Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-19
Ehprtng Chat

Prof. Hiram H. schenk, appointed
to the place of custodian of public rec
ords by State Librarian Thomas
Lynch Montgomery a few days ago
ana who has assumed his work in a
preliminary way, is one of the au-
thorities on the Germanic element in
pennsylvania history, noted collector
or data concerning early days in the
eastern counties and probably one of
the best posted men on early docu-
ments. There are very few in the
State who know more about the early
prints of Philadelphia and the eastern
part of the State than he and two of
them happen to be Samuel w. Penny
packer and Martin G. BrumbauSh.
Prof. Schenk is a close personal friend
OF the former Governor and of the
present Governor, and has long been
CORES pondent of the able historian
who is State librarian. He has held
Tor several years the chair of history
and social science in Lebanon Valley
college and has wide acquaintance all
through the eastern half of the United
States. He is peculiarly fitted for the
work which he will take up, that
OF collating the public records of
pennsylvania, province and common
wealth. anu LOT pOSL6Tlly
the records in the dialects and lam
guages which figure so much in the
publications and writings of the States
early days.
When Prof. Schenk was a student at
Lebanon Valley College and at Ur-
sinus where he took his degree, he
specialized in history and later when
he began to teach the subject gave
special attention to the study of the
history of our State. His
knowledge of obscure subjects, dates
of events, and names of men of affairs
long since forgotten is almost uncanny
TO anyone sitting in his college lecture
classes. He has at his finger tips in
formation about the Civil War which
surprises leading historians with
whom he comes in contact, and in the
lore of the Pennsylvania Dutch" set
Elements in Lebanon and Berks county
few are his equal. Prof. Schenk is one
of the best loved men on the Lebanon
Valley faculty and his ability to tell a
good storyin his classroom and to mix
with the students in their rooms and
on the campus are perhaps the chief
reasons for his popularity. Those who
study under him learn things about
| the Presidents of the United States
| and the Governors of Pennsylvania
which they could CLEAN from very
few current works of history, and he
ropean courts that entertain you by
the hour. In politics. Prof. Schenk has
always been strong Republican. In
his classes in economics he could
| scarce refrain at times from sticking
: a pin prick into the fallacies of Demo-
cratic principles and he has shown
! more than one young fellow the wis
l dom of the principles of the party of
{ Lincoln.
4 Another lover of Pennsylvania his
4 tory and one who is well known here,
g Henry C. Mercer, is also in the news
[ just now. Mr.. Mercer is the man who
D designed and placed the tile pavement
( in the State Capitol. This pavement,
t which covers the first floor and has
r been criticised with severity by those
who do not know anything about it
2 or why it was put there. is one of
the great features of the building and
G many of us have heard people from
!. dozen States who have visited the
= building speak in high praise of the
originality, attractiveness and histori-
E lcal value. Mr.. Mercer designed the
!. pavement and superintended the MAX
|, ing as we'll as the placing of the
o blocks. 1t represents one of the early
industries and it is greatly to be re-
: gretted that he was not permitted TO
carry out the plan of having the seals
of the counties placed in tile about
o happens that Bucks county owes its
y splendid historical society building,
: opened on Saturday, to Mr.. Mercer.
He gave the money. superintended the
A construction and practically furnished
. the building. which represents an out
lay of 100000. Bucks has one of the
O finest historical buildings and collec-
tions and it is largely due to the enter
a prise of the man who was not allowed
: to finish in the Capitol work on which
he had spent time, thought and
money.
= Have you noticed the number of
Sundays on which there have been
: floods in the last few years? Yester-
: day was the third Sunday in less than
> nine months on which there was high
. water and the river front banks were
thronged with people watching the
brimming Susquehanna. incidentally,
, there was a good bit of interest taken
= in the way the water front improve
{ ments will stand up under the food.
Fortunately there is not much debris
: and the standards are not endangered.
, The crest of the greatest flood ever
y known here, that of June l, 1883, was
: reached on a Sunday.
e DIR. Samuel C. Dixon. the State COM
: missioner of heath, now has more de-
i grees than any man connected with
{ the State government The commits
l. sioner is not only a doctor of medi-
: cine, but an engineer and a lawyer.
: In the line of honorary degrees he
l. now has doctor of science. one which
e is very rare in this country.
=