Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-27
FIRST EDITION.
PHILADELPHIA.
QUA s&Tua aDaY LETTER

| ticipated, and to-day there is confusion oh the
schuylkll front of the city, and danger and ex-
element OH the banks Of the stream as far up
| us Manaynnk. Much further up, also,
no doubt, but local concern ends at
about the point indicated. With such an nc
emulation OF ice as that caused by the severe
weather of the past two months, moderated
| temperature followed by such heavy rain as
| that of last evening could not fail to bring
destruction. Manayunk is fairly under water,
| lowlying neighborhoods all the way to Fair
| mount are i'll much the same condition. The
loss is large. but mainly because the freshet is
40 general. No one section or interest has suf-
| fcrred very heavily as far as. appears. and the
| traditional food has been spared. II this s
to bo the end of the Sprmg overflow we shall
not have come badly off, but 1t IL
| quite possible there may be another
| freeze ard that the definite opening
Will he yet sonle time removed. News of acci-
dents on the water come from every hand. 1t
has been hard winter III more ways tnan one
but the worst il surely passed. The latest OF
the accidents which effect this section is the
mishap to the steamer "Yazoo" which ran
| aground near New Castle yesterday afternoon.
| The "Yazoo" belongs to the Philadelphia IL
Southern Line, and while entering this port from
New Orleans lost her wayin the fog. Old pilots
ray that "thicher" weather than that of the last
few days they never knew ON the Delaware.
Slipwreck or its peaceful shores seems an un-
likely thing but all places are alike in fog.
There is no danger apprehended to the ''Yazoo'
but the cargo Will have to be lifted and there
may be some loss apart from the !oss OF time.
The Centennial international Entertainment
was a very fine success, An unexpectedly COM
plete success, in fact. So quietly had the ar
rangements for the fete been made that only
those concerned i'll the management knew what
was to be offered tho public knew nothing
about it t,-scarcey was aware that there was to
be celebration oil any sort Bat success justl-
iies everything and 1t will scarcely do now to
urge that il more publicity had been given tho
return would have been largt r. For there
could have been no greater return IN numbers
and enthusiasm, and in money the result was
was all that could have been expected
The entertainment was happy
thought of the ladies' Centennial Committee
| and lts especia! point was the assumption of the
parts which the various nations are expected to
carry in our great festival The hubcommlttees
of ladies' had their varions tables and depart
ments arranged according to the international
agreement decided on, and carried out the pleas
ant idea i'll their costumes, and with good deal
of fidelity. The sum of the matter was varied
and charming scene which did the eye, and the
imag good. Female beauty was of course
tho centre OF the attraction. but behind this
beauty there was evidence OF patriotism and of
devotion TO principle. Hundreds Of people de-
cared they had never seen anything 30 pretty,
and 30 satisfying, i'll their lives.
The system OF selling church pews at auction,
inaugurated by Mr.. Beecher in Brooklyn, has
now reached Philadelphia, and strangely enough
through 30 conservative people as the Luther
an denomination. The occasion WAS the open
ing of the new :" Church of tho Holy Commit
mon AZ the corner of Broad and Arch streets.
Members of the church state that tue demand
for the choice pews was 30 active that 1t was
, thought the fairest way would be to put them up
at auction, thus giving all members chance TO
show how much they desired to have their
| choice, and at the same time to help by. such
q sale to clear OF the heavy build
ing expenses. Tho rental of the best
,.r,r ia l---SDmptlipU
Unprecedented in the Lutheran church. Some
OF the pews are held at 10 less price than $1,000
| Il year-enough to rent West End house, or
| half dozen such domices M mere folks live
| i'll. The Lutherans will cease being meek and
| lowy people if this thing goes on. And we md
the iowly Methodsts, too, i'll gothic cathedral
| on the opposite corner Modes of worship
| change like everything else in the world, but is
| the worship itself anymore heartfelt and true
| The highest premium paid in the sale referred
| was 800. 1t most cases $500 to $500 premium
| was paid. These sums, You Will understand, arc
| in addition to the Pew Rents.
The annual duel of the Dental Colleges Is
| fought this week. or course the rivalry be-
| tween these Institutions il a "fIiendly' one-lt
is the fashion believe to use that rm IN re
ferr9g to opposing lnteresIsbaG The pnisddI Is
| phla College is a secession from the PennFyl-
| vania," but OF late years has succeeded in out
stripping the parent concern. Great eXerEons
arc used to make the commencement supe-
|
| the first requisite. The "Pennsyvania" had lis
| turn last night aud despite the furions storm
| the Academy of Music WAS crowded. This was
triumph, and partisanship, on tne part
| further. The Philadelphia" which has
| its commencement to morrow evening, can hard
| ly have larger house. no matter how hne the
weather may be- But rivalry apart, these nd
| mirable colleges conjoined cover nearly the
whole Dental ground. The great majority OF
the best dentsts of tho United States as well as
| of South America, CuLa and other foreign coun-
tries graduate from one or the other OF these in
| stituiions.
An anxious and pressing question is that rea-
tive to to the coal supply. Alarmlsts say we are
to have " famine the most moderate and
careful observers admit :. that the ,s,i. slt.
the closing of canal navigation had
lindered the getting of coal to market
which s one OF the excuses OF dealers in put
ting up prices-the case would not be SO bad. for
the chances are now of an early resumption OF
canal traffic. But the trouble is more radical
one and reaches the base of coal operations. IL
is known that there have been continuous trou-
bles of late between the operators and the MI
uers and the result of the stnf es and disagree
ments is seen in the low supplies of the product
at the principal shipping points, 1t seems q
hard case that with Nh ineXhaustlble supply OF
coal, with men ready and anxious to
work, and with public willing to pay
a fair price for the fuel, that specuia-
ters and extortionsts should impose upon
the poor, and derange tho industrial inter-
terests Of whole sections of country. Happily
the mild season approaches, and " famine If
1t does come will not so directly affect bodily
comfort as high prices would in the winter, but
coal is constant necessity and low stocks and
inoidinate values must work to the general dis
advantage.
The limited fraternity of City Passenger Rail
way Stockholders makes determined effort to
, keep up the seven cent fare, and it is evident
enough will never give way until forcedto do 30.
, No consideration OF public good, or OF
receiving a disproportionate return on
their Investments, weighs upon them in
in the slightest. Ex-Treasurer Kemble, one OF
the magna.es of the Union Line" has made
an elaborate argument to prove that the COM
panies should not be held by the present, value
of their real estate, rut should be Judged from
: the values at the time the roads were put IN
operation. A stranger plea was never advanced
to excuse an extortion. Mr.. Kemble says that
some of the companies paid no profits at first,
nor until they had developed the neighborhoods
to which they ran, by inducing people to settle
l upon the lines of the roads; the implication
being that the city, for its part, owes
the railway System debt. But fancy only q
stockholder looks at the matter in that way.
, The simple question, and the whole question
practically, is whether tho companies could not
charge cent fare and yet make largo profits
l We know that they could, and that they have