The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-06-29

HAL It's
REVOLT
Seattle Fireworks
Display Prevents
Serious Times in
China


IIsw Seattlemsde fIrswosks
ef the kInd that win be ses off II
the stadium on tIse Fourth u
July, preveuted : fsvoluflcu n
China and he1psd defeas tlse I'm
pevial German governnenA Was
rclatrd BY w. r. Priestley,
pyreseclanic experA Weinssany.
Isrisstisy. WHO h sscretasy q the
HIT Fireworks company. = Seattle
concern. wna in the Fluwery King.
dom during thu early part Of the
war. China had entered the war on
the side Of the defenders Of Belgium.
and was pouring men and materials
half way around the world In the de-
fense Of civilization
In Cannon. however. revoiutionists
were preparing TO overthrow the es.
tablished government Priestley was
engaged to divert the minds Of the
coolie horsies by menns Of big fire
works display. He STOPPED the In
cipient rebellion by showing = pyro-
technic portrait Of the usurper. Yuan
Shih Kai-
II was the fllst tirae IN history
that . government had ever resorted
to propaganda BY fireworks.
WE went into Canton with . fun
supply of fircworks." PriestIcy said
Wednesday. We erected big ham
hoo stadium. On the first nixht no
body came near the place. The Chi.
nese didn't see any reason why they
should attend the exhibition.
THE next day we billed tho city
by engaging dozens Of sandwich
board men--fhe first ever seen In the
ancient Chinese city--and by scatter.
ing over $4,000 handbilis thru the
crooked. narrow streets.
THAT evening over 5o,0Qp
Cinnamon swzrmed over our
bamboo walls. They didn't stop
10 pay. Half Of them didn't even
stop 10 climb over the walls Of
the stadium. They walked right
In thru the fllmsy bamboo fence.
There was no display that night.
and the next day we demanded that
the government give our concession
wotection. The governor smiled and
assigned 100 Manchu soldiers TO
guard the park. The Manchus were
enemies OF the Cantonese and itched
TO get at them.
I'VE made one had mistake.
There was only one officer In
+. command Of the Manchus. and
we gave him cigar-his first
one. He inhaled II like y cigaret
and became q conscientious OBJ
jector for tho next ~ hours.
Half an hour before the exhibi-
ton was to open, we stationed the
soldiers about the park. They didn't
know what they we're 10 do. and we
couldn't tell thcm--we didn't savvy
their lingo. But when the mob start
ed to come thru the bamboo fence,
we hit the nearest heads with husky
clubs, and the soldiers. grinning. saw
the point.
I'm the holes In the bamboo
tinre was just room for the
Cinnamon TO crawl In Me by
one. The hundred soldiers were
kept busy cracking the heads
~ they showed thru the open
ing.
Inside OF 30 minute more than f50
very sick coolies were being dragged
away by their excited comrades. and
the rest OF the mob we're dutifuliy
Chinese money at the box
office.
AS a grand finale we set off a
picture OF Yuan shih Kai.
who tried to usurp the crown and
who Is the Cantonesc's idea OF the
devil.
"The minute that Il became
apparent that the big set piece
was supposed TO represent Yuan
Shih Kai, every ChInaman In tho
place started 10 throw rocks mt
II. The show ended In . riot. but
q good time was had by all.
THE queer thing about the display
was that II actually diverted the
minds OF the Cantonese from the rev.
oIution. 1T gave them material to
talk about for the next year.
"AII the fireworks used that night
were manufactured In. Seattle"