The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-07-24
[FoR The rsDEfxSbssr ,pREss.l
Philadelphia Reminiscenoes !.


where w ashingtop, Lafayette, Bishop White
aud others of the oldeF time, were wont to
meet nndhcard o very sensible, practical and
P1ain discourse, rs well as the recitations of
IIyety Interesting Sabbath SCHOOL clnss Many
i.oEtlie churches Of this persuasion are splendid
tsedifces
. Belonging to the several, branches of the
Presbyterian family, are something over fifty
houses Of worship in the city. l mingled in
their congregations frequently, and was always
we'll pleased. The ministers were all plain
practical, unassuming, and apparently devoted
men. Indeed, was almost universally pleas
ed. in this respect, with the clergy Of philn-
| delphia. The Rev. DR.. Chambers an Inde-
pendent Presbyterian, however, was my favor
| ito. lie reminded me somewhat Of the Rev.
James Dannelly, we'll known to all of your
renders, aud of blessed memory to many, in
| the pointedness aud force of his sermons. Pull
PIT politicians received no luartcratl is hands,
no matter of what church they were leaders.
| heard him make onc'of the best Tempcran ce
discourscs ever heard, and if had stnce
would draw on my notes, taken at the time,
| and give you nm outline of his exhibition of
the enormous evils of the liquor traffic. On
another occasion he preached upon the sub
ject of the duty of Christians to obey and ro-'
spect the laws and the powers that be"'tern-
poral and it was then TINT he administered
his scntl,ing rebuke to the "highcr.law" dcma-
gogucs in general and Sharp's.rifie divines in
particular. If had expected to he q citizen
Of Philadelphia, believe should have T.ioin- :
ed" his church, for the very love of his bold
ness and ability in rcbuking wickcdness and
npholding the great doctrines Of morality, if
for nothing else.
The Roman Catholics have some twenty or
twenty-five churches. did not attend either
of them, and cannot therefore speak of them
saw some Of their good work." however,
which nm pleased to mention. 1 mean their
orphan asylmms
OF the Baptist fith there are about twenty
five churches. The few oecnssions on which
attended services in one or two of them, very
fnvorably impressed me. remember hearing
n Baptist clergyman dctail some Of the misery
and destitution that exists in certain portions
Of the city. lie snd there were hundreds
Il nm not sure but he snid Homsands) Of chill
lren there who Ind never seen knife and
fork 1t was proven in many instances when
they werc brought by bencvolence.s to see
and pnrtake of the ordinary comforts of life
He was enforcing the claims of the domestic
missionary enterprise npon his Congregation
The Mcthodists have about thirty churches
was an attendant on their services on two
occasions, and on one of these was pleased to
hear an incidental but not pointless rebuke
Of higher.lawism, from of their ministers
Besides the churches enumerated, there nre
some eight or ten Lutheran; two or three Ger
rnnn Reformed; two Dutch Reformed one
Moravinn four Universaist one Unita rim :;
and eight or ten Hebrew synagogues.
Bible. Tract. Masonic, Odd Fellow. Temper
ance, and numerous other religious and bcncv-
olcnt associations, must pass over.
In the line Of public amuscments the city
boasts oftl'ree Theatres, besides the American
Academy Of Music for Opern) which is beyond
doubt the largest hall ever saw; Musical
Fund Hall. .Inynes Hail. Ia magnificent cdi-
flee. the product of the sale of quack metlcine;)
and numerous lesser places for theatrical exlli-
bitions, concerts. circuses, DC, DC.
One cannot go amiss for scientific and lite.
rary institutions. The Girard College, to men,
l tion no other, is enough to mike any city
proud. 1t was founded, as You know, by
Stephen Grnrj, man who came when boy
from France and settled in Philadelphia DC.
ginning the world as on errand boy, and pen.
niless. lie died m old man, and millionaire,
leaving hisSast fortune to benevolent objects,
oF which tGosE college in question is one. The
building is perfect palace. None but desti-
tute orphans are to receive the benefit of the
institution. and they are taken in, fed, clothed
and educated. think there were some three hun.
dred pupils in the College at the time of my
visit to it. Tie cost of the building, with the
grounds, DC, was upwards Of one million nine
hundred Thousand dolarsl The Academy Of
Natural Sciences, (said to be second to but one
museum Of the kind in the worldly The Acade.
my Of Fine Arts, franklin Institute, At,ene-
um, the various Hospitals, Blind, Deaf and
Dumb, Insane, Naval and other Asyluma, crowd
upoD~my recollection but Unjust forbear to
spenk of them now. fl had space. a full des.
cription of each one could not fail to be of
Interest to those of your readers who have not
visited and may perhaps never visit them.
On the whole. Mr.. Editor, wns much pleas.
ed with Philadelphia. My disappointment wns
not inconsidcrnble and was most agreeable The
people arc quiet, well bred. courteous and kind !:
the place is kept scrupulously clean: every
comfort heart can desire almost is ut com.
mand, and rs cheap as cversaw anywhere
Indeed l could see little or no difference in the
manners and habits Of the people there and
the Reeble in the South. The Negro pop.
Rulnti6basa as far from mixing with the white
as they are here, aud seem to "know their
sPlace." us we expresssvely soy, just as Eell iif
atpdeed not better. never saw tlfsm IN the
ohprches,S theatres, or any where else where
Ne do notsadmit them. During my whole
stay, Iheard-li little said Of po,itics; Democracy,
landss fthink a pretty sound Democracy, too)
sreigns. and the few Republicans that Iemst
with treated me with a. much corrtesy as /
could, asi, I, nsf5 itistaSding their hatred pfths
sonth and her Inssitu.isnss4 / sac no mos
/ Esfylockisin ,thArsin pfoporsicn t4k 20 ndmBsss
Of people. than ! zee evefy,ddss here and evsfs
A..