The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-07-02
OUR BOSTON LETTER.
Old and Young Busily Preparing
For Fourth OF July.

Old and Young Busily preparing
For Fourth of July.
Young to Make Noise and Older PEG
pie TO Escape It-small Appropriation
For Fireworks Pieces Out of
Favor--Boston steadily Growing--Where
Gain Is Found-Do Women Know How
to Eat?-Another Landmark Doomed.
A Crayon Portrait-Bits of Stage Gossip.
The people of Boston, like those of ev-
cry other city and town in the United
States, are getting ready for the Fourth
| of July this week. The small boy is col
! lecting all the pennies and nickels he
can to buy something calculated to make
a noise and render night hideous and
sleep impossible, and those of larger
! growth who can do so are planning how
they can get out of town and out of the
way of the noise. If there was some quiet
retreat where firecrackers, bombs, tor
pedoes and tin horns have failed to pene-
trate, and that place was easy of access,
it would be crowded on Sunday and Mon
| day next. Unfortunately there is no
| such a resort, and SO the places that are
most VIGOROUSLY quiet will be sought out
and patronized.
The Fourth in Boston will be celebrated
in the good Old way, with the old-time
balloon ascension omitted. There will be
the usual Grafton, boat races, and other
sports, and in the evening fireworks. 1t
is in the latter particular that most
change will be apparent. Up to a few
years ago the city felt called upon to
burn thousands of dollars on the night of
the Fourth the grand pyrotechnic dis
play taking place upon the common.
That historic spot was crowded with old
and young, and magnificent set pieces
were considered essential to an appro-
| pirate observance of the occasion. One
categorical piece was shown in fireworks
on the common in 1862, with figures 10
feet high, the whole being over 200 feet
long. Minerva, Liberty, History and
other figures were given, the whole sur
mounted with the state motto.
|
But all this is changed now to a large
extent. This year fireworks will be
shown in three different places-Franklin
park, Marine park and the common-and
the whole appropriation-$1200
| not pay for one of the elaborate pieces
Of years ago, and Franklin park gets the
| lions share OF the display. Even there,
where II set pieces Will be shown, no at
| tempt will be made to give any allegort-
| cal or figure pieces, but there will be geo
metrical and flower designs of vast eX-
tent, with Kaleidoscope and all the other
effects possible, with brilliant fires Of
various colors. One piece will be for the
best part of meteoric showers of differ
ent colors crossing each other making,
it is said, magnificent spectacle.
The grand finale will be an Ionic pill
lar of flame of different hue nearly SO
feet high and half as wide, from which
flags and streamers of fire will wave, and
amid which in bright colors will flash and
burn the legend Boston, July 4, 1897
During the whole of this display showers
of bombs and rockets will be fired, filling
the heavens with fire of every color An
other piece of Importance will be so feet
high and so feet long, showing the word
Union" in letters of red, white and blue
fire with attendant effects from bombs
and rockets. Another will be an immense
cross of cross of purple and gold fire. that
will change TO a Greek cross and other
forms of varied colors.
In this connection it is but fair to
say there is little grumbling at the re-
duction in the appropriation and because
of the limited display of large pieces.
The fact is the people get more for their
money than formerly since a dollar ex-
pended in rockets, red fire and bombs
gives much more display and last much
longer in point of time than the more
elaborate work of the manufacturer
Don't get an idea that this manufacturer
lives in China, for, as a matter of fact,
most fireworks and even the little
snappy fire cracker are American pro-
ducts. The same old red Wrapper with
Chinese characters appears, but that is
all part of the game. The Yankee
makes his own noise in more senses than
one.
Boston is steadily growing. If you
doubt this get directory for 1897 and
you will be convinced. The growth,
however, according to the same au-
thority, is not so large as it was last
year for the increase from 1895 to 1896
was 23,193, while from 1896 to 1897 it has
been 1866, making the present popula
ton of the city 53S, 97S. To accommodate
the extra names which represent this
increase, the list has been extended by
81 pages, the total number of names in
the new directory being 235956. In 1895
the number of names was PIG, $50, and in
1896 229, S29. That this increase is in the
suburban sections is demonstrated by
the fact that there is a considerable
lengthening of the list of streets, and
most of these streets are in the new resi-
Dental districts.
Another thing of mcmillan intprpSt is