Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-21
PATRIOTIC PyRorEcHNlcs
Fireworks All Right In Their
Place, but That Place 10
Not In the Hands Of
the lnexpert-
THE action of the city authorities in

THE action of the city authorities In
l. suppressing. so far as Is legiti-
mately possible. the sale Of fireworks in
Philadelphia will regulate, to a certain
extent. an American and especially
Philadelphia custom Of long standing.
Pyrotechnical displays have always been
popular in this city, and what even now
would be considered very elaborate dis
plays were given many years before the
Declaration of Independence was signed,
or, for that matter, before the question
Of American colonial independence was
seriously thought Of.
Fireworks themselves, as every one
knows, are Of the utmost antiquity; In
fact, they are so old that their origin
is in doubt They were first used in
what is now the United States as a
means Of celebrating great national oc-
currences such as military victories, and
their first use in the celebration Of q
definite holiday in this country was in
the South, where elaborate pieces were
set off at Christmas time each year, q
custom which is still followed in GER
tain sections of the South. 1t had its
origin here in the earliest colonial days.
THIS custom thus far antedated the
l. Revolution, but fireworks In the
North were by no means unknown, and
in Philadelphia they were so popular
that they were displayed regularly on a
small scale, admission being charged,
as in the case Of any other amusement.
One Of the earliest Of the really great
displays in this city was In 175S, when
the Delaware river was the scene OF
a wonderful pyrotechnical exhibition in
honor of the capture Of Fort Breton by
General Amherst.
A unique point in the history Of fire.
works in Philadelphia was the official
suppression of them in 1774. two years
before the signing of the Declaration Of
Independence. Thus law against
squibs preceded the grand cannonade
OF tne heVOlutlOu.
With the prediction for pyrotechni-
cal displays which at that time extended
all over the colonies, it Is not strange
that even during the Revolution itself
the feelings of the people should have
found vent in fireworks and noise. This
truly American custom appears to be
legitimate inheritance from the
founders of the country.
LNIREWORKS appeared in the first
i congressional celebration OF indie
pendence Day in 1777, when they were
shown in the streets Of Philadelphia
and in the following year, when, ac-
cording TO the description Of Richard
Henry Lee, handsome fireworks were
set off in the evening. The custom does
not seem to have become general
throughout the country, however, until
some years later. Bonfires and the
firing of salutes Of thirteen guns, pre-
sumabIy thirteen in honor of the num-
ber of colonies, were used from the very
first as a means of celebrating the
Fourth in every colony.
Philadelphia did not confne the use
Of fireworks to the celebration OF ma
tional holidays, and they were still used
as a means of commercial profit. Thus
in October, 17S1, there was an exhibit
ton naively described as "a very grand
irework by a girl eleven years old, con-
sisting of two English men of-war
fighting two Americans in full force
and the battle shall be given to the
Americaus.'
A few years later Bush Hill was
established and fireworks were exhibited
with great success in 1896 "pyro-
technist from France and Germany
giving an exhibition for which 81 ad-
mission was charged, very large sum
in those days. The show was appar-
emily successful from all standpoints.
AT THIS time, however, the displays
"a Of fireworks on all occasions con-
sisted almost altogether of set pieces,
and these were handled by experts. The
smaller pieces were not unknown, but
nearly all of them had to be imported
and the expense kept them away from
the public at large. 1t was not until
some years after 1900 that the custom
Of setting off smaller pieces in the
streets by any one who cared to buy
them and fire them off became fully
established.
From this time on the use Of fire.
works in the United States became al
most exclusively a Fourth of July ad-
iunct. although they were and are still
used in other countries to celebrate ma
tional occurrences of import, especially
those Of a military character. How
ever, there is no nation on earth where
the free and unrestricted public use Of
pyroteChnics is permitted by the au
thorities to anything like the extent
that it is in the United States. The
movement by the authorities to restrict
the use Of them on the Fourth is, there
fore, simply one which has been taken
gears before by those in control of all
foreign municipalities
TT is generally believed that fireworks
i had their origin in China, but this
Is not certainly known. 1t is certain
that they existed long before the inven-
ton Of gunpowder, and 1t Is equally
certain that they were used in the days
Of the Roman circus, although the first
unimpeachablc description of set piece
was not given until the fourth century.
After this there is no trace OF them
until the Crusaders brought back with