Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-12-01
PHILADELPHIA.

PHlLADELPHl
THANKSGIVING DAY-cELEBRATIoNs MORE HONOR
ED IN THE BREACH THAN THE OBSERVANCE
THE ATTACK ON THE coLoRED REoIMENTs-THE
FIRE AT THE NEW MUSEUM ON ARCH STREET.
MAN TRAP.
Special Correspondence Of The Commercial.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 26.
We celebrated our Thanksgiving this year to
some purpose. The popular idea Of that day is
that it is eminently one of peace and general
good will The theory of our rulers is that it is
time to be given to worship and to acknow-
Lodging the many mercies and benefits we re-
ceiye from Providence. In fact, it has of late
degenerated into the roughest sort OF a holiday,
with about as much religion in it as would stock
a Brigham Young community, but no more. In
Philadelphia il was celebrated yesterday with
two riots, and by an apparently almost deliberate
attempt Of an amusement manager to burn up
some 1900 people.
One of the riots was pleasant scrimmage
among the Firemen, a sort of thing stereotyped
with US, and likely to remain 30 until that old
fossil, volunteer system, is finally abolished.
Although it was OF some interest to the good
people near whose homes the valiant firemen
saw fit to hurl bricks and fire revovers, detail
ed account of it might not prove equally en-
tertaining to the readers of the COMMERCIAL.
They may be glad to learn, however, that the
volunteer Fire Bullies are not likely to ride
rough shod over decent people much longer.
The paid project is gaining favor daily, and it is
certain that before many months we shall haye
such system as Wilmington has adopted in
active operation. l may mention in passing
that the action of your city has had no little
effect upon settling the question for u.s.: En-
couragement from every quarter is valuable at
such time, and the decided stand taken by
your authorities materially strengthened the
position Of the advocates of the new system
here.
| Our other Thanksgiving riot was of a more
serious nature. To be sure it was the old story
| of prejudice against the Black man, and so was
| debarred of absolute novelty, but the circunl-
stances rendered it douby infamous. Our local
military had a procession and review yesterday
afternoon. The review was held at Lansdowne,
in the Park Extension, and is said by parties
present to have been as successful, as the entire
inadaptibity Of the ground chosen for such a
purpose would admit. There is little squabble
| going on just now as to who is responsible fol
| choosing such preposterous spot for military
eyolutions, but that we will pass
| On the road home the procession passed ovel
| the Chestnut street bridge into the city. AL
| went we'll until the colored regiments, three ir
number, under command of Gen. Louis Wagner
and who formed the rear Of the line, reached the
bridge. These troops-as orderly and soldier
like as any in the line-were at once ret upon b,
brutal mob. Gun and pistol shots were free
aud filth. The colored men bore this hard treat
ment for some time without retaliating, bu
finally, being pressed beyond endurance, turnet
upon their assailants and dispersed them at th'
point of the bayonet. After while order wa
restored, and the Police then putting in an ap
pearance made some arrests, in the proportion
however of four colored men to one white rioter
That may be Justice, but If so it is of YER,
primitive kind indeed.
have said that the circumstances rendere,
| ofFa odditinpaltv inf In ia firi
place the colored regiments had done long an
faithful service in the field, while the coward
lrites who attacked them were skulking an
THE ing at home, those brave men with blac
kin ware at the front, doing their best for til
country which one is forced to think at times
, does not deserve them. Then again it wa
Thanksgiving Day, time that should be sacre
to kindliness and good-felowship.
, This Chestnut Street Bridge region has thu
become more notorious for ruffanism than evei
) People who cross the bridge in the full light 9
day, who see it with the busy stream of trad
and travel flowing over it, find it hard to beliey
that it is, at times, one of the most dangerous Q
our thorouhgfares. Anumbero OF the worst crime
of the past few years have been perpetrated upo
it, and very singular to state, no amount of polio
surveillance seems to render it secure. Th
neighborhood surrounding it-known by til
| forcible but not very refined name of THE Gut
lis of the vilest sort, harboring Jail birds an
, all manner of i'll omened creatures. The bride
is the hunting ground of this lawless game II
) nick pocket and the bolder robber commit the
outrages upon hepedestrian, and running quick
away, disappear in a moment in the sums OF I'll
water side, by ways known only to themselve
Incredible tales are told of the bodness of thes
bridge thieves and of the readiness with whit
:, they escape arrest. The character of the plat
is so bad that few people care to cross the bridt
| on foot after an early hour in the evening. Al
t this is within only a square or two of one of I
, most elegant and quiet neighborhoods in Phil
= delphia Life in great city is truly made up
gigantic contrasts
And this brings us, beloved, to the Eleventh ;
4 but no, not so bad as that. II brings me to n
:, second count against yesterdays celebration.
A fire at sea is generally held up to our syn
n pathies as being the most frightful thing in D
D. whole range of accidents. Perhaps it is, but
fire in crowded place of amusement, is not +
y behind in point Of horror. II all men and W
70 men were like that classic Boy, who calmly res
% ed in an upright position upon the floor of VI
sci in flames, why, then indeed fire would see
to be divested of half its terrors. As it is. no
y ever, and not having the exceptional fortitude
a. the Boy, nearly everybody goes out of his.
TO her head at the sight of fire. where fire shor
i not be- This tendency of human kind is Il
70 only well known, it is probable it will never
essentially changed. There results the corr
nd should be taken against this possible calamity
all places where large numbers OF people are
" pected to assemble.
All this, it seems to me is undeniable. TIN
not have the freshness of a new discovery,
truth is truth. Per contra, a building il put
the proprietors of which boast that it can
It. commodate two thousand persons, and it is bl
with 30 little precaution against danger, that
an very first time the heaters are lighted the fl
and the woodwork in their neighborhood
:. turned into charcoal Now this is truth, too,
as it does seem to be a genuine discovery. Sucl
thing was absolutely done at the new muse
,se building at 9th and Arch streets. The very
de it opened, it nearly burned down, and there
people who are sincerely sorry that the far
to were baked of their intention
un Can there be language too strong for sucl
state Of things as this
=, There has been an effort made to smother
,ne investigation into the case and every inducem
'A' will be offered the papers to keep full deve
ments from the public. cannot believe, howe
5an that they will succeed. 1t is too vital matte
are be smoothed over The fancied dependence
newspaper men upon advertisers may, howe
rue have some effect, and know of instances WI
ter the dread of losing patronage is stronger t
Try the desire to properly inform and caution
public. ,
win A newspaper reporter who went through
nf Museum building after the fire, tells me a fri
nan ful story of the condition of the place and OF
narrow escape of the audience lie says
heaters were not three feet distant from
an stairway, and that the side of the steps. next
OF furnaces we're 30 hot he could not hold his i
aa- there Further, he declares the cellar to Il
been filed up with infiamable rubbish OF Q
ven description land that 1t was III iact no W
izy, than man trap.
ele- In confidence may say that started out
tbeintention of giving highly humorous acc
and of the scenes in the Menagerle aud the uraii
fine rescue of tse elephant, the giantess and
ma, living skeleton. But aiter iurhissnins tmo ,,
..,,, person. who, at critical time, and when n
cum mae oApo.ssuo- -.-'--' 'o- ISpI
orts 'ho oooA''o'''
New Methodist Church.