Our Philadelphia . oo—I shouldnot like to think of the new Philadelphian that is to comeout of this incredible mixture of Russian Jews and count- 474 OUR PHILADELPHIA less other aliens as little like us in character and tradition. The new Philadelphian may be a finer creature farthan in my hopes for him, finer far than the old Philadel-phian I have known—but then he will not be that old Phila-delphian whom I do not want to lose and whom it wouldbe a pity to lose in a country for which, ever since Pennpointed the way to the constitution of the United States, hehas probably accomplished more tha
Our Philadelphia . oo—I shouldnot like to think of the new Philadelphian that is to comeout of this incredible mixture of Russian Jews and count- 474 OUR PHILADELPHIA less other aliens as little like us in character and tradition. The new Philadelphian may be a finer creature farthan in my hopes for him, finer far than the old Philadel-phian I have known—but then he will not be that old Phila-delphian whom I do not want to lose and whom it wouldbe a pity to lose in a country for which, ever since Pennpointed the way to the constitution of the United States, hehas probably accomplished more than any other citizen. Personally, I might as well say that I do not believehe will be a finer creature. It seems to me that he is doingaway with the old American idea of levelling up and isbent on the levelling down process that is going on all overEurope. And so foreign is he making us, that I wouldnot think J. very far wrong in declaring himself the onlyreal American left, if only he would include me with CHAPTER XIX: PHILADELPHIA AFTERA QUARTER OF A CENTURY—CONTINUED 1 IT was not only the change that oppressed nie thosefirst days of my return. As bewildering, as dis-couraging, were the signs everywhere of the horriblehaste with which it has been brought about: a haste for-eign to the Philadelphia habit. But the aliens pouringinto Philadelphia have increased its population at such aprodigious rate that it has been obliged to grow tooprodigiously fast to meet or to adapt itself to the newconditions without the speed that does not belong to it. I had left it a big, prosperous, industrial town—Bald-wins, Cramps, Kensington and Germantown mills all infull swing—but it carried off its bigness, prosperity, andindustry with its old demure and restful airs of a countrytown. The old-fashioned, hard-working, Philadelphiabusiness man could still dine at four oclock and spend therest of the afternoon looking out of the window for thepeople who rarely passed and the things
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectlithographyamerican
