Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-02-18
|0Nenln6 CHAR

Thomas Fl. Harter, publisher OF the
Bellefonte Keystone Gazette, the first
man in PENNSYLVANIA to bring Penn
sylvania German into the modern
newspapers columns and whose Boni-
steel letters have furnished delight to
thousands has condensed his knowl
edge of the vernacular into u paper
recently presented before the Belle
fonte Study Club. Like every other
man versed in the study of languages,
he calls attention to the confusion in
the popular mind between the German
and Dutch elements in Pennsylvania
and, remarking that while the excel
lent Germans we know came from the
Palatinate, their dialect came from
northern Germany, says: Had Luther
translated the Bible into the dialect of
lower Cor northenn) Germany, the
PENNSYLVANIA German would have
been classical, or, putting it better,
the dialect of lower Germany, instead
of southern Germany, would have been
tho literary language of the great Ger
man-speaking people," The literature
of the Pennsylvania German, hence,
has been "scant and altogether local,
confined mostly to newspaper. and
periodical publications" Mr.. Harter
pays high tribute to the Pennsyl-
vania German in the Keystone State,
to his characteristics and his four
squareneSs Take the PENNSYLVANIA
German out of the history of the State
and you remove Hamlet from the
play" says he And then following
out this idea he takes the words of
Polonious, one of the greatest char
acters of Hamlet" and shows how
the Pennsylvania German measures
up. In the course of his remarks the
Bellefonte editor says: "He has never
proclaimed his deeds from the house
tops, and perhaps, until very recently,
has regarded the record of his anceS-
tors as not calling for particular men,
ton. While the Puritan, the Cavalier,
the Knickerbocker. the Huguenots
and the Scotch-Irish have each had
their praises sung by their writer's, the
field is still open for a no less interest
ing story: that of the Pennsylvania
German miscalled the PENNSYLVANIA
Dutch"
The meetings of Harrisburg's new
City Council. although 1t has been in
existence for almost three months,
continue to attract popular attention,
far more so than in the days of the
old councils. in those times no one
appeared to have much interest in the
doings of the lawmakers except when
some big proposition came up. The
meetings of the new Council, aside
from the political features, attract
number of people to every session.
Harrisburg people will be interested
to learn that T. Larry Eyre, the Ches-
ter county Republican leader and for
mer superintendent of public grounds
and buildings, is going to have a pub
lie sale of all of his properties in the
vicinity of West Chester, valued at
over 100000. The sale will include
Mr.. Eyre's handsome home, the Vii.
lage Record property, the farm which
has been Mr.. IIyres hobby and it's
stock and machinery. No reason is
given for the prospective sale. but
friends of Mr.. Eyre say that he is
away from home a good bit and wants
to reduce his holdings.
State Zoologist II. A. Surface ex-
poets unique convention to be held
at the Capitol within the next few
days when the State bee keepers
gather. He says that the ordinary
person does not have much idea about
the size of the bee industry in the
State and that instead of it being a
side line it is a business in which
farmers have invested thousands of
dollars and they are building UP a
trade with the large cities that is not
to be despised. The zoologist is the
originator of the investigation to show
that stings are good for rheumatism,
and while that has not been heard Of
much lately the honey industry Is COM
ing to the front.
Memphis, Tenn, the largest city
governed under the commission sys-
tenn in the United States, issues an
official magazine every month that is
unique among publications of it's kind.
Literally speaking, the paper is the
city's official organ. 1t is attractively
bound and profusely illustrated with
cuts of the city commissioners, the
police and fire stations and other pub
lie buildings and views of the parks.
Official city government news that is
of particular interest in municipal
circles is reprinted in tabloid form, re-
ports are tabulated and condensed,
and there are some helpful hints and
suggestions as to future operation of
various branches of the city govern
ment.