The sun., 1896-01-26
BIrE IN PHIBADsJPHIA.
The Quaker City Not Literary, Though t
Thinks II Ia.

Philadelphia has vast deal OF local pride
She Is enormously self.conscious. and like all
essentially small places. she believes that great.
ness Is to 10 achieved by desiring IL and talk
Ing about it. She takes herself and her ".
fairs seriously and believes herself important
In matters where she Is really insignificant.
PHILADELPHIA is not an intellectual city, but
she believes herself W he literary city. She
can never forget the tradition OF her Wistnr
parties, which occurred before she had grown
to hcr present state of comparative insiGnin-
canoe: for 1t is an odd thing about Philadelphia
that the bigger she grows the less her relative
Importance. This Is true OF her literary as of
her commercial significance.
benjamin Franklin once lived in Phadel
phia, and sho has never since harborch so great
man. II was an impressive thing II few years
ago to see the late George u. Boxer walk down
Chestnut street to Broad and thence TO the
Union League. Club house. Mr.. Boxer was
then not only the solo poet Uf any note in tlN
city, but rs well The hnndsomrst literary man
IN America, His intellectual life must have
been be-, a 4 lonely one at the l'nion, League club:
olu Wait Whitman never made pictCnCN Of
caring for Philahrlrhia, h.uu;h u few phtlu.
dclphinns treated him well, ard in u measure
tie place hy living in Camden. u slight that
only u philadcrhinn can, 4 !Yr.cio,c. Horace
1t is not literary. The Ihtcilectuni dcadncss
of the place gives him abundant opportunity
Gf nnrsgiME W. nndrGGtSd q" sEat work %
den himself, from ,hG World il. Buffalo, u fIw
seeing that Philadelphia IS so much handler.
As a matter of fact, Phila,l,lnhin has u great
intellectual. but She has also several note
worthy libraries. The great advantage that
that he may have them almost 20 himself.
There Is one ponuMr library II good deal fire.
ndclphia intellectually by The neglect Of hor
lSrsriSs cn yi. The II iaGt Is hiina%phi@ ,Hnly
her great and hold her ncCYuntahle % thc dn
fuln,ss and variety OF urban lif" that can spare
some some n"rsons, from work to visit parks and
iinrarir-; and 5" it hanrrns. tia, hcr public
places OF all sorts are much Cf the tiur empty
Philadelphia is no place 70" an tdicr. Her
nannsHmenis are soon exhausted. and lie finds
spacious anl beautiful. but much OF the tiluo
empty. The ruhlir squares. ii public be tho
tire seem purely private. are charming. hut
deserted. Independence square alone excepted.
In some Of her finest streets. as IN Thomson's
''plcasing. land of nrowsyhead.' it seems to be
always afternoon. The idle stranger looks IN
I ynin for any ~ amusement that hG my share with
dull. There are few drearily stupid concert
saloons where drunken visitors i,re robbed MT
midniSht ey dts,o;nte w"nep "r most ia
taurant frcqucntcd by Il nOndcsCript company
of men and women, without the nicturcsanc
variety that half red"ems tn" Midnight cXhib-
tionS in the New York Tendcrloin.
Nothing in philadelphia is more disappoint-
inI thnn her whary"s. She has n noble river
along her many miles OF eastern front. but her
shipping seems insignificant compared with
that of other large ports. Tho vessels that
occupy the slils are mostly small. No great
and swift steamships ply between Philadelphia
and foreign parts Little BOston'S shipping is
grnntcr. and even Raltiuorc's seems more va.
ried and picturesquc. The shipping i that Of
u fourth rate port. ana Vet the wharycs nr"
Phiiah"lphin's most interesting feature. for they
have at least s"inNlance oi activity. and
nothing can quite destroy the charm OF sparS
and cordagc. II the visiting stranger be- in
capable OF burving himself FOR DAYS In library
lie will present y hnv" y 'cne" of being crihhcd,
combined. aud confined in the great dull rcd
brick area of rhillde.uhia. lie soon cNhauste
the uarks and even tic charmin.; suburbs.
knows by heart block hv block the picturesque
streets that still bless the town. and turns in
vain for amusement. The clubs niicr him no
relief or inspiration. for they share the gcu-
cral lnlness. The visitor Mt len 9Th comes to
feel that lcthcan stream pnurs through every
street and alley. nlling with stagnant pools
the public places, lUling with drowsy waters
the town and i,s inhabitants.