The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-03-03
Distinctive Features of Philadelphia.

Despite the want of universal homo.
gencity, there arc great numbers of per
sons here who show an exceptional
uniformity of tast.s and dspositlons-in
part the outcome possibly of Quaker
discipline. The past with its memories
seems TO serve as a medium for holding
together the diverse elements of the
present. The long lows of red houses,
with marble trimmings and white pan
elled shutters neatly provided with bolts
(the upper-story shutters being carefully
painted green or slate, typify outwardly
and materially the Quaker influence,
though there are many innovations of
brown stone, green stone, colorcd mar
BILE, aud variegated tiles in the later
dwellings And here it may be said
that in the new public building for the
city government, and in the placing of
sundry other edifices, Philadelphia is
fortunate in securing architectural eff
fects of mass and group not common in
our cities. Speaking of the past, we
must give due weight to the presence of
independence Hall and Carpenters Hall
in connection with the important nat
ional history of the town 1t is signii
cant, further, that Philadelphia should
have been first in so many things. The
former mint was the first building put
up by Federal authority in any part OF
the United States The oldest type
foundry in the country is still carried on
here, and the oldest daily paper appears
every morning with renewed youth. OF
the thousands OF national banks organ
lied since the beginning of the civil war,
the earliest to be incorporated was in
Philadelphia and so too the Union
League of this city was the primary or
ganization of its kind Henry G. Carey
was the originator of the book trade
sales. The first house built in the col
ony was the Penn house, in Lettia
Court, which remains standing to this
day; and human beings likewise seem TO
have an unlivaled faculty for surviving
in this fortunate territory. a case in
point is General Robert Patterson. who,
emigrating from Ireland in 1892, served
on the American side in the war of 1912.
organized the Pennsylvania militia, dis
tinguiShed himself in the Mexican war,
led a division in the war for the Union.
was an extensive manufacturer, con
stantly active in society, and shortly be
| fore this article was written attended q
dinner in honor Of his own ninctieth
birthday. The establishment of turn
pixies and the development of public
hospitals are other matters in which
Philadelphia was in advance 1t can
| boast likewise in the Baldwin Locomo,
tive Works, an establishment which
began, i'll the earliest days of American
railroad building, with the painful man
ufacture of single locomotive, and has
kept pace with the march of that indus
try until now it turns out five hundred
locomotives year, and employees three
thousand workmen.
On every side we are led back to the
day of beginnings. The largest indus
trial establishments, like the works Just
named, the Diston Saw Company, or the
huge Dobson carpet mill, of wide celeb
rity, have grown up within genera
| tions time from small foundations Old
houses are carefully preserved, some
times with the interior furnishings of
their Revolutionary prime; and even
when historic buildings are disturbed,
the old associations cling to their sue
cessors. The Friends Hospital, where
Longfcllow caused Gabriel to find Evan
geline, has vanished Go the dssatisfac.
ton of antiquarian authorities), but the
Legendary value he gave to it remains;
and it is mentioned as point of interest
connected with ex-Minister Welsh's
house that it covers part of the hospital
site. This constant recurrence of the
past in the Philadelphia Of to-day is in
keeping with conservatism character
istic of the place, manifested in various
ways, and commonly explained by the
Quaker origin of the city. But that
quality is really due to other causes.
The main fact about Philadelphia,
differencing it from our other large cen
tres, is that it rests its Importance on the
powerto' produce tangible things of
solid usefulness. 1t adds value Some
commerce there is, and there are banks
and bankers welding extensive none
tary influence but the greater number
OF Inhabitants, both humble and con
spicuous, are interested in manufactures.
The mass of the people work hard for a
living at the business of makjng some
thing which their labor renders valuable.
Gaining money in this way, they apprc-
ciate its worth, become saving, and in
vest their savings in useful property
Where space is plenty, where rents are
low, and building associations are ready
to lend money, it becomes the habit
among saaricd men, mechanics, and all
persons of small means to acquire or
hire separate house and this multipli-
cation of homes increases the proportion
of responsible and cautious citizens
with high average of intelligence. |
may instance carrier on one of the
morning papers, who still continues his
rounds, though he is also botanist of
good repute, and member of the Acad-
emy of Natural Sciences. s.-GEoRGE PAR
SONS LATnRor, in Haper'S Nog02ine
for EebT3Inru