Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-05-10
THE BRITISH FOURTH.
EnsIand's Equivalent Of Our lnde-
pendence Day. 4


The day in England most nearly
corresponding with the American
Fourth of July in it's manner Of cele-
bration is Guy Fawkes day, Nov. B,
the anniversary Of the attempt to blow
up the British houses Of parliament,
king, lords and commons by Guy
Fawkes in 1905. The celebration, al
though gradually losing its national
and historical significance, is still OBJ
served as a holiday by children In
many parts Of the country.
For several weeks before "the Fifth
the lads scour the countryside for tree
trunks and branches, boxes, barrels,
anything that will burn, in fact, and
they trail their finds to some old barn
miles away, where they are stored IN
anticipation of the great day and
guarded with a zeal that often leads
to pretty stiff fights.
Marauders from other localities Will,
II not carefully watched, secretly re-
move inviting "chumps," as the logs
are called, and add them to their own
collections.
Between this intermittent warfare
and lodging the police and owners or
woodland property the younger ele-
ment of Great Britain has quite live
ly time during the few weeks prior to
Guy Fawkes day.
The day itself Is occupied until dusk
In building bonfires. "cadging" COAL
coke and oil and eating "parkin," q
cake inseparably associated with the
celebrations. This cake Is made OF
molasses, ginger and oatmeal or any
other coarse meal.
AS soon as the first night shadow
falls the fires are lighted, firecrackers
begin to snap. and pyrotechnic dis
plays Of every description are in EVIL
dence in all directions.
The fun is kept up with vim SINH
lar to our Fourth Of July spirit until
far into the night, when potatoes
roasted in the fires are INDUCED in.
The name given to the day is some
what misleading perhaps, and the
whole credit or onus OF the plot has
been popularity laid upon the should
ers of Guy Fawkes, whereas he was
far from being the most important OF
the plotters and seems to have been
chosen by the chief conspirators en-
tirely because Of his superb courage
and GOODNESS.
The plan was originated by Robert
Catesby, a man whose natural atmos-
phere was one of plots, but a man OF
extraordinary personal charm. The
Roman Catholics had expected great
things from the accession OF James l.
to the throne. The laws OF Elizaoeth
were cruel and unjust toward them'
and they were led by James to expect
amelioration and tolerance.
Instead of this the laws against
them were enforced with renewed Wig
or, and the great discomfort resulted
in the gunpowder plot. The conspir-
acy was elaborately and carefully con-
ceived, and great hardships were un-
dergone to carry 1t out.
It was not until the conspirators'
all gentlemen unused to physical Ia
Dor, had excavated through nine feet
thickness of stone wall in order to get
beneath the house Of commons that
they found that a vault underneath
the edifice was to let. The vault was
taken in the name Of Guy Fawkes'
and the severe physical work was
ended. Under cover Of night thirty
six barrels Of gunpowder were con-
veyed to the vault, and all was In
readiness for the meeting Of parlia-
ment on Nov. 5.
Then came the first weakening
which was to end in the failure or the
scheme. The conspirators could not
agree upon a plan to warn the Cath
olic lords and members who would
otherwise be blown up with the rest
The plotters were all prominent
gentlemen and personal friends