Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-07-21

QUAKERs AND THE MAoHINE-THE NEW YORK
''sEvENTH" REGIMENT-REAL AND SHAM SOL
DIERING.
| Special Correspondence Of the Commercial
PHILADELPHIA, July IA.
| Your readers have all seen accounts of the
disgraceful fireman's riots of last Sunday, and
have no intention of giving that wretched story
over again. But the event does suggest certain
thoughts which it may be well enough to give
expression to, here. And these again really CEN
tire In the question of paid or volunteer fire
| department 1t is about time that tho gentlemen
whose hobby it is to run to fires should know
that they enjoy that hobby purely upon suffer-
ance. The better judgment of citizens declared
long ago for the paid system, and but for sort
of tenderness for old associations, the whole
sale fire junketings would have been before
now suppressed. But although Philadelphia
could not willingly depose the old Fire Boys she
is not to be everlastngly imposed on. The best
| of tempers will wear out.
1t is hard for one WHO has not lived here to
understand the peculiar feeling which citizens
have for fremen. II comes in most part from
the fact that in old times the business was emil
nently respectable The most reputable of the
old Quakers even used to lend their enthusiasm
and energies to the exciting contest of mind and
muscle over matter. The old Omitted States"
"IIand in Hand philadelphia" "PhGnix
and many others, were such companies. The
redshirted fire boy of the period bears no more
resemblance to the patriarch of 1912 than one of
Hamlet's celebrated pictures resembled the other.
| 1t is not mere tradition, but is substantated by
| evidence in every solid mans family, that tile
old estates" at every alarm of fire would run out
| with large proportion of broad brims at the
| rope. The Quakers were in fact for many years
| our most efficient fremen And Quakerism then
meant something, as far as form and ceremonial
went.
| Do YOU not think it must have been diverting
to have seen the States start out for a run i'll
| those days? She stood then--a indeed she does
| now,--what with steame and fire bully
| all that is left of her-in old York Road,
| near Vine. III the times | speak of, they
did not have fires oftener then once fortnight,
and even then always in the most decorous part
of the "a hours But see the young quakers brisk
and gay, running to where the lngines play! 1t
would be better than any play with which am
ciation 1t Is difficult In this latter degenerate
| age to imagine ..shad bellies and "Bell Teazers"
a-hold of a fire compan'.is rope. There il GER
| tain incongruity about the idea, and Herbert
| Spencer says that these ncongruous ideas cause
laughter.
| And do you suppose these young Quakers
| shouted and beloved; and gave frantic orders
| which nobody else obeyed: nd--perhaps-swore
| a little Just like their lineal descendants? |
| think that there can be no doubt but that they
| indulged to limited extent, at least, in these
little amenities of the Fireman's life. 1t would,
| in fact be hard to say where the fun would come
in, unless this latitude and these licenses We're
| allowed. But all the same and whether or no
/ the Young Quakers behaved like the Rough of
| the present era, it must have been exasperatin8-
| ly funny to have seen them running to fires, or
| more comical vet to have seen them lighting the
| flames from the galleries OF the olu manu- ell
| gines.
| This was the way the responsibility of the Vol
| unteer system was secured in Philadelphia, and
this is the real secret of opposition which friends
| of the Paid system have to encounter. Nearly
every family is bound to the post by some tradi-
ton bearing on the matter, which it is hard to
uproot. Every one born of parents, AS new
slang word has it--that is, whose pedigree is at
all satisfactory-had grandfather whose de-
light it was to stand in line and pass leather
buckets to machine that would squirt III week
perhaps, as much one of our improved
steamers will throw in an hour. Yes. our IN
veterate conservatism comes in here. New York
cares nothing for traditions when they stand N
the way of progress San Francisco and Chi
cago have no traditions. They are not afraid to
institute the Paid Fire System-they do il and
they find their profit in it. With us it Is differ
ent, largely | believe from the reason have
given. But even here prejudice must give way
to such continued outrages as those of this week.
/ can give you fact which has not appeared
in the city papers. The Good Wif'-CWhat $
in q name > had procured small piece OF can
non which was Just being brought on the ground
when the fighting was suppressed. | mention
this to show the bloody disposition ofthe rioters.
almost wish that Howitzer could have been
fired few times. 1t would have rlng out the
demise of the humbug volunteer fire department
in Philadelphia.
As write, tile town is greatly excited over the
reception and parade of the famous Seventh
Regiment, of New York. We know, of course,
what gave the regiment its rcputation.. In the
early days of the war the papers were filled with
its praises. 1t might have been supposed almost
that the salvation of the country depended upon
it. And as time went on and other troops, who
| meant work, went to the front, and never had
their histories written,--the elegant Seventh lay
about Washington in 9 mute. ingorions ease,
and finally returned without even smelling pow
der to Delmonicos and the St Nicholas But We
cannot afford to have millonaires shot dowl
r | like poor folks. Ii you say .'Seyenth Regiment
in company nearly every man present will have
computation of how much money the regimen
! Represents; by the by neat way OF putting
it-naking the man stdmt for his money.
Fair weather soldiers must confess they d'
| not arouse my enthusiasm. Sound and fury
i signifying nothing. When their colors wer
! borne past the office where sat and saw hoy
I slick and fresh they were-just out OF the regi
: | mental band-box-I frowied all over. AM
$ many people in the crowd thought, ! am sure, ,th
!. same. Not that they wanted to imagine thi
splendid array of manly strength and beauty z
eriien,is, but because they felt that i'll this ''pil
! | gian progis OF vale exact justice was no
! | always done. All the torn and bloody flags tina
7 have been carried through these streets n
carousings, no feasts. no excursions to the sea
J no wholesale toadyings and batteries for til
9 brave boys who carried those lngs 1t is a
right, of course, the world is governed by law
but one is tempted to inquire it after all, it
I true that the righteous are never forsaken. l
Y Eternity they may and doubtless do get the
deserts, but il ii clear beyond peradyentnre tbs
u they always have the fair thing done by them o
! Earth? 1t is, at least, an open question
q New York's crack regiment rather disappointe
j, people here, who should know something {
u such matters. 1t is declared that the "seventl
= was out-marched out-maneuyred and general
10 outshone by the regiments ordered out as an O.
" cort. l don't know much about Flanks al
y platoons and all that rigmarole, but | will e,
press myself plainly, so that any one wheth'
10 lie has had niddling education or not, can III
If derstand. l thought, then, that the famol
,e Seventh. got all mixed up as it was turnir
% the corner Of Sd and Chestnut. That may II,
at be the proper term but it exactly expresses VIII
,e happened. The men ran to and fro not KNOWN
3 where to take their place in line Nearly all
9Se us who looked OH, had seen service, and Il
nj whole of us, whether We had or not, were di
20 gusted. INDEX.