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THIS is not to be a formal lawn party, but a genuine, fun-provoking Fourth of July frolic with every one in comfortable dress appropriate for active games. There is to be no dancing, no tennis, nothing in the way of ordinary entertainment except, perhaps, the refreshments, and they too should be as nearly in keeping with the day as possible.

Prepare your guests for something novel by issuing your invitations in the form of giant firecrackers.

Decorate Your Grounds

and make them as festive as possible with fluttering flags, floating streamers, red, white, and blue bunting, and Japanese lanterns. Also provide a number of small flags, one for each guest, to be worn in the hat, hair, belt, and buttonhole. This little touch of uniform will not only make the scene gayer and more exhilarating, but, like badges of an order, will have the effect of dispelling the stiffness of new acquaintances, and bringing the party closer together as members of one band of merrymakers.

For the Giant Firecracker Invitations

you will need several sheets of bright red tissue paper, more of white tissue paper, and some white unlined writing paper. A ball of soft white cotton string will also be required.

Fig. 1.—Lay the paper cylinder on the red tissue paper..

Cut an oblong of red tissue paper, a circular piece of white tissue paper, and a square of writing paper for each invitation. Make the red oblong six inches long and three inches wide, the circle six inches in diameter, and the writing paper four inches square. Of the paper square make a cylindrical roll that will measure about three-quarters of an inch across the end. The easiest way to do this is to roll the paper on a candle, keeping the end edges even, and paste the side edge down while still wrapped around the candle. Pull the candle out of the paper and you have a perfect cylinder. Place the paper cylinder on the red tissue paper oblong so that there will be an even inch of red paper at each end (Fig. 1). Paste one long edge of the red paper to the cylinder and roll it on the table, bringing the opposite edge up smoothly, then paste that edge also in place (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.—Cylinder in red paper cover.

Now prepare and write the note of invitation to be put in the firecracker envelope.

With Short Brush Strokes,

from inside to edge, paint an irregular band of blue, half an inch wide, around the edge of the tissue paper circle, using water colors for the purpose. Write the invitation with red ink around the circle just inside the blue border, or straight across above and below the centre.

Although the party is to be informal, a note written in the first person does not harmonize with the impersonal nature of a firecracker, therefore it is better to word the invitation something like this:

Miss Mary Brown requests the pleasure of the Misses Green’s company at an informal lawn frolic on Wednesday, the Fourth of July, from four to six o’clock. Active games.

Fig. 3.—The note of invitation looks like this.

When the ink is quite dry pinch the paper together at the centre, making it look something like a paper flower, twist it a little, and tie on the point a piece of the white cotton string. The string should be about ten inches long and must be tied at the middle (Fig. 3). Drop one end of the string through the cylinder and, taking hold of the end, draw the invitation into its envelope. Crush in the extra red paper at each end until it fills the opening and leaves the string extending from the centre (Fig. 4). Write the address and the words, “Pull the long string,” on the outside of the now almost perfect giant firecracker, and deliver by hand, for such an invitation would be broken and spoiled in going through the mail.

Fig. 4.—Giant firecracker with invitation inside.

The following

Order of Entertainment

is well adapted to the Fourth of July lawn frolic:

 Out-of-door Pantomime Charades.

 Shuffle Race.

 Hurling the Lance.

 Daylight Fireworks.

The programme opens with the not too vigorous game of

Pantomime Charades.

This will give all the opportunity of taking part and alternately acting and resting. Stake out the four corners of your stage with groups of flags, driving their sticks into the ground to hold them upright. Provide seats for the audience in front of the stage and at the back or side arrange a screen as dressing and green room for the actors.

Making Hay While the Sun Shines.

Divide the party into two sides of equal numbers and let the first side choose a proverb to be acted out in pantomime and guessed by the opposite side, which is taking the part of audience. When the proverb is guessed the actors must retire and the other side take the stage. If the subject of the first charade is not guessed the same side must present another proverb, putting new actors in the place of those who have just taken part. Not a word must be spoken in the charade, but the actors must make their meaning as clear as possible by good acting.

Our first illustration shows the out-of-door pantomime charade in progress. The proverb is: “Make hay while the sun shines.” This requires but one act as the first part, “Make hay,” and the last part, “while the sun shines,” are both represented. Making hay is acted out and that the sun is shining is implied by the quaint sunbonnets and wide-brimmed hats worn by the actors.

The Costumes Are Impromptu,

and may be prepared in a few minutes. The odd and most charmingly becoming bonnets, somewhat resembling Dutch caps, are made of newspapers, pinned in shape. The men’s wide-brimmed hats are simply ordinary hats with wide brims made of wrapping paper. Black derby hats were worn on this occasion, but straw hats are better. The girls’ dresses are turned up in front and pinned at the back. If checked gingham aprons are worn looped up at one side they will add to the color effect of the costume.

To Make the Sun-bonnet,

take one folded sheet of a newspaper and turn the folded edge back four inches (Fig. 5). Fold down the corners like Fig. 6, put it on the head, bring the straight edge together at the back and pin it with a large pin. Bend out the laps at the sides and you have made Fig. 7; Fig. 8 gives the pattern of the boy’s hat. Cut a large circle from rather stiff, new wrapping paper; press it down upon the top of the crown of a man’s straw hat; crease it along the edge of the crown, then cut a hole in the centre two inches within the creased line. Slash from the inner edge to the creased line as shown in Fig. 8, fit the paper brim over the crown of the straw hat and pin in place to the hat band.

Fig. 5.—Fold the newspaper for the bonnet like this.

Fig. 6.—Fold down the two corners.

High peaked hats, wide collars, and even short capes may be quickly manufactured from paper and the effect of the impromptu costume is marvelously good.

Fig. 7.—A most becoming newspaper bonnet.

Fig. 8.—Cut the boys’ hat brims like this.

The Shuffle Race,

next in order, is new and it is funny. Its requisites are, for the girls, short skirts, held well above the ankles, and low shoes or slippers many times too large, worn over ordinary shoes. Unless the foot can be lifted out of the shoe without touching it with the hands the shoe is too small. For the boys you must provide the largest sized slippers obtainable, having uppers only at the toes.

The course should be about one hundred feet over a smoothly shaven lawn. The contestants must stand in line at the starting point and at the word “go,” start off on the race, shuffling along as fast as possible. The boys have no advantage over the girls in this game, for it is no easier for one to cover the distance quickly, shuffling along in the large shoes, than for the other, and both look equally ridiculous in their absurdly frantic efforts to win the race.

After resting from the shuffle race allow your guests to try their skill at

Hurling the Lance.

From the limb of a tree have suspended five or six feet from the ground a small wooden hoop, about eighteen inches in diameter, covered like a drumhead with white tissue paper.

Provide each player with a round, green, tapering stake, white tipped and five feet long—the kind used for propping up plants. On the blunt end of each stake, or lance, should be tied streamers of red, white, and blue, which will make streaks of color as they are sent hurtling through the air.

Hurrying Along in the Shuffle Race.

Clear the space on the far side of the hoop that no one may be hurt by the falling lances, then have each player in turn throw his or her lance with the object of piercing the paper and sending the lance entirely through the ring. Each player may have three trials in succession, and unless her lance passes through the hoop at least once she is counted out. There are three rounds and the player wins who, at the end, has succeeded most frequently in sending her lance through the hoop.

Let the farewell be a

Burst of Daylight Fireworks.

Strings of firecrackers stretched from tree to tree, bunches hidden under barrels, harmless torpedoes for your guests to explode, and any other fireworks that do not need darkness for a background may be used.

It is a good idea to make

The Balloon Ascension

an especial feature of the display. In the early days of our country “Independence Day” was not to be thought of without a balloon ascension, and the time-honored custom may be observed, but in a new way. This part of the programme should come as a complete surprise, and all the preparation for it be kept secret, that none of your guests may suspect what you have in store for them. The old observances always included a patriotic speech, and that, too, should form a part of the ceremony, being used as an introduction to the balloon ascension. You may make the speech yourself or get some one to do it for you, but in either case let it be quite short. Balloons should not be mentioned, but in some way the old Grecian myth of Pandora and her wonderful box must be brought in.

The Myth

can be used quite appropriately and effectively for, as you will remember, it was to punish Prometheus, and mankind in general, for stealing fire that Zeus commanded Hephæstus to form from earth this most beautiful Pandora, in order that by the charms with which the other gods endowed her, she might bring trouble and vexation upon them. It does not appear to have been altogether her charms, however, that worked the mischief, for we are told it was curiosity that induced her to open the box, or cask, which was filled with winged blessings for men, thus allowing all of the blessings except hope to escape. As the remarks are being brought to a close have your

Pandora Box

carried out and placed in front of the speaker.

In this case the box is to be a good-sized sugar-barrel, wrapped in flags, or red, white, and blue bunting, and having a lid that is easily lifted. With the final words let the speaker step forward and suddenly raise the lid of the barrel. This will set free not the things that were in the original Pandora box, but a number of gas-filled, rubber, toy balloons, that will burst out like a volley of fireworks, for a moment filling the air with color and movement, then sailing upward and away to finally disappear from view in the blue sky overhead.

In preparing your Pandora box choose a barrel that is perfectly smooth inside, without long splinters or nails to pierce the fragile balloons. Then see that the cover has a handle or knob by which it can be lifted. A spool fastened on with a screw will serve very well and is easily grasped by the hand.

The Balloons

are the kind one sees for sale on the streets tied in great bunches by their long strings. Red is the most common color, but sometimes they vary. Frequently there are white ones with red or yellow lettering and bands, and again, just before the Fourth, red, white, and blue ones may be found. Have all the colors possible, and crowd in as many as the barrel will hold, cutting the strings off close to the balloons that they may not become entangled, and taking great care that they do not escape, like the blessings, before their time.