PHILADELPHIA 



4624 



PHILADELPHIA 



Parks and Memorials. Philadelphia has 4,464 

 acres of parks, an area almost as great ;.- 

 given to parks in Chicago, ami nearly four 

 times as great as New York's improved park 

 acreage. Its citizens have never forgotten Wil- 

 liam Penn's desire to see Philadelphia made a 

 "greene country towne." The most famous of 

 its breathing places is Independence Square, 

 back from whose center stands Independence 

 Hall; the largest is Fairmount Park, along the 

 beautiful Schuylkill River, where the Cen- 

 tennial Exposition (1876) was held. The river 

 divides it into east ami west sections, of 633 

 - and 1,323 acres respectively. A square 

 holding sentimental associations is Penn Treaty 

 Square, where it is said the tree once stood un- 

 der which Penn made his famous compact with 

 the Indians one of the few contracts with the 

 red men that neither side ever broke. 



League Island Park, at the extreme south 

 end of the city, contains 300 acres, and this 

 is the largest of seventy squares and small 

 parks whose care devolves upon the city hall 

 government; the other large and more im- 

 portant parks are governed by a park corn- 

 ion. 



Of monuments the city has many that are 

 more than locally famous. It is fitting that 

 that of Benjamin Franklin (see page 2316) 

 should stand in front of the city post office, 

 for Franklin was not only Philadelphia's great- 

 est citizen but the first Postmaster-General of 

 the colonies. Equally appropriate is the Wash- 

 ington statue in Independence Square. Stephen 

 Girard, the millionaire who founded Girard 

 College (see page 2498), is remembered by a 

 statue, as is also Muhlenberg, a Virginia 

 preacher who delivered a Revolutionary ser- 

 mon, then, while yet in his pulpit, threw off his 

 cloak and stood before his congregation in full 

 regimentals. The most imposing monument 

 in the city is that of Washington, by a Berlin 

 sculptor, which has stood since 1897 at the 

 Green Street entrance of Fairmount Park. It 

 was purchased by popular subscription and 

 cost $200,000. 



Educational Facilities. One of America's 

 great universities, the University of Pennsyl- 

 vania, is in Philadelphia. It was established 

 in 1740 as a charitable secondary school; its 

 growth is detailed in the article PENNSYLVANIA, 

 I'NIVEKSITY OF. Bryn Mawr College, for 

 women, is close to the city, and ranks among 

 the best schools of its class (see page 967). 

 The Drexel Institute, offering courses in art, 

 sciences and industrial training, has an endow- 



ment of $2,000,000, the gift of A. ,T. Drexel. 

 There are professional schools in law, dentistry, 

 medicine and pharmacy; some of them are in- 

 :ident. and some are branches of the nni- 

 ity. Other special schools are the Pennsyl- 

 vania Academy of Fine Arts. >pecial schools of 

 the Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran 

 churches and several strong schools of the 

 Quakers (Society of Friends). The American 

 Academy of Political and Social Seienc* 

 widely known. Girard College has already 

 been mentioned. 



There are eleven public high schools, besides 

 a Central High School for Boys. For the prep- 

 aration of the teaching force of the public 

 schools, numbering nearly 5,500, there is tin- 

 Normal School, for women, and the School of 

 Pedagogy, for men. Tl^e regular courses of 

 instruction extend from the kindergarten to 

 the doors of the university; manual training 

 and domestic arts courses are also provided. 



Churches, Theaters, Clubs, Hotels. Some of 

 the oldest churches in America are in Phila- 

 delphia, and are yet in constant use. Three 

 of these are mentioned above, under Ilixloric 

 Buildings. Modern structures in great num- 

 bers are the equal of those in any other city. 

 A place of unusual interest is the old Friends' 

 Meeting House, on Arch Street, not far from 

 the Betsy Ross House. The Roman Catholic 

 Cathedral is an imposing building; there is a 

 large Jewish Synagogue, the Keneseth Israel, 

 the equal of any in the country outside of New 

 York City. All Protestant denominations own 

 imposing places of worship. 



There are over a score of important clubs. 

 The Union League Club is famed throughout 

 the country. Reminiscent of colonial days are 

 the names of Franklin Inn, Poor Richard and 

 Penn clubs. The "State in Schuylkill," founded 

 in 1732, is the oldest club in America. 



The Metropolitan Opera House, home of 

 grand opera, seats 4,000 people; the Academy 

 of Music seats 2,000, and there is nearly a 

 score of other first-class playhouses. The Wal- 

 nut Street Theater is the oldest, in the United 

 States, and still in service is the Musical Fund 

 Hall, where Jenny Lind sang. 



Philadelphia possesses several hotels which 

 have acquired fame in two continents. The 

 Ritz-Carlton is a member of the famous chain 

 of Ritz hotels which have been founded in 

 many of the world's great cities; the Bellevue- 

 Stratford is probably as well known. Other 

 leading hotels of high grade are the Walton, 

 the Adelphia and the Saint James. 



