Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-02
lanraster fr1telAgenrer.
PENIS Remains.

ceived of the reply to the PennsylVanla
commissioner sent to England for Penn's
bones there appears to be nothing III it
to warrant resentment on the part OF
our state, or such as was alleged to have
been rather ungraciously expressed ty
the disappointed commissioner. The re-
mains of Pennsylvania founder are in
the graveyard and custody of a society
of that religious denomination OF which
he was member, and the principles OF
which made the economy he planted
here, distinguished in its day and in
history for it's humanity and picturesque
simplicity, not unmixed with worldly
wisdom. Whatever there was of glory
in PENIS achievements and to elicit ad-
miratiOn of his character was shared
by the people from whom he had
sprung, by the faith which had
nourished him and which he eXemplified
in his public administration, and by the
community to which he retired and in
the bosom of which he died. Quite ma
turally, therefore, these people object to
the removal of his remains, not only be-
cause they have an honest pride in their
possession and custody, but because the
ceremonial of their removal, and the
celebration of their re-interment rs pro-
posed, would have been inconsistent
with the practices of the Friends, and,
it may be presumed, with the ideas Of
the eminent dead. Moreover, it will he
conceded 10y all decent-minded persons,
that the wishes of Penn himself, if
there is any mode OF aScertaining
them. should lie conclusive; hence the
removal Of his remains from the spot he
specially selected i.f their resting place
would be wholly unwarrantable. II
these considerations were not enough
the practical difficulty of finding and
identifying his exact Loiy would frus-
trate the execution vf what, after all,
must appear in any bat II sentimental
view of the matter to have been foolish
proposition from tic bcsinning. All
these considerations are SET forth temper
ately and respectfully. but forcibly, in
the reply of the trustees OF the Friends
meeting to the representative of Penn
sylvania and they appear to he unan-
swefable.
Surely there is nn need Of having
Penn's bones to honor him. No man s
fame. nor the celebration OF it can be cir
cumscribed by the location of his mau-
solemn. Monuments and statues. and
tablets, arc set up altogether regardless
OF this. 1t is impossible to make the
bones @p around, even if they were mul-
tiplici as often us tine relics of some of
the saints. In the case of Mad Anthony
Wayne, We believe there are two graves.
One is said to contain his flesh and the
other his bones, which were stripped fer
the better facilities of transportation.
But Pennsylvania can build any monu-
ment to Penn it wants to erect, without
what is left of his mortality reposing be-
meath il. Thus far she has shown
no haste to make any such
provision. Better, perhaps, would
She honor the memory of her founder if
her people made their commonwealth
more worthy of his name. Proud as our
state is in material advancement, its po-
litic;ll morality is Il bye-wOrd and kissing
among the sisteriloOd. Its elders are
kept in the background of the national
councils and its young men of laudable
ambition have it chilled, because the
last three decades of our legislative his
tory have so s!lamed the principles of
her founder and violated the motto em-
blaZoned Oh her eScutcheon. Let us look
to correction of these things. Perhaps
study Of Penn's life and character may
lead to them. Ii 50 any discussion
which will revive them will not be
fruitless but certainly we can do better
to live by Penn's principles with his
bones laid where lie chose, than to build
a whited sepulchre above them here and
continue in our public disrespect to his
memory by ignoring the ideas which iii.
imated Pennsylvania's founder.