New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-17
A POPULAR GREETING.

POPULAR GREETING.
THE STREETS CROWDED FROM AN EARLY HOUR
THE DECORATIONS ALONG THE LNE OF MARCH
DISTINGUISHED vIsiToRs-BAAoUET AND RE-
cEPTIoN.
lBr TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUSE.l
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 1G-Phadelphia has had
to-day mammoth town show The reception OF
General Grant has been public pageant. remark
able for its proportions If not for its beartness Sixty
thousand men and boys in line to give him
greeting aud to escort him. with all the pomp and
circumstance of civic honor, through the main
streets of the city. So formidable array OF mill
| tary and miscellaneous organizations has seldom
been seen in any American city. At the same timcthe
thoroughfares through which this great body moved
were deckcd in all the glitter and tinsel of holiday
ooorng, and throngedhou after hour with multi
tudes of interested spectators bent upon seeing the
whole sight and doing their utmost to enjoy il. Taken
as whole il was q magnificent tribute TO the great
soldier who has completed, thls day, the circuit of
tho globe.
An early start was made at Harrisburg. The train
left the depot at O'Clock In the first car were
the members of Governor Hoyts staff; the second
was occupied by press correspondence and the third
by members of the Committee of Reception, who had
gone on in advance to tender to General Grant the
inequalities of the city. In the last car
was tho General himself, with his party.
including Senator Cameron, Mrs. Cameron.
| General Goshorn, Governor Hoyt, and W.
| NJ. Smith, relative of Mrs. Grant, When the train
reached Lancaster crowd was deserted at the sta
ion but General Grant did not favor these Jealous
admirers with glimpse of his face. The whole
party breakfasted on the cars. and no stop was
made until the suburbs of Philadelphia were
reached.
| At Maatua the palace car in which Mrs. Grant
| and the other ladies of the party were riding was
detached from the train and taken to the main sta
ton at West Philadelphia, where they met by
Mr. and Mrs George W. Childs and escorted to their
residence. The remaining cars were taken to the
intersection of Broad and Somerset-sts., where the
procession was already forming. The junction was
| reached at 030 o'clock.
| An UNCEREMoNIoUs RECEPTION.
While General Grant was conversing quietly with
| General GoshOrn and Superintendent Pugh, Mayor
| Sokley, the presidents of the Common and Select
| Councils, with few others behind them. entered
the car Nothing could have been more informal
than the meeting of these municipal representatives
and their distinguished guest. The Mayor touched
his hat, and grasping the Generals hand gave it a
vigorous shaking, exclamng: "Im right glad to
see you, and what little have to say III read.r
The address was very short, and III forty words
General Grant expressed his appreciation of the
compliment of the reception. The Mayor then
referred pleasantly to the Generals i'm
proved health. and in a few minutes
the inevitable cigar was lighted, and foTmalities
were at an end. number Of personal friends made
haste to greet the General; and while noisy bat
terry was firing salute outside, and the long line
of the procession was forming there was buzz of
familiar talk in the car.
e t1,oT 81
Mayor left the car followed by Governor Hoyt and
Colonel Charles Thompson Jones. The crowd out
side cheered heartily and when the General ap-
peared in Broad-st. there real enthusiasm men
swinging their hats and ladies waving their hand
kcrchiefs. The General took his seat in a carriage
with Mayor Stollley. Latter considerable delay.
the great procession began to move.
ALONG THE LINE OF MARCH.
North Broad-st was the dulest quarter of the
line of march. From the point of departure ON
Somcr-et-st. to Monument Cemetery, there were
80 many gaps between the buildings that 10 was int
possible to give the street holiday aspect. At Ok
ford st. and at Girard-ave. immense stands had
been erected for the accommodation of sghtsecrs.
A handsome arch crowned with words of welcome
spanncd the entrance to the Mayors residence. and
half dozen private houses decorated with
admirable tasto. aud flags and festoons Of bunting
were not lacking in single block. North Broad
st. as Il whole looked bare and uninter-
esting. John Warnamakcr exhausted bis in
gcnuity aud the resources of his establish
ment in teaching the tradespeople of
Market-st. how to decorate their buildings
His store was profusely decked with bunting. and
one side was fanked with ascending tiers of seats
| for his workmcn aud the public. Here the street
was spanned with two arches; one bore tho tribute
of the working people to the greatest of American
. tha thar hnr tha inf
Women OF the Centennial City join In the welcome
TO General aud Mrs. Grant," and on the reverse,
.AI honor to the hero of the nineteenth century"
From Thirteenth to Fourth-ststher was a continu-
Gus display of bunting, but only at a few points
were the decoration either conspicuous ingenious
Market ST. is too plain and unprctentious thorough
fare to appear TO advanti ge i'll holiday fncry.
Chcstnut-st looked much more handsome in the
bright colors which it has worn to-day. The old
State House was az gorgeous as bright bunting
could maket and with it's foreign flags its heavily
draped sls ana graceful festoons of evergreens
was the handsomest building in the city. In front
| of the statue OF Washington there was massive
| arch decorated with the colors of all nations q
starry canopy and large portrait Of General Grant
otestnut-st.. from Third to Broad was fairly fam
| inu with color. An arch below the Continental
Hotel bore this inscription ITO the honors of Eu-
rope, Asia and Africa. add the affections of Amer
| icar Over this arch there was large stand for
spectators. The word " Welcome" was displayed
on the fronts of many buildings, aud portraits
| of the General which must have made him blush
were quite too frequent. II he had leisure during
the long drive to compare these portraits of himself
| lie must have entertained gloomy reflections re-
spectng the penalties Of human greatness. His
| enemies have always conceded that he of
| the most modest and unassuming of men. but his
vanity must have been wounded and his lndigna.
| ton excited when some OF the daubs 50 conspicu-
| La fell nnder hia eve n hor