Evening journal., 1911-09-23
MORE COAL AND LESS
SMOKE, PERHAPS
By John S. Hamilton.

B. F. Chalfant, who lives at
Third and Washington streets, takes
a peculiar interest IN the transforms
ton OF St Paul's NJ. z. Church from
place o. worship TO a show house,
becs .se OF the memories that attach
, themselves to the site of the church.
Seventy years ago Wilmington was
village and Mr. chalfant was a VIII
lage boy Market street stopped at
Tenth street. beyond that being Bran
dywine Walk This was the village
promenade as it led 10 the old covered
bridge and 10 what is now Brandy
wine Park, but was then little more
than a virgin forest
The lot now occupied by the build
ing being transformed and the two
properties to the South reaching the
Seventh street building line, in Mr..
Chalfant's boyhood was occupied by
Isaac Kendall, broad brimmed
I Quaker, who kept bachelors hall and
also a store which made a specially
of the requirements of boys such as
tops, marbles. balls, fishing tackle
and the like, with gingerbread as a
side line. Mr.. Chalfant loves to pay
tribute TO Friend Isaac even at this
late day, and it is plain from his
1 praise that Isaac was not only
saint and purveyor to boys, but was
their sincere friend and instructor as
we'll.
Isaac took peculiar pleasure in
teaching boys to swim and slippery
bot" was his swimming -chool. There
is poetry in the recital as Mr.. Chal-
fant tells the story of how the swim
ming class. with instructor Friend
Isaac in command. would march out
Brandywine Walk and up through
the woods to the swimming place.
Several generations of boys, father
and son, we're taught this way by this
good man who appeared to take more
than a delight in instructing the
youth in a useful accomplishment
which was considered almost neces-
sary In place like Wilmington, which
al that time had its fleet of whale
: ships hunting the seas, and following
the water was a career for many.
The frame house occupied by
Isaac was moved when the church
was built some 65 years ago and
occupies building lot on French
street between Ninth and Tenth to-
day. Wilmington in that day must
have been a typical American village
william Hemphill Jones was one OF
the big men in the community and
was at the head Of the militia and
lived at Eighth and Market street,
The Bayard family also lived on Mar
ket street The mills on the Brandy
wine were then the greatest industry
in the city and those engaged IN
milling lived along Brandywine Walk
On Sundays and holidays this Bran
DIVINE Walk was the place where th'
villagers took an airing and showed
their finery. It was as has been saiC
before and as the name suggests, thu
way to the Brandywine. The latte
at that time was abounding in fish
The woods we're full Of birds, squir
rels and rabbits, and to take Mr.
Chalfant's word for II Wilmington wa
a delightful place to live. for bo,
al least. Commercialism and its evil
had not arrived with their blightin
influence. A few thousand of dollar
gave a family a competence and ther
was little real and vital differenc
between the poor and we'll TO &c
Everybody knew and was friendl
with everybody else and the arrival q
a stranger in town created as muc
2 excitement as a visiting fire compan
: does in these days.
3 OF course mankind is on a forwar
s march. The writer is convinced
3 that. OF course. taken as a whole
B conditions must be better than the
{ were seventy years ago, but one wi
z be forgiven perhaps when one think
a about these things. If after rehecuo
9 he asks whether all the turmoil, a
= the scheming 10 get the advantage
a your fellows, all the struggle to
n the upper dog Is worth while.
e There is surely some ground fc
B believing, or at least asking, If
a this nature favored country it woul
I not have been better if we had bee
: satisfied to 60 slower. There woul
- not have been so much smoke b.
- tween US and the sun perhaps an
- there would have been more coal an
- stone in the ground perhaps and MOI
- trees on the hillsides and more squi
= rels and bird in the tree tops an
& less poison and filth and more fish
8 the rivers perhaps. and less miserab
3 men and women in the cities slun
x perhaps, but the writer cannot he
believing that somehow men wou
ae have been happier and the human !
pc would have been better in this coul
- fry AZ laacf