Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-23
HISTORY AND PUNS
FOR PASSENGERS ON
SIGHTSEEING AUTO
Lecturer Gives Interesting
Account of City's Past
Without Its Accuracy Be-
ing Challenged.

| ASiu Nbu ever We" illlldutlptld nun II
sightseeing auto? If you didn't you have
lots to learn You will find in some in
stances that famous historians have
greatly erred, that statisticians have not
been within gunshot distance of facts,
and that you'll feel at the end of the
trip that you should brush up on things
| concerning your own city.
| A trip on one of these "rubber-neck''
! cars was taken today by an Evening
| Ledger reporter. He started from Fif-
| teenth and Market streets IN receptive
mood but before riding mile was con-
| Vnced that he knew very little, indeed,
about places and events in his own city.
| The first surprise came when the car
| reached the main postofftce There the
marathon lecturer pointed to the statue
| of benjamin Franklin and announced in
! authoritative tones, There Is the statue
of benjamin Franklin. 1t was upon this
| very plot of ground that Franklin flew
his kite and got electricity from the
| clouds" Some of the other riders also
| were amazed. They made quiet COM
mcnt, but most of the passengers APP
pcared to he contcntcd the statement
passed unquestioned.
one could half close his eyes and pic
ture the guide enlightening an audience
in n vaudeville house. Glowing tribute
! was paid by the lecturer to prominent
! business establishments on Chestnut
street. on reaching Fifth street, he an
nounCed that the Delaware River was
/ five squares east; also that the Atlantic
| Ocean, which washed the shores OF New
Jersey and several other States, was 63A
miles east of that.
| CONsCGENCELESs ENCYCLOPEDIA.
Endowed with a vocabulary which
would have done credit to a high school
| graduate, the speaker then went on like
a human encyclopedia without con-
| science.
| The block from Fifth to Sixth OIL
| Market street was referred to al great
/ mems row" Luckily there We're no mem
/ bers of the Pennsylvania Historical So
| ciety on board, for the guide pointed out
/ the early homes of several Presidents,
/ half a dozen famous statesmen and resi-
! denccs of others who helped make history
/ in the days Of the city's early struggles.
At Seventh street he was obliged to
! drop history for commerce. All the de-
| partment stores got the fullest praise
| and the prices of hats and gowns were
not forgotten. In describing one the
! lecturer remarked: There is a store so
large that If a woman bought hat at
| the Market street entrance and carried
II over every floor the hat would be out
of style before she left the building"
/ Just then DulIplng move IN Slght IN
| which a white coated cook was turning
acrobatic cakes. That" shouted the
/ guide. "is restaurant where a hungry
| man may get anything from a roast dim
! ner to a piece OF bread If he has a roll"
/ This brought a smile and, encouraged.
| he went on. There Is the worlds
| largest Penn holder, City Hall. and IL
cost $4,000 to hold Billy in place. Even
/ at that he becomes impatient on account
/ of the deeds which go on under him"
Up Broad street the car then wabbled.
| When the suburhanitcs on board We're
| surrounded by n batch Of beautiful build
/ ingS the mega phOned speaker let his ora
tory on At full speed. No stenoGraphcr
! could have followed him. A flood Of SUI
| perlativos was applied TO the surround
ing architecture. The facetious talker
! could not resist the statement that Venus
/ de Milo on the Academy Of Fine Arts
lost her head on account of praise"
/ "BROTHERLY LOVE" EXPLAINED.
/ According TO the guide, this is called
the City Of Brotherly Love because the
/ Girls Commercial School is opposite the
Boys High School, at Broad and Green
streets.
None Of Philadelphia's fnancers and
| the amount OF their fortunes was forgot
| ten on the remainder of the trip up Broad
street When asked about n particular
! ornament which protruded from the sec
| Ond story Of nearly every house on an
| other street. the guide looked wise
| They are busy-bodies," he said, land
on account of present financial conditions
they are placed there so that the resi-
dents may learn il there's a bill collector
a. tho door"
Later the passengers learned that a
large plot Of ground containing tomb
stones was cemetery, and more enliEht-
ening information along this line was
E-f.. EH4tfFr
! reached. He showed the Fairgrounds for
children 10 the right, and the Fairgrounds
for policemen and nurses" TO the left.
Pointing 10 the statue Of an Indian which
faces both places, he said: Even the
vigilant medicine man cannot devise
cure for this condition"
BY way Of educational instruction the
guide announced, mo fruit trees can be
planted In the park, vet the guards often
find peaches in pairs on the benches" AS
the car was then very near the Schuyl-
XIII River, the speaker again became SER
ious.
YOU can readily see" he exclaimed.
| that this is a river Every Saturday
/ afternoon there's a boat race here be-
/ tween the crews Of the Tnversiay OF
/ PcnnsyIvan.a and Glrard College,
What's that flag on the west bank ?"
That Is the flag above Fort Belmont.
/ where Washington and his army rested
I after leaving Valley Forge"
/ WHERE PENN MET ENGINEERS.
A wave Of patriotism swept over the
/ tourists, and it was increased when the
! auto passed the statue Of General Grant.
! The voluble historian called attention to
/ the fact that the General was facing the
/ home Of William Penn on the west bank,
and said Grant was ready to protect II
/ just as well as he protected the North in
/ siNty-one,
As Spring Garden street was reached
1 the guide pointed out a large mount TO
/ the right. That's whore William Penn
! met his engineers" he said, "and told
them how 10 lay out the plans Of Fair
| mount Park" This was followed by a
deuse Of statistics, which was cut short
only by the appearance of the Washing
/ ton monument
At 23d and Spring Garden streets the
| riders saw a small-pOinted three story
| building That" exclaimed the guide.
| "is the original hatirOn building the first
in this country New York copied It's
| big building from this, just as II fol-
lows Philadelphia in other things"
By way OF Broad street, the travellers
were then taken to the starting point.
I'VE have certainly learned a lot about
..NHNa.E .E.H