Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-10
QUAY DIDN'T SHOW UP.
He Breaks an Engagement With
Western University Students
TO TALK ON PRACTICAL POLITICS.
Professor Rohrbacher Discusses the Penn
sylVania Dutch.
WILLIAM .PENN'S GERMAN DESCENT

The chapel of the Western University
was filled yesterday afternoon with students
and others, not few ladies being among
them, who expected to hear Senator NJ. 8.
Quay lecture upon practical politics. They
had a mighty pleasant time with Prof
Rohrbacher and the Pennsylvania Dutch,
but they didn't hear Mr.. Quay unbosom
himself for the simple reason that the Junior
Senator of the State did not turn up. This
was in accordance with Congressman Dali
zell's prophetic remark to President Hol-
land of the University some time since to
the effect that the only chance the Univer-
sity students would have of hearing Mr..
Quay on this pregnant topic would occur in
heaven.
DR.. Holland at P. NJ, when neither let
ter nor telegram had arrived to explain the
Senator's absence, said to the audience gath
cred in the chapel: "Senstor Quay, as
said this morning. is either engaged by his
business in Congress or in catching tarpon,
so that we must fall back upon our own re-
sources, which are. am happy to say,
great Prot. Rohrbacher will discourse to
YOU upon the PENNSYLVANIA Dutch, who, on
this occasion, may be said to have taken
Holland.
The German Element in Pennsylvania.
Prof. Rohrbacher, of the University fac
ulty, accordingly spoke in an informal way
upon the important part the Dutch or Ger
man element in Pennsylvania had played in
the history OF this Commonwealth and OF
the nation. He prefaced his remarks with
the statement that he was proud 20 act as
substitute for Senator Quay, whom he knew
to be good man and a soldier who had,
when compelled to resign his command by
ill-health, volunteered as an aide in order
to fight at Fredericksburg, saying that he
would rather be considered foolish than a
coward.
Captain Rohrbacher expressed his belief
that he had been asked to speak upon the
same principle that an old hen was given
80 eggs to set on, in order to give "the
darred old thing chance to spread her
self" Then he launched into description
of the origin and wide-spreading influence
of the German nationality, before William
Penn, whose mother was Dutch woman,
came to this country and laid stress upon
the little known fact that Penn thrice
visited Germany after he had received the
grant of Pennsylvania.
The First German Settlement.
The settlement of 33 Germans at German
town was the first permanent lodgment of
their race on this soil. In spite of the dis
like and jealousy of other colonists the Ger
mans prospered and multiplied. Attempts
were made to suppress them, to curtail their
political rights, but they resisted manfully,
and the day came when they could win
everything in sight at the polls. Few Ger
mans, Prof. Rohrbacher asserted, knew
what a large share their race had in the
glory of founding this nation, and more
especially this Commonwealth. II was
Pennsylvania that led the procession in the
War of the Revolution, and OF her citi-
zens seven-tenths were of German blood.
He mentioned such heroes of those times
as DeKalber, Herkimer and Mullenberg,
the first speaker of Congress who came
down from the pultit and doffed his oassock
to don the uniform of soldier. The Ger
man women were as good as their husbands,
fathers and brothers, even if they could
not play the piano and sing "What is Home
Without Mother" Prof Rohrbacher
claimed that since Pennsylvania had first
elected a Governor of Germon descent in
1908 she had kept on electing rulers of
German extraction.
Great Americans With German Blood.
Other notable Americans mentioned by
the speaker as possessing German blood in
their veins were General Custer. Vice Presi-
dent Hendricks, Allen G. Thurman, DR..
Pepper, of Philadelphia University, and
DR.. Holland himself Prof Rohrbacher
went further and declared that all over this
State Germans or their descendants were in
the majority. He claimed for them indus
try and respect for the law as cardinal traits,
and wound up with the declaration that we
might study with good results the history,
the habits, the works and the ways of Penn
sylvania Germans.
DR. Holland indorsed the lecturers con-
Guiding words heartily, and announced that
DR.. Moffatt, OF Washington and Jefferson
College. would deliver the next lecture,
the subject to be Memory" Prof Rohr-
bacher, who is very popular with the
Western University students, was ap-
plauded vigorously and given three cheers
when the meeting wound up.