Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-10-06
Eurtttttg Grat

1T seems strange that tie We
derful scenic features of PennsH.-
Vania, like its rema rkable historic
interests, have received so little -
tention from those who write of te
beautiful world and the things that
happen in it," says John T. Fai.s
in his introduction to Seeing Penh-
sylvania," one of the new books just
placed in the Harrisburg Publ {
Library. And 1t does seem stran;;e
that Pennsylvania, whose everlas.-
| ing nils and fruitful valleys haze
| maze 1t leader in production of
| natural resources and given 1t tl.a
garden country of America, should
be SO little known to its own people.
| ferhaps, because wars closed the
atlantic steamship lanes and tie
| Sproul laws gave Pennsylvania n
start toward decent highways. more
people with means to travel saw the
peauues or this State in the last four
years than before in any similar
period since New England enter
prise, seashore attractions and south
ern climate, combined with the
paiatlal liners to take Pennsylvanians
away from their own splendid do
main at vacation time. Mr.. Faris,
VINO has already become known on
library shelves and among lovers of
history of the Keystone State by his
charming books on old roads out Of
Fhlladelphia and the romance of the
quaker City. has done a markell
service by assembling in a book that
VIII provide for the gasoline rest
less tours garnished with bits of
nSeory ] ana tradition and filled with
1aappeaIs 10 pause and view the beau
Iles OF pennsylvania. Like Col.
Henry w. Shoemaker, ]. Horace Mo
fariand and others who have
studied, written and photograp aphed
the glory of Pennsylvania, Mr.. Farls
hopes for revival of popular in
iterest in the scenic attractions, the
mohuers OF nature. the lore and the
IIeseno OF our Commonwealth, so
onaC tnose VINO are living in it's pull
sins present may realize the part it
prayed IN crucial times and how
dearly those who have gone loved
thelr province or State. Such books
as that by Mr.. Faris are what
the pennsylvania publisher should
specialize in. Few states are so rich
In material and stories of Pennsyl-
Vania VIII make young folks proud
market. '
The late Samuel w. Pennvpaclker
used to delight to tell friends and
acqualntances of stirring events and
tnen dum pfound his hearers by re-
marking that they occurred either
close to where he was speaking or
that one of their own ancestors or
nelghbors had been a participant.
Andrew Carnegie once assembled a,
iot OF photographs of bits of beau
rn1InfTNr 10 lYo,,
mlles of Homestead mills and
laughed for days over the Inquiries
or Plttsburghers as to what state to
go TO see them. Members of tho
heslslature four years ago thought
that some pictures of big trees came
from California, when as a matter
OF met they were taken in Clarion
county, and more than one man
associates the Black Forest. of which
tol. shoemaker has written so en-
tertaln1ngly, with German tayerns
and bee hives instead of with our
own northern tier. I have heard
men standing up in an automobile
on Scenery Hill in Washington
county wonder IL they were still in
pennsylvania, and laughed when
maine devotees come here from Sus-
quehanna county lakes and talked
ha!f the night over how few Phila-
delphians know of them.
Mr. Farfs gives a splendid picture
In his book of what one sees from,
the dome of Pennsylvania Capitol
and his references to John Harris'
foresight and appreciation of Harris
burg's river front and natural parl,
not so far from the center of the
city link past and present in such
fascinating way that one seems
sorry that he must hurry on up to-
ward the Rockville gap and tho
Blue Juniata.