Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-04-15
Tbe la,,faster 1ntelli9el,ter'
LANCASTER, APRIL Is, 1885.
"POOr Pennsylvania" !"

The charming ignorance of United States
geography which the average foreigner
exhibits, has frequently been made the sub
ject of native American derison, and of
Jokes from those who probably know
quite as little about European
places and manners, as the people
of other continents know about us. The
publishers of cyclopadias try to guard
against the ludicrous errors Of Chose who
write at long range upon subjects of which
they are ignorant by securing specialists
for the manysdiTisions of their works but
they do not always succeed in making the
happiest selections.
The last volume of the Britannica
which has bAen issued contains the arti-
Gle of that famous encyclopedia upon
=" Pennsylvania, " and citizens of this
state naturally turn to its authorship
with some degree of interest. They will
be disappointed to find it the work of Mr..
j. Peter Lesley, state geologist, and Rev.
G. Gordon Ames, of Philadelphia, who,
if we mistake not, is Yankee by birth
and certainly the joint work of these gen
tlemen does not show that comprehensive
knowledge of our state and sympathetic
appreciation of its composite citizenship,
which would qualify one TO properly set
forth its leading characteristics and to fifty
describe the genius of its people in such a
work as this under review.
As might have been expected, the geolog-
ical features of the article are complete,
and, from the prominence of Mr.. Lesley
in this field of study, it may be assumed to
be correct, but it is altogether too promi-
nent-a part Of the paper, and everything
else seems to be subordinated to it. The mar
row and provincial tone of the article may
be gathered from this extract, the italics
being our own:
"Southern Lancaster, Southern Chester
and Delaware counties support the most IN
tetligem and prtu0us population in the
state, largely composed Of the descendants
of Penn's colonists who have mostly escaped
the narrowing and enervating influences OF
the city and enjoy the mental and physical
activity, the simplicity of manners, and the
loyalty to truth, justice and charity which
characterized the Quakers at the origin of the
sect in England. The district which they
inhabit is @ Veritdbte fairy land, and its
principal town, West Chester, has been for a
long time one OF the notable centres of scien-
titic life in the state"
The extravagant hyperbole of this is
only excuSable in one whose knowledge
and travels of the state have been confined
to one corner of it. A very good people
they are who are referred to, and a fnf
country is their settlement and posses
sion, but they would scarcely arrogate to
themselves such superlative virtue and
sJ, il,nl 10, Ia, 4.
material wealth. natural fertility and higl
state of improvement, there are sections Of
Pennsylvania far surprising that pointed
out. That the blessings of West Chester 1
advanced scientific knowledge have moi
penetrated every corner of the state
we will freely admit ; but it is very clear
that no genuine Pennsylvania would
have permitted libel like this upon his
state in a foreign work of eminent
authority:
"The native bed bug, which breeds under
the bark of the hemlOck throughout the state
is the curse not only of the traveller bu
of a large part of the resident population"
A striking example of the inaccuracy
and incompleteness of the article on general
subjects is furnished by this paragraph Oh
educational topics
"There are twenty-four colleges, giving
four-year courses, but only five confin(
themselves strictly to college work, viz
University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia
Lehigh University, at South Bethlehem
Lafayette college, at Easton Haverford col
lege, at Havertord, and Dickin1bn college
at Carlisle"
Within few hours ride II philadelphia
where this article was presumably written,
there are at least two other colleges which
"confne themselves strictly to college
work" viz: Pennsylvania college, in Get.
tysburg, and Franklin and Marshall in this
city, which latter is the successor of the in
stitution whereof Benjamin Franklin laid
the cornerstone nearly century ago.
There is mountain somewhere in Cen.
trail Pennsylvania, from which 1t is said
one can look into Potter county on the
New York border, and on the other side
he can see Bedford in the southern tier
Messrs. Lesley and Ames ought to have
gone up there and taken view of the
landscape and inhaled breath of the ali
before they wrote their article on Pennsyl
yania.