Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-06
PHILADELPHIA.
Some Local Items Of Noteworthy In.
terest.

Correspondence Of the Union and American.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 31.-The Acade-
my Of Natural Science, located on Broad
street, is to have new and more commo-
dous building a. Nineteenth and Race
streets, the Corner stone of which was laid
yesterday with a good deal of ceremony.
The event is one Of no small significance
and importance, being one of q series of
movements indicating that Philadelphia is
making advance cps commensurate with
her wealth, population and intelligence.
Efforts have been made, and attended with
wonderful success, TO investigate the Sc
crets of nature, to place vast and beautiful
collections al the service of students, aud to
accumulate an extensive and extremely
valuable scientific library. These efforts
connected more than sixty years ago, at a
time when no similar movement was seri-
ously contemplated in any other portion of
tie United States; and the steady presever-
8 &C and skill with which they have been
c7Htiuued have melted similar labors else-
where, and contributed materially to the
enlargement Of the circle of KNOWLEDGE.
. he value Of the Collections already made
may be- Inferred fom the museum,
Which u II be lranferred 10 the new build
jig, c,n aims more than TWO hundred and
fit tho sand specimens, many of them
u.iqIe-for instance, the restor d skeleton
OF IT, Hadr0saurius Foulkii. The c4biDst
O. fiG,ralS contains ), 700 specimens. In
the department. of geology there are about
100 specimens of rocks. The pae0ntolOg-
it1l collection was hegGn in 1915, aad con-
tSius 5000 specimens Of fossils. In the
bo.snical collection there are 10000 species
of plants arranged and labelled by distin-
eui-hec foreign and American bOtanisJs.
There are 25,000 specimens Of insects req
resented in the collec ion. The collection
Of shells is very ii e, there being more than
100000 specimens There are 813 species
Of reptiles represented, and LILO species Of
fishes. The department If OrnlthOlOgy is
remarkably rich, embs acing more Than
$1,000 birds. with the res Of 200 and the
eggs of 1900 species. The collection Of
c5ICpaTa'iVe anatomy contains Z7l skele-
tons $40 cfania, and 2j9 parts Of
different animals. The department Of
ethnology Was begun in the year
1880. Or. J. Aiken HeiCs classified the
lum1u Crsuia, numbering l,225, and
published a catalogue Of them in 1856.
Many additions TO his collection have
been msds since tba, date. Some cUllec-
tig-s Of ancient Indian art, belonging TO
the academy, arc deposited elsewhere Tor
TIA SAINT of room. Besides the craEia,
there IS one human mummy in its sarcO-
phagus, and + mummihed animals, al
from Egypt, and tmee human mummies Of
tie IacE race. There IS a chemical aDpl-
ratus Il about 1850 PEGS, Jut packed
away. Tie biological aud micrOscOpicEl
section Of the academy possesses cabinet
OF - mounted specimens Of healthy and
morbid animal tissues, vegetable struc-
lures, mineral substances &c, a collection
Of pbol1mCrogTapAs, which are important
Illustrations OF recent progress Ia micro
sCoyic science; il has sisJ i've microscopes,
including ZeDtmayCr's grand American
microscope, ard one of Powel IL Leland's
manufacture, besides some accessory ap-
para5u5. The library contains 2Z,50O vol
umes. The genealogical department is
almost perfect, there Ueiug but three vol
umes Oh Tie SUI jCcs published not in the
Co,iactlOR. Tie practical vaiue Of this col
lection hiss been 50 much impaired by the
want Of facilities for displaying it that the
increased space which will be furnished by
the new building has become absolutely
necessary for efficient operations in future.
THE GREAT REFORMATION.
This is animpoT.auJ day in the annals Of
the world, for il was or The 3lst Of October,
1917, three hundred and ii.ty-hve years ago,
that bold monk, one Martin Luther, post
ed on the doors Of the SChlOsskirche at
Wiuenberg those HiGety-lve Latin theses
which were destined TO make the most rad
zeal changes in the teueJs OF human faith,
and in the limits of ecclesiastical power.
That act was the virtual Inauguration Of the
Reformation, although those who were most
interested did not know II. TetZel, the Do
minican monk, whose abuse Of eCcleSiasti-
cal ramissi00s had called the theses forth,
dii not see the thunderstorm in the small
cloud that hung over Wittenberg. The
Archbishop If GsgdcbUTg, grave and learn
ed pr. late hat Ae was, 70 whom, as his &C.
clesl2s.iC,l superior, a copy Of The theses
l,era sent Ia a c0uciiiatory spirit by the
courageous aGhOl sic professor, did not see
il; aud even Luther himself, bursting with
that ind rua. ION which an alleged prOfana-
ton Of holy things had reused III his rug
ceG and caIn's- nature, Gi3 not. could not
Lnow Tia. ON that day he had raised a
tempest which not all the powers
q men. clerical or civil, nor all the
srmaments Of States or princes could
luH That simple act Of posting contained
/. Itself the Germ Of Professionalism. In
those times of scholastic wTanges the post
iug Of theses was 10 uncommon recourse OF
GIsuuta,ious scholiasts; but there Was that
in The niuey-Gve Lain statements of de-
FAM faith which met want of the age
.Id which nOjLiHg could resist. They
meant revolution, aud such a revolution
too. as The world had never seen. 1t was
LOT JiJCe years after those little papers haL
covered the doors Of the SchlOsckirCh,
that Leo Y, from lis high place had hurled
LIS bail OF accommodation against Mar
Ug Luther, that Luther had burned il
before the Eis'er Gate Of Wittenberg, il
The presence of friends already pledged tC
lis G0cl ines, and that The separation be
tween himself and he church of Rome
VS. complete. Bis action a. the Ester
CITE was but a c TJia-y to his action OF
tIe Sch.gss5igChe doors one was only /
finish Of he other. l. had been I he work O
@ e truly great man-rare enough III al
s-ts-yery rare IN that age. That WORK
remains behind him, in memorials so CRANE
fIrf relerstiOus 10 come, as generations
-E.3t have gone before have done, can only
f..fgN with reverence the sturdy teachings
man who, all aTdor IN The conscious
r.ss Of a high mission, felt himself
s.-rar enough al once 10 Withstand
a. ,nticemen;s and defy the threat:
e. power, and made himself forever the
c.a'.tor Of mankind. The 3lst October
h.s.n2 thus been selected as the birthday o
a.. Reformation, The members of the Lu
Ueson Church in our city have been II The
l4aj. u holding anniversary meetings OF
[ I'D Gay, ana this evening the three nun
c.no and fifty nth anniversary Of that grea
,Nnu' was appropriately observed by Lhe
I.--.r.us OF Philadelphia. The great he
i.Ua.i0" o. tie sixteenth century was 70
aIe,ut against properly constituted aud
recognized authorities, but revolution in
lie best sense # the Je.n, and the object
Is mia, less than than tie re-establishment
Of the principles Of primitive Christianity
ghe original Introduction of the Christian
religion AID tie Reformation were parls Of