1903.
0M
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND, OCTOBER 4,
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Throughout Ita en days' fetes the
Keystone Slate metropolis will com
memorate the Influences of "The
Friends" upon tts own and the Na
tion's present stability. How the tra
ditions of the followers of Penn are to
be lived again In masquerade.
FT WARWICK JAMES PRICE.
' of the Influence which have icon to the
building up of that oompoelte nation which
the world now known as the Vnlted States,
that exerted In' the Infant Colonies by the
Quakera Is far from least. With them pride
as often aa not took on the- form of aelf
rlghtsousness. their determination not In
frequently developed Into a stubbornness
aptlv characterised ae "crotchety"; yet were
they obedient, and submissive, peaceful and
reverential, accurate and Just, chaate and
truthful. With ronaelence aa their atl-auf-flvtent
eulne In life, they succeeded not only
In erah1lhlng for themselves that refuxe
for the exerris of Individual liberty which
the world had lone; owed them (refusing
the debt), but as well In Impressing upon
an Important section of the land the char
acterlerlca and habits which bad made them
what they were, and which. In turn, largely
helped to make that part of the country
ohat It Is. John Flake.
THE historian Flake's tribute 10 the
Quaker qualities falls closely
apropos with the dispatches tell
ing of Philadelphia's Imposing- "pageant
week" celebration of her 226th birth
day, opening this very morning. "The
Quaker City" must forever be as
sociated In the popular mind with the
tenets and traits of the followers of
Us founder; for all time to come will It
be inevitably the center of Quakerdom,
even though the bitter persecutions
with which New England: met the
"Friends," and the social boycotts with
which the Southern colonies welcomed
their arrival from the Old World, have
long since become but picturesque
echoes of a half-forgotten past.
Not for yeans has the Quaker exerted
a largely molding force In the metropolis
which Penn founded aa a refuge for 'the
oppressed of all nations and creeds In
general, but. in particular, for those who
believed and worshiped aa he himself.
Less than a generation after the first be
ginnings of his "Holy Experiment." the
Quaker element in the city's population
had dropped to a half; In 1T6C It was not
nor than a sixth of the whole. Since
the Revolution their history baa been
merely one of the development of their
own religious organization; for more than
a cectury they have ceased, as a body, to
play any considerable part, either In po
litical or civil life. Tet the tnfluence of
this disappearing people vm long power
ful, and ia still considerable. Biddies and
Logans, Copes and Wetherilla. Motls and
Dickinsons. Mortises and Griacomet still
carry down to this festival-making pres
ent the traditions (and to an appreciable
extent, too, the Influences) of the days
long gone.
"A disappearing people" and yet they
live In the cearta of naif the world even
aa they do. through their descendants, at
Uie hearths of half Pennsylvania. "The
City of Homes" la their monument.
"Sleepy," a smiling press has dubbed It.
because of a conservatism apt to "leave,
well enough alone" too longbut also la It
sane. When the Quaker builders made
the old town so stald-appearlng. they also
made It honestly comfortable: it ia as or
derly to live In as unquestionably it Is
monotonous to look at. Easy-going, It
"wears well." does Philadelphia. 13-year-old:
and still has It to show In its narrow,
primly right-angled, brick-fronted (and,
today, bunting-decked) streets, many of
the outward and visible signs of the
Quaker forefathers, which fitly accom
pany their Inward and spiritual graces
etill enduring among Its celebrating cities.
"Plain" Speech and Clothes.
' The "thee" and the "thou" one may
hear constantly and melodiously in those
thoroughfares, tree-named as In the time
of Penn'a practical self, but "plain
clothes" are exceptions far from the rule.
Today's Tom Hood may no longer write:
The Quaker loves an ample brim.
A hat that bows to no salaam;
Ard dear the beaver Is to Mm
As if It naver mad a dam.
-Suenr-aooop" bonnets are aa little mejl
with as the soft, felted headgear of the
Ueorre Fox sort, and solid drabs and slm
r'e grays, guiltlees of ruffle or furbelows,
are seen rarely.
In the meeting House enclosures, during
"Yearly Meeting'" week, one will find ln
etancea of Just such textures and dove
like color schemes aa once upon a time
stirred the enthusiasm of the French trav
eler Rissot. but the question of dress Is
no longer bound up In the scheme of sal
vation, and the latest fashions in clothes,
for both sexes, have come In along with
"hymns In meeting." Tet time was (the
entry appears under "Sth of tth month.
1701." In the minute book of the Phila
delphia Meeting) w4ien heart-deep debate
was held whether or no "some course
might be taken with the Taylors that
make profession of Truth, and are found
In the practice of making such fashion
able cloa'.hlng" (sic) "aa Tends to the Cor
ruption of Youth." This sort of thing Is
4
lYVvi
i - "
a tradition not an influence nowadays;
modern dressmakers and "Taylors" are
left unexpostulated with.
Meeting-Houses and Marriages.
Those meeting-houses, with their
substantial, simple lines and the warm
"nominees" of their venerable brick
walls, stand out the most eloquent and
characteristic reminders of the pswt of
the Friends. Annually does "Quaker
Week" bring the representatives of the
sect to the historic old building at the
corner of Fourth and Arch streets. Just
as their ancestors lor generations have
assembled there since. Indeed. Phila
delphia ceased to divide the honor with
New Jersey's Burlington, back at the
close of the seventeenth century.
"Quarterly" and "Monthly" meetings,
too. still are held, even as when they
embodied within themselves the tri
bunals which settled all matters In dis
pute among their members, with no re
course to the law which now is turned
to promptly when need be. by your
prsent-day Quaker, whether "Ortho
dox" or "Hickslte."
The marching years have aeen a
change not In this respect alone, for
the aimply impressive marriage cere
mony of those older times Is no longer
the matter-of-course It once was. For
the clerk of a monthly meeting to an
nounce the "Intention" of John Cope
and Sarah Morris to marry, the two
standing, on the opposite sides of the
primly plain room, while the formula
was being read: the second announce
ment, the month following, of their
"Continuance" In their desire and In
tention this custom has- practically
passed. But now and again weddings
atlll are solemnized muc! in the an
cient order: John and Sarah standing
side by side before the assembled meet
ing, "holding hands, and saying In turn
(with, of course, the proper changes of
gender): "Friends, In the presence of
the Lord and before this assembly, I
take Sarah Morris to be my wife, to
be unto her a loving and faithful hus
band till death us do separate."
Let r Have Peace.
That the Philadelphia of today should
take a strong. and active Interest in
the peace movement Is distinctly
through the Quaker influence, for the
city fathers, from the flrst. had been
most earnest In that good cause. "Hot
disputations In their theology, declin
ing any missionary propaganda save
the quietest and least "pushing." they
were, of all men, most peace-loving.
Kven the unwarranted aggressions and
cruel terrors of the wars waged by
the Indians with the colonists sp failed to
move them from their position in this
regard that they stirred the hostile criti
cisms of more "patriotfc" neighbors, and
were, later, subjected 'to severer meas
ures. The stamp act aroused In Pennsylvania
a firm protest, but It was couched In emi
nently proper terms and waa accompanied
by ho such riotous demonstrations as else
where marked its promulgation. With the
outbreak of the Revolution the Pennsyl
vania Quakers refused to pay war taxes,
or to subscribe to oaths or "tests" of al
legiance, while some went so far as to
decline to ship goods In armed vessels.
All of which led to arrests and imprison
ments (though fines were substituted for
actual detention In most cases) while In
17TT a score of Philadelphia's most influ
ential Friends were sent Into exile to Vir
ginia. Their general position was that
thev did not believe In revolutions on the
one" hand, nor In the irritating proceed
lnes of the British Ministry on the other,
and. while they would have joined gladly
In a peaceful, legal resistance to English
encroachments, they could not. ae matters
stood. Join either party in the dispute.
They would not recognize a revolutionary
government, "raised by Illegal means:"
they would not aseist the British In
"wrongful means used to conquer their
rebellious colonists" in other words they
were completely out of the whole matter,
please.
With the examples of such forebears
held up for emulation, why should not
the Friends of today indorse the Hague
tribunals, and work for the furthering of
international arbitration? ,
The Fighting Sort.
Tet the Quaker of this present day haa
his own way of "fighting." even aa had
hia Revolutionary predecessor. A story
Is told of one such, back In the days
when pirates were actualities and sea
travel none too safe, who found himself
on a vessel hove to by buccaneer round
shot; the boarding party's small boats
were even then about to pull In under
the gunwalea. "Friend Joseph" had re
fused to arm himself for the coming con
flict: he never had fought, and. at SI. he
wasn't going to violate his principles.
As he stood by the rail, not a little
troubled and yet barking obediently to
an eloquent conscience, one skiff pulled in
directly beneath him. A rope was dang-
if Vv
ling from the side of the presumed prize
and a rascally cut-throat Instantly be
gan to swarm up its wriggling length,
knife beneath teeth. Joseph could stand
it no longer. "Friend," he shouted, "If
thee wants that rope thee may have it,"
and with one clean stroke of a handy
hatchet he cut it and the pirate went
down among his fellows without de
bating the question raised.
In much the same way individual
Quakers reached the breaking point, as
the Revolution wore its, weary way on
to eventual Independence, and separating
from their fellows, both held office and
fought; Clement Blddle. for a single in
stance, served as Aide to Washington
himself during the hungry weeks at Val
ley Forge. These patriots called them
selves "Free Quakers;" "Fighting Quak
ers." the 18th century called them, and
high up under the shallow gable of Phila
delphia's Venerable Apprentices' Library,
at Arch and Fifth streets, is still to be
seen the tablet which commemorates their
story. Perhaps 400 thus cut loose from the
strict rules of an unbending meeting, un
The Green About Doublin
Remarks Is Not Intended as a Joke.
THERE is a great deal that is green
about Dublin, and the remark is
not Intended as a Joke. There are sev
eral fine parks and breathing places
scattered about the city. Many of the
residences have large backyards filled
with tres and flowers that are hidden
from the public by the high walls that
guard them from the street, but we can
see them from the tops of the tram-,
cars as we ride about. The suburbs
of the city are very attractive, with
plenty of large trees and vlneclad walls
and pretty gardens, and here and there
a tennis court. Aa you look down
upon the city from a tall tower there
is almost as much foliage as in Wash
ington. Phoenix Park is famous and one of
the largest public playgrounda in the
world. St. Stephen's green is a rec
tangular inclosure 22 acres in extent
and corresponding to four city blocks,
in the fashionable quarter, and is sur.
rounded by the mansions of the no
bility and the homes of the rich. Lord
Iveagh. the representative Of the Guin
ness brewery family, has a residence
on one of the sides and the archbish
op's palace is on the other side, near
the Shelbourne hotel, which is the best
In the city, and several clubs. St.
Stephen's Is handsomely laid out and
has what I have never seen before In a
city square a bridle path a mile long
around the Interior of the fence where
several gentlemen take their exercise
on horseback in the morning.
Sir Walter Scott was entertained in
what he writes was "a very large and
stately house in Stephen's Green, which
I am told is the most extensive square in
Europe." and writing to his wife, he
said: "The 6treets contain a number of
public buildings of the finest architecture
I have seen anywhere In Britain."
A few blocka away from St- Ste
phen's Green la another large park
known as Merrion Square, which is a
private inclosure like many of the
small parks in the City of London, and
Is accessible only to the residents of
the neighborhood, who I understand
purchased tha land and made it into a
park two or three hundred years ago
so that the public has no rights there.
Each of the leaseholders who are en
titled to its privileges is requnired to pay
Jo a year for maintaining It and "half a
crown for a key to the gates." as I was
informed by a policeman on that beat. It
is a pretty place, with deep lustrous turf
such as you seldom see outside of the
British Isles and find in Ireland smoother
and richer and greener than anywhere
else. There are a pond and several tennis
courts, cricket and croquet grounds,
which are occupied every afternoon by
the rich families In the neighborhood,
and it makes you feel a little resentful
to see the children of the poor, who need
the breathing places more than the own
ers, peeking through between the iron
pickets. It is said that this square plot
of ground, which Is equal to four ordi
nary squares in area, was formerly a
pond, and that the Duke of Leinster in
early days used to sail a yacht upon it.
Leinster House is in the neighborhood.
(9r!ow&i Through, the
I s
c t
.1
der the spur of their country's need; the
last of them dying, it is said, so late as
1S3S.
Two National Landmarks.
Elizabeth Ross was one of these Free
Quakers, (for though Ross was a mem
ber of- Christ's Episcopal Church, his
wife was Born a Griscom, and had been
a member of the Fourth-Street Meeting)
and within a stone's throw of the Ap
prentices' Library still stands the tiny
home where "Betsy," then a widow,
fashioned, under the kindly eye of the
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental
forces, the first Stars and Stripes. Your
strictly orthodox Quaker might not have
done this in aid of a war. even a war
for freedom, but many a point (and prin-
ciDle) had to be stretched in those "times H
that tried men's souls," and so "The
Flag House" rises a monument to a
Quaker loyalty of which the Nation's
self, as well as the city and sect, are
proud.
With it, and the meeting houses, the
presenbrday memorials of yesterday's
Philadelphia friends include, of course,
the house of Proprietor Penn. It stands
now In Falrmoant Park, which its one
time owner never dreamed of, but it Is
But it was drained 200 years ago or more
and the splendid great trees that are
growing there now were then planted.
The residences around St. Stephen's
green and Merrion square are built of
ugly brown brick, but are spacious in
their proportions, were intended for large
families of ample means and the aristoc
racy have always occupied them. The
Duke of Rutland has one of the largest,
and ill Merrion street. Just around the
corner, at No. 24, in a large house now
occupied by the Land . Commission, the
great Duke of Wellington was born. It
was the town residence of the Earl of
Mornlngtoa, his father, and Her Lady
ship came in from Dane an castle, 24
miles outside the city, and the country
residence of the family, a few days be
fore the event, which occurred April 20,
1769. There is nothing either in the castle
or in the town house to interest people
today, except that they were the birth
place and the home of one of the great
est of Irishmen, and hte fellow country
men have raised a shaft similar to that
at Washington in Phoenix Park, in his
honor.
Across from Merrion square is the Na
tional Gallery of Ireland, which was
built in 1864 and contains a fine collection
of paintings, numbering about 500. which
have been presented and purchased from
time to time. All of the old masters are
well represented and the Dutch school is
especially strong. Attached to the gal
lery Is the Metropolitan School of Art,
which is liberally supported by the Brit
ish government and has a large number
of students. Corresponding to the Art
Gallery on the opposite side of a quad
rangle known as Lelneter Lawn, former
ly the garden of the Earl of Kildare, is
the Science and Art Museum and the Mu
seum of Natural History. Both are well
arranged and full of interesting things,
particularly Irish antiquities, historical
relics and examples of Irish industries.
The most precious object is an iron bell
shaped like an ordinary cowbell and riv
eted on each side, which. It is said, St.
Patrick used to carry about with him
and ring to call the people together to
hear mass. It Is accompanied y a silver
"shrine" or case for Its protection, made
In the year 1100 at the expense of Donald
O'Laughlan, King of Ireland from 1091
to 1105. The "Annals of Ulster," written
In the year 552. refer to this precious ob
ject as "The Bell of the Will," and its
history is known from that date. It came
into the possession of the Archbishop of
Armath in 1044. and was among the relics
of the cathedral there until it was
brought to the museum In 1869. No one
here seems to doubt that it is genuine.
In the adjoining case la another
"shrine," as the case or covering for
sacred relics is called, that contains a
tooth of St. Patrick, which, according
to the tradition, was loosened and fell
from hia mouth on the doorsill of St.
Brone's Church at Killaspugbrone In
County Sligo, and can be traced back all
these years.
A brooch formerly worn by the Kin;
of Tara is also shown as an example
of the prehistoric work of the silver,
smiths of Ireland, with many other beau
J.
r
- tiV -
surrounded by just such deep-bosomed
trees as he loved, whiler the snug little
building Itself is quite as It was when
first erected "In the heart of the town
and facing the harbor." The hood over
the doorway is a replica of the original,
and the slates are new, but otherwise it
exists Just as in the old days, when Its
master was busiest guiding the infant
steps of his, "asylum for the good and
oppressed of every nation."
Far-Keachlng Charities.
Quakers in general have much, and
Philadelphia - Quakerdom In particu
lar, has much to say in its
long annals of the noble life
work of Lucretla Mott, who. in and near
the city to whose fame for philanthropies
she so generously contributed, followed
steadily in the path of good deeds blazed
before her by that British cousin, Eliza
beth Fry- "The gracious lady" Mott's
fame Is inextricably bound up with that
of Philadelphia; she gave her life's best
to Its best Silms and ends. Identifying
herself for all time with its almshouses
and "homes." Here tradition has begot
Influence, to the end that the Quaker
Philadelphia of today maintains more
tiful pieces of silver aating and gold
which were dug up in the bogs.
Between the two museum and the li
brary is a fine old mansion known as
Leinster House or Kildare House, erected
by the great Earls of Kildare, the lead
ers of the Geraldlnes, who chose this spot
400 years ago for the erection of the larg
est and at that time the most magnificent
city residence in Ireland. It once stoood
In the center of large grounds, but they
have been sold off from time to time and
nearly a hundred years ago the residence
passed Into the possession of the Royal
Dublin Society, which has made It the
center of activity during its long and
honorable career in encouraging and de
veloping the arts, sciences and industries
of Ireland. The membership of the Royal
Dublin Society for two centuries has in
cluded all of the famous men of this na
tion, and they have rendered a very Im
portant service. The Royal Library, the
National Gallery, the Museum of Natural
History,' the Museum of Antiquities owe
their existence to thia venerable institu
Flowers for Christmas
Now Is Time for Indoor Gardener to Start Them Growing.
IN'
OW Is the time for the window
gardener to start plants if she
expects to have blooms for Christmas,"
said a florist who maJtes a specialty of
supplying the Christmas trade, to a re
porter of the New Tork Sun. When the
reporter suggested that it might be dif
ficult, if not- Impossible, to grow holiday
plants under home conditions the florist
shook his head as he answered: "As the
growth of the window collections is
slower, plants must be started earlier.
That is about the only difference. A slow,
cool growth insures a plant's ability to
endure hardships under which, green
house tenderlings would quifkly perish.
"The Norfolk Island pine Is no longer
the only Christmas tree growable in the
window garden. Dwarf hollies and even
lemons and oranges can be? grown In the
window with success and if started in
time and handled with ordinary intelli
gence will be ready for Christmas deco
ration or gifts. While I should recom
mend purchasing shrubs of this descrip
tion at the bearing age, where the per
son has time and space they can easily
be raised from the seeds. The ardlsla
will hold berries more than a year if
Winter night temperature is kept at from
45 to 50 degrees. Oranges and lemons
require rich soil and plenty of water.
Fruit that is set in June will color for
Christmas. Both require the full sun.
Grafted plants are always the best for
the window gardener, both in oranges,
lemons and holly. Hollies are best buried
in thin dry soil. Peppers and Jerusalem
cherries also make effective Christmas
decorations and may be easily grown in
the window for Christmas. Should the
fruits and berries of these plants color
too slowly to be ready for Christmas a
little lees water at the roots, more in
the air and a slightly higher temperature
wijl give the desired results. About the
most satisfactory method of doing this Is
by placing a tea kettle on a small oil
stove in the room and keeping it boil
ing. Any drought or chill will cause these
such Institutions than any other city In
the whole broad land.
The Friend was more aot to give him
self to this branch of charity, indeed,
than to educational work. It was. so in
the beginning and still holda mainly true.
The first settlers of Penn's province In
terested themselves in primary education
not a little, and insisted (with foresight
antedating by many years the modern
vogue of schools for manual training)
that every boy of 12 should learn a trade,
but schools In the higher grades seem to
have made no strong appeal to their
minds. The "William Tenn Charter
School" of today, was founded as long
ago as 3689. to be sure, but it was the
exception, not the rule; besides whlL'h
George Keith, the first head master, as
pired to the mantle of no less an one
than Fox hlmsrlf. and. at the apostle's
death. In 1690, led a schism l.t the faith
which certainly did not then further the
fame and prosperity of his school.
Literature Little Cherished.
Nor did the early Quaker treat any too
kindly the printer's educational art. Wil
liam Bradford, "father of American
printing," came across In the train of the
great proprietor, a young man of 25. n
armed with both press and "letters" (as
types then were known), and. that very
year, set up his shop In Philadelphia,
making a beginning at today's vast print
ing industry with tracts and almanacs.
But Bradford was Ill-treated; fault waa
found with his show of progress; im
prisonment and fines fell to his portion;
till, at last, it is small wonder that he
turned a disgusted back upon hia quon
dam Quaker patrons and went over to
New York, there to work (with greater
appreciation) till his death.
With the art of letters, so closely wed
ded to that of the press, the Quakers
showed as little sympathy. Whlttier is
their one great and shining light, with
Bayard Taylor following in point of time
and Charles Brockden Brown preced
ing. Possibly H. T. Tuckerman answers
best the why raised by such facts as
these. The Quakers, he says, were "a
class distinguished for moral worth, but
equally remarkable for the absence of a
sense of the beautiful, and for a firm
repudiation of the artistic graces of life,
and the Inspiration of sentiment except
of a strictly religious kind " ,
Sentiment and an appreciation for the
aesthetics, often even for the amenities
of life, were not (and are not indeed)
marked characteristics of your bred-in-the-bone
Quaker. Other things were his,
however, and are today; and these "other
things," still native to the latest decend
ants of the wearers of broad brims and
shovel bonnets, brought peace and pros
perity to Philadelphia, even as Phila
delphia brought peace and prosperity
to Its sons and daughters. The
principles of Quaker Penn, religious and
political, may not now be practiced In
the city of his dreams, but It still
cherishes many of the virtues which were
his.
Certainly, too, is Philadelphia properly
proud of Us Quakers and Quaker tradi
tions. These serene faced ,men and wo
men, with their gentle speech, stand for
the best in its history. They have been
a formative influence, not only in the
life of the metropolis but of the Key
stone State Itself, and that influence has
been out of all proportion either to
their numbers or aggressiveness. Their
quiet, gentle, almost negative methods
are eloquent in suggestion to an often-too-impatient
present; they seem to point
that the secret of power Is also the,
secret of peace. '
tion and its influence has gathered the
greater part of the pictures in the gal
lery and the articles of interest in the
museum.
Kildare House Is a Bevere pile 6f black
stone, and. the guide-book says that "the
White House at Washington, D. C. is
largely a reproduction of Its main fea
tures, though the American building has
a seml-cireular colonnaded porch, which
rather conceals the likeness." But a resi
dent of Washington, D. C, would find
little resemblance between the two
buildings, except that they are about the
same size and both have windows and a
roof.
The cornerstone bears a curious in
scription in stilted Latin, which Illus
trates the lofty pride v of the Earls of
Kildare. It is addressed to "The Casual
Explorer who may find it .among the
stately ruins of a fallen house, and bids ,
him mark the greatness 'of the noble
builders and the uncertainty of all things
terrestrial, when the men who raise such
splendid monuments can rise superior to
misfortune."
plants to shed their fruit, while over
watering will make their leaves fall.
"The 6lngle white lilac, Marie Legraye,
is perhaps the best suited to forcing in
windows. The Charles X and Louis
Spaeth are the best of the colored va
rieties. They require from five to six
weeks for forcing in a temperature of
from 55 to 65. It Is best to buy grafted
plants at least a, year old of a florist.
The glowing crimson red flowers of the
crab cactus are easily forced for Christ
mas. This plant flourishes in the win
dow garden without special care. Christ
mas heath is another plant especially
suited to that season. Many people con
fuse this with the Scotch heather, which
has a minute pink flower and is not
adapted to window culture.
"An easy and cheap method of ob
taining blossoms for Christmas is by
taking branches from hardy trees.
Branches of the double flowering almond.
Chinese magnolias, currants, flowering
cherries and flowering peaches are es
pecially adapted to this purpose.
Branches from such trees should be cut
about the last week In November, put
in a barrel of water In a warm place,
with a temperature of about 68 or 6) de
grees, and sprinkled with warm water
every, bright morning until the buds be
gin to open. I have also seen large
branches of the wild crabapple forced
into a sheet of beautiful and fragrant
blossoms in the same way. There are
few country children who haven't ex
perimented with forcing pussy willows
in a pitcher or bottle of water during
cold weather. Where persons haven't
much money to devote to buying Christ
mas flowers and are willing to devote
a little time to the care of a window
garden there is no reason why they
should not be able to make a very credit
able show of blossoms in a sunny win
dow In time for the holidays."
Every year New Tork City throws Into
the Junk heap enough buildings to accom
modate a small city, or a population of
fil),00). In tha last 10 years there have
been torn down enough buildings to house
500,000 persons.