Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-27
THE INDIANPOLE

TvERY STREET has a soul of its own.
IL Somewhere In it's course II will betray
its secret ideals and preferences. ! like to
imagine that the soul Of Callowhil street
has something to do with beer. Like a bat
tered citizen who has fallen upon dolefu
days, Callowhlll street solaces itself with the
amber.
Between Tenth and Fourth streets Caow-
hill numbers at least dozen pubs. not to
enumerate a score of cider saloons soft
breath Of hops seems to haunt the air and
the trucks unloading kegs into cellars give
promise of quenchers to come. Generally
one may meet along those pavements certain
rusty brothers who have obviously submitted
themselves to the trampings OF the brewers
great horses, as Homer Rodeheaver's anthem
puts it. ,
OALI.OwHILL STREET, like so much OF
" Philadclphia's old and gentle beauty. is
In downward pang, at any rate so far as
the picturesque Is concerned 1t Is curious to
see those comely old dwellings, with their
futed dormer windows, their marble facings
and dusty fanlghts. standing In faded dig
nifty and usefulness among factories. brew
cries and railroad spurs. Down their mar
row side alleys one may catch glimpse OF
greenery generally the ailanthus, that slunl-
mish tree that haunts city back yards and
seems to have such an affinity for red brick).
II one has taste for polSing and exploring
where hardly stone or a window has
changed for a hundred years. One does not
need to travel abroad to find red walls with
all the mellow stain that one associates with
Tudor manors There is an old wagon yard
on the north side of Callowhlll near Fifth
| where an artist might trance himself with
the plain lines of old houses. the clear sun
light falling athwart the fattened archway
and the decrepit vehicles with their weary
wheels.
TT is perpetual delight to wander In such
i byways. speculatng on the beauty OF
those rows of houses in days gone by. What
a poetry there Is in the names of our streets
-Nectarine. Buttonwood, Appletree Darien,
Orianna Even the pawnbrokers are roman
| tics There Is three-ball establishment on
Ninth street where the uncle keeps a great
| rookery of pigeons in his back yard They
COO seductively to embarrassed wanderers.
can hardly keep my watch in my pocket
| when l hear their soft suggestions. What a
city of sober dignity and clean comfort Phila-
delphia must have been In the forties-say
when Mr.. and Mrs. James Russell Lowell
| came TO the northeast corner of Fourth and
Arch on their honeymoon, in 1845. MY
cheeks are grown so preposterously red,
wrote Lowell, that / look as II had rubbed
them against all the brick walls In the city
| AS l turned off Callowhili street, at the
| n oblique junction of York avenue. leaving
| behind the castellated turrets OF huge brew
| cry, / came upon an interesting sight. Where
| Wood street cuts York avenue and Fourth
| street there stands a tall white flagpole, sur
| mounted by an enormous weather-vane rep
| resenting an Indian with bow and quiver.
holding one arm outstretched. At its foot
| stands an iron drinking fountain of the s.
| p. c. A., dated 1868 and on the other side
| another water basin (now dry) with a
white marble slab behind 1t. / thought that
| this might offer some inscription. but 1t Is
| pasted over with a dodger commencing The
| coolest theatre In town. The Indian figure
| engaged my curiosity and made for near
by tobacconst to inquire. Q always find to-
| bacconists genial people to supply informa-
| tion.) He referred me to Mr. William Rem
| ner, the maker of flags and awnings round
| the corner at 403 Vine street, and from Mr..
| Renner | learned many things of interest.
| CSTARTLING PLEASURES accrue to the
| - wanderer who starts upon his rambles In
| total ignorance of what he is going to find
| Let me frankly confess that know nothing
of the history and topography Of Philadel-
| phia ! am learning 1t as CO. Therefore
| when discover things they give me the vivid
| delight of a totally fresh experience. The
Indian Pole, as II Is called, may be an old
story to many citizens; to me It was entirely
new.
MR.. RENNER who has taken the land
lNl mark under HE personal protection telll
Il ~ that The Weefher-vope ~ eeaceo1 uo91
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