Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-24
COLONEL PRINTz's PARK
Tho First Seat OF Government In
Pennsylvania Should Be Perpetu.
ated--Tlnicum Island the Site.
Thomas Willing Baich's Work
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

uEUHUE CNOA NCoflN
THOMAS WILLING BALCH, vice presi-
l. dent Of the Historical Society Of Penn
sylvania, is greatly interested In the pres
ervation Of Tinicum Island as park in
honor Of Governor Johan Printz. who estab-
lished there the first seat OF European
Government in Pennsylvania.
The Booth anniversary Of that event Will
be celebrated twenty -one years from now. !.
-, It was in 1888 that Queen Christina Of
Sweden sent out colonial expedition which
erected settlement at point within the
bounds Of the present City of Wilmington.
Christina Creek was named in honor OF
their Queen, as well as the fort at this
place.
Four years later Colonel Johan Printz
was sent out with new coonists and addi-
ttonal supplies to re-enforce the infant
Swedish settlement.
Printz was not satisfied with the site Of
Fort Christina, few miles UP a narrow
creek, a tributary of the broad Delaware
River.
What the hardy soldier, who had served
In thirty years Of war, desired was con-
venient place to control the passage Of the
Delaware with his cannon.
CHORTLY after his arrival Printz started
~ on a voyage Of exploration up the river.
he got as far rs San Kikan, the site Of
the Trenton of today.
He decided that the lower end Of the
Great Tenekongh, or Tinicum Island, should
be the site Of the capital Of the New
Sweden.
So 1t came about that he removed his
people from Fort Christina to the island:
In honor of the Swedish port from which
he had sailed with his expedition he named
the new site Fort Nya Goteborg.
He built houses for the settlers and held
Swedish Protestant religious services in a
chapel built near the fort.
1t was the first church Of any religion
built within the bounds Of Pennsylvania.
As Mr.. Balch points out, the lower end
tivities Of Colonel Johan Printz. became the
cradle Of what is today the Commonwealth
Of Pennsylvania.
1t was the first permanent white colony
settled within the area of this State.
MIR. BALCH tells an interesting story
A'1 about portrait that hangs on the
wall Of the Executive Mansion in Harris
burg.
Lagercrantz, the Swedish Minister to the
United States, that no picture of Printz
could be found in this country, and asked
him to use his efforts to discover one in
Sweden.
No matter how small. it could be copied
anu HS NuludOie 10
the Pennsylvania Historical Society.
The investigation was started and resulted
in the finding of a portrait of Colonel Printz
in the Church of Jonkoping.
A copy of it was made and sent over
as gift from King Gustavus to the Swedish
Colonial Society, of this city.
TN MARCH of last year Mr.. Balch called
Governor Sprouts attention to the above
facts. The Governor instantly became inter-
ested and employed Madame Van Helden to
copy Prints portrait in oil. 1t now hangs
In the Governors mansion In Harrisburg.
1t carries this inscription
"Johan Printz, Governor Of New Sweden,
1643-1653, who established at Tinicum
Island, on the Delaware River. the first
permanent seat of government in Pennsyl-
vania.'
Among other things which Mr.. Balch
thoughtfully suggests to perpetuate this
event in our history is the naming Of the
highway between Wilmington and Phlladel-
phia the Governor Printz Highway"
Trees could be planted to Prints memory
in Fairmount Park, at Essington and else
where.
He should be visualized in bronze in Phil
adelphia and the ground on Tinicum Island
should be purchased and restored exactly
as 1t stood originally il any plan or drawing
of it remains.
A PART from the surprise occasioned by
n Secretary Hughes address at the OPEN
ing of the Armament Conference in Wash
ington, / think the next greatest was that
of hearing the various delegates, and par
ticularly the Orientals, express themselves in
correct and fluent English.
Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Italian
representatives rivalcd the English and
Americans in the correctness of their diction
and the range of their vocabulary.
And yet, particularly so far as the Jap
anese were concerned, there was little occa =
sion for surprise of any thinking spectator.
Those of US who recall WI Ting fang.
the eminent and scholarly Chinaman twenty
years ago, will recall that he had command
of perfect English; one Of the most gifted
Cinnamon that ever visited this country.
Practically every Oriental in the last
thirty years who has visited this country
in a diplomatic capacity has been master
Of English.
THE japanese Minister to the United
l. States thirty one years ago, G. Tateno,
was an English scholar Of high attachments
who had already discarded native dress.
His wife and child also followed Occidental
fashion in the matter OF their attire.
Mr.. Tateno had been n member Of the
commission appointed by the Imperial Gov
ernment to receive General Grant In 1879
on his tour around the world.
He accompanied the general and his party
during their stay In Japan.
About the same time that this distln-
ruished japanese was being received In
Washington the French Government was
arranging TO receive the Chinese Minister
then recently accredited to its Government
Yshing -Tshang was a Tartar by birth and
n Roman Catholic in religion.
He was proficient both in English and IN
French. This was due to his having been
educated at the school Of languages in
Pekin. which is kind Of diplomatic college
for the training Of young men designed for
foreign service.
The wife of Yshing -Tshang was also a
Tartar and Of the same religious persuasion
as her illustrious husband
In striking contrast to these examples
Is the fact that the United States Is com
PEELED to employ Interpreters for our dplo.
mats at practically every foreign court
Often these are neither citizens of thi,
al -