The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-09-29

Though we are here in the capacity of rep
resentatives of the centennial, and have
s sSe exact ns' nature s Of the pis cere.
monies adopted, and the vast progress
that has been made in pushing forward the
preparations for them. We should, were
we at liberty to do so, attempt to reciprocate
the kindness you have manifested to us, by
a sincere and cordial inz itation to you to
come and participate in
THE CELEBRATION
in Pennsylvania in 1876, but such action, on
our part might properly be accounted pre-
sumption, as the celebration of
81 THE BIRTH
of the nation is as much your work as ours,
and your duties toward it are singular to
ours. You have, therefore, all the right to
invite us, that we have to invite you. But
If we do net feel at liberty to invite you to
attend the celebration. for the reasons that
duties toward it are the same. We can at
least assure you that the period of the cele-
bration at Philadelphia, will be a time
of jubilee, such as their nation
nor any other has ever seen, and our latch
strings will all be on the outside. 1t is
sometimes alleged that the good old city of
brotherly love-dear to every American for
its revolutionary history, for being the spot
where our independence was proclaimed, If
nothing else, is deficient in hotel accommo-
dations; that assertion may be an approx
mate truth, but do assure you, in all sim
cerlty, there will be no want of latch
strings on the outside. Philadelphia has
greater dwelling capacity, in proportion to
population, than any large city ia the world.
In 1870 she bad population of ga, 900,
lodged In liz, 1866 dwellings, or but six persons
TO house. You see the new title of the
Quaker City, namely. ''The City of Homes"
is well deserved, and that she possesses the
100000 friends, without the slightest incon-
venience, Since the census she has added
at least 100000 to her population, and built
10000 comfortable brick houses, for
frame houses are prohibited with us.
Until to-day, l thought there was no city
like unto her for domestic comfort, but a
ride through this marvel of energy-this
beautiful capital, shows me that your streets,
too, like ours are crowded with building ma
terial, and that the sound of the trowel. the
hammer and the saw making the best of mu
sic prevails, 60 into what quarter you will.
There is one thing more that wish you spe-
cially to note. It is this: That we do not
come here to instructive have no such vain
idea. We we'll know that we can not teach
the people OF
THE WESTERN STATES.
learn much from them. We have come
here to see how great things are
done, to acquire rather than i'm
part. True, Pennsylvania would seem to
bear in some measure the relation of parent
to most of the Western States, but you
know it is no uncommon thing for children
to get a long way ahead of their parents in
great achievements and fine accomplish
ments. Now, in the centennial work it is
that tie whole family shall come
and that each member shall con-
tribute something toward the common
needs and interest OF the occasion. You
know that when there is to be a gathering
together of an immense freunds chaft, as
our German friends call one of their beauti-
ful domestic festivals. it will embrace chill
dren, grandchildren and great grand-chil-
dren, and it is quite out of the question that
the homestead, in itself, should provide for
all this numerous family. So far from this,
it is expected that each branch of the fam
lily VIII come with its own "fxings'-with
its own products, so that there may be an
and that the admiripg members
may see what great things the family can
Very much akin to this will be
the great centennial celebration. 1t will
be gathering at the close of the first one |
hundred years of our national existence of
the whole family right down in the lap of
one of the mothers. Each member will |
bring along the best specimens of its works |
Of arts its manufactures, its inventions, nat |
nral resources and all that indicate the true |
causes of the growth and prosperity of
A GREAT NATION.
We admire you for your greatness and |
power, and rejoice that you enjoy the pleas
lres and benefits of the new order of things |
the achievements in science, the arts, labor |
saving machinery, the telegraph, and in |
railroad transportation, but we would not |
have you forget entirely the old order of
things. Your parents did not emigrate to |
the West in parlor cars at the speed of forty |
miles an hour. Ifmy recollection does not
fail me, their mode of transportion was more
ike that of Daniel Boone when he moved to |
Kentucky to escape the officious inter- |
ference OF civilization. He used horses |
and pack-saddles. / speak what L know |
when describe the state of emigration to /
the West, as / witnessed it. When quite a
young boy, in 1928, my parents emigrated
from the eastern part of Pennsylvania to
what was then called "The Far West, but
they settled in Mercer county of that State, |
on the eastern side of the Ohio line. Their |
mode OF transportation was by means of
two horses and small wagon covered by |
fisxen canvass, and from that new home |
thereafter witnessed many sad scene con-
nected with " The Far West" Those scenes |
were caused by the young men separating |
from their respective homes to settle in that
far off and unknown region. Some of you |
may be under the impression that the old |
States contributed nothing to your wonder
ful growth-that would be an erroneous inn |
preston. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mas |
sachusetts and others contributed annually |
hundreds and thousands ofready made men
and women.
An honest, sturdy, thrifty class who within |
twenty-four hours after settling down CON- |
their future life by telling the for |
ssts, cultivatiDg the soil and putting into OPP
Grafton all the processes, under which THE |
wilderness has been made TO blossom like |
the soil.''
Now you see in all this process that we are
bone OF the same bone and flesh Of the same
flesh.
/ used to, when young man, hear orators
in describing