Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-27
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
Committee of the Town Pump" Is
q Nickname That Will Stick and
Help to Laugh Opponents Of
the Fair Out of Court
BY SARAH d. LOWRIE

nickname that sticks il a dramatic revenge
that compensates for any injury he has done.
James Beck's nickname for the enemies
OF his native city who have tried to make
towards OF us all in the matter Of the
SesQui- Centennial will stick and blister and
XIII their influence by the greatest weapon
in the world-laughter.
-, He called them the Committee of the
Iown Pump" And he told the citizens
meeting at the Academy the tale Of the early
town- pump meetings to backwater progress.
He made his speech with great vigor and
frequent references to notes and jottings
on historical happenings which he had
gathered, he said, In the course of the after
noon but they might easily have been In
A ETER this speech one will know where
\ to look for the men who stick out their
crutches to trip up those of their fellows
who still have legs to run with. They will
De gathered about the town pump, as they
and means TO stop his bringing running
water into the town by his engine, when
the town pump is still pumpable.
IL, 40 not think the laughter OF the few
VIII shame the town-pump cronies, but the
energy Of the many in the matter of the
Sesqui- Centennial will give them less to talk
ABOUT and more to think about. And per-
maps 1t is just as well they should have
turned back and preferred to back down hill
rather than help pull up. 1t gives the
progressive men an added impetus to turn
IN and see what can be done without what
sour balls"
The plans which called for vague eighty
millions last spring were too grandiose, no
doubt. Those that call for twenty millions
sound nearer the mark, especially as quite
nan or the expenditure will now be for
Things OF permanent value to the town, and
tne other half will be for things that will
IN sense pay for themselves, into the gen.
erai treasury of the citizens purses and
savings funds.
pHlLADELPIIlA will probably have to
- raise ten million Of the twenty. but as
we raised hundreds Of millions in Liberty
bonds in little over year. it looks as
tnough the thing could be financed without
general appeal to the householders. And
50 1t could easily. if all of the men who
nnance big business chose to back this great
BUSINESS. But then it would not be the
GUYS talr-it would be the bankers show.
20 90 II Is just as we'll that it has got to be
tne people or no ones from the very start,
[ )NE OF the pleas against the fair by the
~ Town Pump Party has been that it will
orlng a rabble of undesirable strangers to
the town. | wonder what they mean by
undesirable: There would. of course, be the
great orchestras to join our own in world
a.s;i.a1 ar,;l OF music there would be the great
artists and architects, who will design and
Secorate our buildings; there will be the
STATE ana foreign delegations who will bring
US greetings; there will be the Government,
rederai and state and civic executives. who
WI! help US do honor to the occasion there
will be the farmers and their families from
this state and adjoining States, and there
VIII oe the people who Ike to travel in this
country and in Europe who will come to
slshtsee, and last but not least, there will
" Tue most skilled artisans from all over
tnc world to put finishing touches to the
buildings and to take charge of the exhibits,
some OF these will stay on in PHILADELPHIA
permanently and help to countcrbalance
some OF the permanent undesirables that
make slums out of great areas of our CITY
streets. ''
We can scarcely have more thieves and
hold'up men than we are cursed with Mt
present, but we could we'll have more artists
and skilled artisans. For every pickpocket
q worlds fair there will be fifty picked
workers who will be paid to come here to
heip US turn a shabby, interesting old place
into beautiful and Interesting one.
no. the Town Pump had better drop that
humble tumble about "undesirable strang.
ers. 1t is not undesirable strangers philS.
delphia need fear, but undesirable habitues.
WAS interested in the many -sidedness
OF the citizens rally at the Academy
Wednesday evening. Judge Bonniwel ia
type that belongs to the next vintage nftor
the Civil War. He is more compact, less given
to flights of eloquence and more home|v in
his arguments than those romantic orators
lie spoke too long as chairman but what he
said was good and needed to be said. Hi,
generation are most of them long speakers
they do not hold their watches in their hands
fhn.s
forget themselves in many words they can
be counted on to get things done And
understand that the town virtually owes the
meeting TO the Judges getting 'it done"
AL thanks to him therefor!
Mrs. Blankenburg was also characteristics
Of type that is passing-the political re.
form type OF woman who is not afraid to
speak her mind, not given to placating. not
moving by eloquence Of words, but impress.
ing by the earnestncSs of simplicity. Like
most women, she spoke shortly ana TO the
point and with no repetition, and toward
the last with more feeling than ] have ever
seen her show. But then she was speakinp
about peace.
TT WAS Franklin D'Olier who really rem.
L resented a new type-one which we will
get used TO, trust, because of its repre.
sentativeness OF the best characteristics of
the present Onroming generation
Quite evidently he does not consider him.
self as much of speaker, and yet quite
evidently he can become a very fine one,
And fine is just the word. He has a good
voice-an actors voice really. His words
come easily from an open throat and are
well pronounced, yet without affectation
And what he read was more finished and Of
n higher tone of composition and a dacper
IL more restrained feeling than anything else
that was said that night, If he really has
the strength to hold that position until the
successful finish he will have developeJ into
one Of the most notable men of the country
in more ways than as an administrator.
T ONLY heard one other Of the speakers
i and that was the orator Of the occosion
James NJ Beck. He was in fine fettle md
very interesting and Mt timcs exhilaratng
He was more conversational than Orntoricoi
and sometimes talked to us az tbouph wo
were jury. but oftenest as though we we're
rentnd ON the steps Of the yillapa 80