Identifier: ourphiladelphia00penn (find matches)
Title: Our Philadelphia
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, 1855-1936 Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926
Subjects: Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, 1855-1936 Lithography, American
Publisher: Philadelphia and London : J. B. Lippincott Co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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from taste, tradition,and history, even from the philosophers calm of achievedindifference, and Friends, having carried it to perfectionin their own conduct, left it as a legacy to their town. The usual American town, when it hustles, lets nobodyoverlook the fact that it is hustling. But Philadelphiahas done its work as calmly as the Friends have done theirs,never boasting of its prosperity, never shouting its successand riches from the house-top, and its dignified serenityhas been mistaken for sleep. Whistler used to saj^ that ifthe General does not tell the world he has won the battle,the world will never hear of it. The trouble with Phila-delphia is that it has kept its triumph to itself. But wehave ffot so far from the old Friends that no harm can bedone if Philadelphians begin to interpret their townsserenity to a world capable of confusing it M^ith drowsi-ness. If America is ready to forget, if for long Philadel-phians were as ready, it is high time we should remember ■V .^•
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THE SCHUYLKILL SOUTH FROM CALLOWHILL STREET AN EXPLANATION 19 ourselves and remind America of the services Philadel-phia has rendered to the country, and its good taste inrendering them with so little fuss that all the country hasdone in return is to laugh at Philadelphia as a backnumber. Philadelphians have grown accustomed to the laugh.We have heard it since we were in our cradles. We areused to have other Americans come to our town and,—inthe face of our factory chimneys smoking along theSchuylkill and our ship-building yards in full swing onthe Delaware, and our locomotives pouring out over theworld by I do not know how many thousands from theworks in Broad Street, and our mills going at full pressurein the Little England of Kensington, in Frankford andGermantown,—in the face of our busy schools and hos-pitals and academies,—in the face of our stores and banksand charities,—that is, in the face of our industry, ourlearning, and our philanthropy that have given tips to thew

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