Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-01-02
QUAINT OLD TONES.
TWO BOOKS WHICH A NEWSPAPER
MAN FOUND IN ENGLAND.

MAN FOOND IN EN0lANO.
How Pennsylvania Was Doomed In Ys
olden Time-Its Climate, Soil and Peo- |
pie PrAised-A schoolmsster's Textbook |
That belonged to william Penn.
have before me now two little books
which have been lent to me for a few
days, and which, I think, could hardly
fail to interest any Pennsylvanian; so !
shall endeayor to describe them as well
as can, as most people can never see
them, both of them being rare and one
being absolutely unique.
The first of these is small duodecimo
Of not more than 100 pages, though the
following title page might easily mis-
lead one to expect rather a larger vol
anne:
can Historical and Geographical Ac-
count Of the Province Of PENNSYLVANIA
and of West New Jersey In America;
the Richness of the Soil, the Sweetness
of the Situation, the Wholesomeness Of
the Air, the Navigable Rivers and 9th
ers, the Prodigious Increase Of Corn, the
Flourishing Condition of the City of
Philadelphia, With the Stately Build,
ings and Other improvements There;
the Strange Creatures, as Birds, Beasts,
Fishes and Fowls, With the Several
Sorts Of Minerals, Stones and Purging
Waters Lately Discovered; the Natives,
Aborigines, Their Language, Religion,
Laws and Customs; the First Planters,
the Dutch, Swedes and English, With
the Number of Inhabitants; as Also
Touch Upon George Keith's New Re-
ligion In His Second Change Since He
Left the Quakers; With Map of Both
Countries. By Gabriel Thomas, Who
Resided There About Fifteen Years.
London: Printed and Sold by A. Bald
win, at the Oxon Arms, in Warwick
Lane, 1698."
He explains in the preface that, as
there never has been fair or full ac-
count of PENNSYLVANIA, he thinks
the curious will be gratified with an
ample description. He explains why
more has not been heard Of it, predicts
thriving future and says he +'could
say much in praise Of that sweet tract
of land" but reserves itfor the body of
| the book.
i After this comes small folded map,
very interesting and signed Philip Lea,
London. 1t represents "Pennsilvania'
as consisting of only four counties
Bucks, Philadelphia, Chester and New
Castle, with Virginia on the west, West
New Jersey ON the east, Maryland On
the south and Canada ON the north.
i Some of the names arerather surpris
ing. For instance, immediately opposite
Philadelphia, ON the Delaware, is &
Dutch fort, and just back of that is {
place called Yacomanshaghkings. II
our own state the chief places seem tt
be Haverford, Darby, Plymouth, Ger
mantown, West Town, tRadnor, New
town and Lewiston.
4 After the map 80 small pages are de
voted to the description of Pennsylva
MIA, from which we learn that, thougl
the province is 800 miles in length b.
1870 in width, by far the greater part O
!, it is still in the hands of the natives
who are supposed by most people t.
have been of the Ten Scattered Tribes.
The Dutch came and traded, tn
Swedes and Firms came and settled, an
finally William Penn came and founde
Philadelphia, ga noble and beautiful
city, which contains above 2, 900 houses
all inhabited and most of them stated
and of brick-genetally three storie
high, after the mode i'm London.
Moreover, in this province are fou
great market towns-viz, Chester, tn
: Germantown, New Castle and Lewis
town.
Among the iaws--fcr this autho
gives synopsis Of those also--perhap
the most striking is this: Thieves of al
sorts are obliged to restore fourfold
after they have been whipped and i'm
prisoned, according to the nature c
their crime, and If they be mot of abil
ity to restore fourfold they must be i
servitude till tits satisfied"
I could give many more curious es
] cerpts, but will content myself with on
before passing on to the other book:
: "The Christian children born here ar
generally we'll favored and beautiful
: behold, being in the general observed
be better natured, milder and more ter
Q der hearted than those horn in Eng
land.
The other book is still more rare. i
$ is called "a New Primer, or Methodica
Direction to Attain the True Spelling
Reading and Writing Of English, Where
: unto Are Added Some Things Necessar
and Useful, Both For the Youth Of Thi
l Province and Likewise For Those VIII
t From Foreign Countries and Nation
I Come to Settle Among Us. By T. D. T
: Printed by William Bradford in Me-
York and sold by the Author in Pennsi
vania."
The printed book itself is a curiou
little schoolbook, and is SO rare that
: is not mentioned by Allibone, who Wa
: himself a Philadelphian. But this pal
ticular copy is of especial and extraol
{ dinary interest because it has bee
: bound up with about 80 blank page
y upon which the author, in most cles
!, and beautiful manuscript, has write
some very quaint things. 1t was q
pecially bound for William Penn, wit
his initials and the date 1901 on th
cover, and inside is book plate bearin
the Penn arms and motto, and "Wi
liam Penn, Esquire, Proprietor of Pen
sylvania, 1908" Tt is worthy notin
the three different forms of spelling Il
= name Of the province used by those tw