'The Glorious Fourth of July'

The Bookworm

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

‘The Glorious Fourth of July’

By Diane C. Arkins

Presents won’t be necessary, but your presence is appreciated. At this birthday celebration, there won’t be goodie bags, pony rides, magicians or party favors. Ice cream might be nice, especially if you’re having the party outdoors, and you’ll want plenty of cold drinks on-hand. Birthday cake won’t be necessary, but you’ll definitely want candles of the Roman kind. 

Before you get that party started, though, read the new book “The Glorious Fourth of July” by Diane C. Arkins and find out how to have an old-fashioned red, white, and blue holiday celebration.

When we think about celebrating Independence Day, Arkins says, many of us automatically think about parades, picnics and fireworks. While there are similarities, the Fourth of July a 100 to a 150 years ago was actually quite different than our modern celebrations.

First fireworks are more regulated. Public displays of fireworks were an important part of the celebration then, but private stashes were just as popular, which created controversy as well as injury. 

Safe and Sane organizations were created in many cities in the early 1900s, and fireworks’ use became more sensible. Fourth of July in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries almost always meant parades and community programs. Costumes were de rigueur, and no lady was seen without her crepe paper outfit, particularly if she was having a party. And if she’d planned a little get-together, decorations and party favors were important, including the Jack Horner pie filled with candy and trinkets. Arkins includes recipes in this book, because celebrants expected nothing less than festively patriotic foods.

As for enjoying the Fourth, the New York Times had these wonderful, and still appropriate, suggestions in 1893: Don’t apply hot and rebellious liquors to your blood, don’t make bathing suit jokes, and don’t hurry. You can do that any day.

Jam-packed with old-time pictures, and postcard and memorabilia replications, “The Glorious Fourth of July” is one of those unique books that you can’t stop paging through, especially if you like entertaining or pop-culture history.

Interspersed with the colorful pictures, Arkins offers explanations of the times and authentic articles, notes and quotations from the past. Arkins says that it’s too bad, in this age of high-technology, that ephemera aren’t kept and passed down to other generations. As you savor the reproductions in this book, you’ll agree. 

Lovers of this most American of celebrations will enjoy this book, as will anyone who wants a patriotic look at social history. 

It’s a bang-up good read.