The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-07-17

don't mind it very much, for in every
puff of blue smoke that wreathes itse
under their noses, they see a boys or a
girls happy face.
1t is a queer custom, the s~etting-off of
fireworks, but it is observed in many
countries /; among others, in England
on the Fifth of November, in China on
New Years Day, and in South America
on all suitable and unsuitable occasions.
AS you know, the Fifth of November is
the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot,
i'll which a sad scamp named Guy
Fawkes schemed to blow up the House
of Parliament, with all the members,
great and small, inside. But the plot
was discovered and defeated, and the
patriotic people of England still cele-
brate their escape. On every anniver-
sary Of the day they have fireworks and
bonfires, and the boys burn efligies of
the traitor. I have seer a capital Guy
Fawkes made with a broom-stick, a
ragged old coat, q battered old hat, and
a penny paper mask. Boxes OF matches,
squibs and crackers were secreted
about his ugly person, and then he was
carried owe the town in an old chair,
with a chorus of noisy youngsters fol-
lowing after and singing
Gunpowder plot shall never be forgot,
As long rs old England stands upon q rock!
When he had been paraded through
all the streets, and reviled, and pelted
with stones, he was planted on the
top of a bonfire for a throne and
burned, amid the spluttering and
fumes of the crackers and squibs hid
den in his dress.
In the Southern States, as those of
you who live there know, Christmas
Day is the great occasion for fireworks,
and then there is as much desire for
crackers and pin-wheels as in the North
on the Fourth. In China, the almond
eyed natives fire off their crackers on
New-Year's Day, a l have said, and
travellers state that the noise continues
from early morning until midnight,
without the least intermission men and
women share in the amusement with
Just as much zest as the youngsters.
In South American countries, such Is
Chill and Peru, a friend of mine, who
lived there, tells me that fireworks are
introduced at every festival, and es-
pecially at those of the Church. The
people derive a frantic sort of pleasure
from them, and set them off in broad
daylight and at all hours of the night.
He is an enthusiastic fellow himself,
and 1 am not sure that he does not ex-
aggerate a little, but he says that he
has seen a sane business man leave his
Office in midday and go into the street
to send off a rocket. During church
services, also, fireworks are displayed,
SO there is a perpetual Fourth of July.
Perhaps some of you think it would be
nice to live III such n place l don't.
The other day, 1 bought three packs
of crackers, all made in China, and paid
eight cents each for them. You know
how they are packed-in white straw
paper, with a crimson label bearing an
inscription printed in gilt charac-
tiers. Well, when 1 got home,
I began to wonder what the in
scription on the margin meant. l am
not a learned person, SO l asked a Jap
anese student who understands Chinese
to translate it for me. AS the center of
one label is filed with the outline of an
eagle, the pack evidently is designed
for young Americans. And the Won
derful-looking characters proved, after
all, to be nothing more than an adver-
tisement of the dealers, reading, when
translated, as follows:
"Our Office is in Gu Sen, and we
make the best kind of f~ire-crackers.
Please copy down the advertisement,
and we hope there will be no mis-
take"
On the second pack are figures of two
Cinnamon, and the following inscrip-
ton in Chinese:
"The original store is now at the
Square of Kau Chin, and we set before
the public beautiful articles, including
fire-crackers, made by ourselves. We
hope our customers will write down the
advertisement and remember"
On the same pack the address of the
firm Man puku DIS