered, she decides that she will forgive him and let bygones be bygones, and thus while the sky is brilliantly illuminated with the fireworks she holds out her hand and makes peace with the man she loves.
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GenresDrama
Short
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