Mudcat Café message #1514960

The Mudcat Café ^TM
Thread #82672 Message #1514960
Posted By: Abby Sale
04-Jul-05 - 03:28 PM
Thread Name: Happy! - July 4 (Fort of Julie)
Subject: Happy! - July 4

Happy Fort of Julie!

2005 begins the 229th year of American Independence;
The Declaration of Independence was adopted & signed on July 4th, 1776


          O the cuckoo
          Is a pretty bird,
          She wabbles
          As she flies.
          She never
          Hollers 'cuckoo'
          Till the Fourth Day
          Of July.
  
                  "The Cuckoo" from Lomax, FSNA

I don't know when the custom commonly expired, it's still used in Presidential Proclamations but it was once standard throughout the US to date letters and documents "of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth year" or sometimes just "The 229th year of American Independence," rather than using the antidisestablishmentarianistic notion of dating from the birth of Jesus.


   BTW:   Oh, the pigeon,
          Is a city bird,
          And she poo-poos,
          As she flies.
          And she drops those,
          Birdy turdies,
          From way up,
          In the sky.
  
                  © Stephen L. Suffet 2000 (with appologies if he intended to post this gem, himself)