PHELPS-PHILADELPHIA. 



193 



and essays on modern pessimism and the 

 golden age. 



PHELPS, AUSTIN, theologian, was born at West | 

 Brqokfield, Mass., Jan. 7, 1820. He graduated at the | 

 University of Pennsylvania in 1 837, studied theology j 

 at Andover and New Haven, and was ordained pastor 

 of the Pine Street Congregational Church, Boston, in 

 1842. He was made professor of sacred rhetoric in 

 the Andover Theological Seminary in 1849, and re- 

 tired from this position in I *84. He has given much 

 attention to church music and published time-books 

 for churches and Sunday-schools. His other publica- 

 tions are The Still Hour (1859) ; Hymns and Choirs 

 El) ; The Neio Birth (18G7) ; Theory of Preaching 

 i) : Men and Books (1881) ; English Stykin Public 

 *rse(1883); and collections of his contributions 

 to periodicals under the titles My Portfolio (1883), 

 and Mi/ Study (1885). Dr. Phelps's writings are 

 marked by purity of style, breadth of view, and genial 

 conservatism. 



His wife, ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS (181 5-1852), 

 the daughter of Prof. Moses Stuart (3. v.), was mar- 

 ried in 1842, and died Nov. 30, 1852. She wrote 

 The Sunny Side and other books for Sunday-schools, 

 generally under the name "Trusta. " 

 " Their'daughter, ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS, born 

 at Andover, Aug. 31, 1844, wrote several books for 

 the young. Her most noted work is The Gates Ajar 

 (1868), which by somewhat novel views of the future 

 state attained great popularity. A latter work, Be- 

 yond the Gates (1884), was in the same line of thought. 

 In Doctor Zay (1883) the question of professional life 

 for women is considered. Others of her books are 

 Hedged In ; The Silent Partner and The Story of 

 Avis. She was married to Rev. Herbert D. Ward in 

 October, 1888. 



PHELPS, JOHN WOLCOTT (1813-1886), general, was 

 born at Guilford, Vt. , Nov . 1 3, 1 8 1 3. He graduated at 

 West Point in 1836, and became second lieutenant of 

 artillery. He served against the Indians in Florida 

 and on the frontier until 1 846, when he took part in 

 the Mexican war. He resigned from the service in 

 1859, but in May, 1861, was made colonel of the First 

 Vermont Volunteers, and then brigadier-general. 

 After brief service in Virginia he went with Gen. 

 Butler's expedition against New Orleans, and assisted 

 in the capture of the forts defending that city. For 

 undertaking to arm negro slaves as soldiers he was 

 declared an outlaw by the Confederate government. 

 When the Union authorities also countermanded his 

 act he resigned his commission in August, 1862, and 

 returned to Brattleboro, Vt. He took much interest 

 in the educational and historical interests of the State, 

 but was especially noted for his active opposition to 

 secret societies. In 1876 he was nominated for Presi- 

 dent by a convention of the "American" party on 

 tlii- . round, but he received very few votes. He died 

 at Koyalton, Vt., Nov. 20, 1886. Among his pub- 

 lications were Good Behavior (1880); History of Mad- 

 <r (1884) ; and Secret Societies, Ancient and 

 M "/'ni. 



PHELPS, OLIVER (1749-1809), deserves record as 

 the author of the system of survey by townships and 

 ranges, which has been adopted for the U. 8. govern- 

 ment lands. He was born at Windsor, Conn., and 

 trained to business pursuits. During the Revolu- 

 tionary war he was in the commissary department 

 of Massachusetts. In 1788, in company with Nathaniel 

 Gorham, he purchased from that fetate a tract of 

 2,600,000 ram in Western New York, being portion 

 of a still larger tract which had been ceded by New 

 York to Massachusetts in 1786. Phelps opening at 

 QuModftigna. N. Y., the first land-office in America, 

 commenced his system of survey, which proved ad- 

 mirably adapted to the condition of the Western 

 country. (See PrsLrc LANDS.) In 1795 he was as- 

 sociated with William Hart and others in purchasing 

 frouj Connecticut the "Western Reserve' in Ohio, 



comprising about 3,300,000 acres. He resided at Ca- 

 nandaigua, became a member of Congress 1803-5, and 

 a judge of the Circuit Court. He died at Canan- 

 daigua, Feb. 21, 1809. 



PHELPS, WILLIAM WALTER, politician, was born 

 in New York city, Aug. 24, 1839. His father, John 

 J. Phelps, made a large fortune in business and rail- 

 road management. William graduated at Yale Col- 

 lege in 1860 and at the Columbia Law School in 1863. 

 He quickly obtained extensive practice, but after his 

 father's death in 1869 he was obliged to devote much 

 time to the management of his estate. In 1872 he 

 was elected to Congress from a New Jersey district, 

 and was sent on a committee to investigate affairs in 

 Louisiana. The Legislature of that State was organ- 

 ized in accordance with the committee's decision. 

 After serving several terms in Congress Mr. Phelps 

 was sent in 1881 as U. S. Minister to Austria, but 

 retired the next year and was reelected to 'Congress. 

 He has taken an active part in the affairs of Yale 

 University, and has delivered several important 

 speeches. 



PHILADELPHIA, the chief city of Pennsylvania, 

 a v i YVTIT an( ^ * ne seconc l in the United States, 



>736 i fn 759 haS been Wel1 described m the ENCY- 

 Am. Rep.). ! CLOP^EDIA BRITANNICA ; this article 

 will, therefore, treat chiefly of its sta- 

 tistics and of the changes introduced in recent years, 

 with incidental mention of some particulars overlooked. 



Buildings. Great advances in street architecture 

 have been made within recent years. The City-Hall 

 was completed, so far as the elevation is concerned, on 

 May 7, 1887, the tower having reached a height of 

 337 ft. 4} in. Above this an iron dome, octagonal and 

 200 ft. in height, is to be surmounted by a colossal 

 figure of William Penn, 36 ft. high. The clock story 

 is to be decorated by four groups of figures represent- 

 ing Swedes and Indians. \Vhen this tower reaches its 

 total height, 537 ft. 4J in. , it will be the highest struc- 

 ture in the world save the Washington monument. 

 (For illustration see Vol. I., Plate III.) Already 

 (1888) several city and county officials and commissions 

 occupy rooms in the hall. The total estimated cost 

 of the building is $15,000,000, and $11,853,352 had 

 been expended at last report. 



Of recent private structures in Philadelphia the 

 finest is the white marble Drexel Building at Fifth and 

 Chestnut streets. It contains 400 rooms, covering 

 upwards of 190,000 ft. of floor surface. The Stock 

 Exchange occupies the second story of its east wing. 

 The Bullitt Building in Fourth street, the warehouse 

 of Hood & Bonbright on Market street, and the ad- 

 joining Girard Estate building are imposing edifices. 

 At no former period of her history have so many fine 

 banks and offices of trust and insurance companies been 

 erected in Philadelphia. Mr. Henry C. Lea has built, 

 at an expense of $50,000, an annex to the Philadel- 

 phia Library, which will be ready for the reception of 

 books in January, 1889. In October,. 1888, the corner- 

 stone of a new library building of the University of 

 Pennsylvania was laid. In 1 886 the new Homoeopathic 

 (Hahnemann) College, Dispensary, and Hospital on 

 Broad street was opened. 



The Academy of Fine Arts in 1886 received a perma- 

 nent endowment fund of $100,000. Philadelphia has 

 recently acquired two fine bronze equestrian statues, 

 one in Fairmount Park to Gen. G. G. Meade, executed 

 at a cost of $25,000 by Mr. Calder; the other to Gen. 

 John F. Reynolds, who fell at Gettysburg. Other 

 military monuments are, that to Union soldiers, dedi- 

 cated in 1883, in Germantown ; and that on the Girard 

 College grounds, sacred to the memory of its graduates 

 who fell in the civil war. Philadelphia has sent sev- 

 eral patriotic monuments to the fields of Gettysburg 

 and Antietam. Philadelphia, during the civil war, 

 contributed for the maintenance of the Union 88,000 

 men and expended $8,500,000. 



Among Philadelphia's prized relics of the revolu- 



