.H3 S7 I / /Lu^ Copy 1 / • ^- +_, ^ — » t * I ''Seventeen fears in HarrislioFjj" I I A I,OOK BACKWARD % % ^ I J- » + [An address delivered before^ the Board of Trade of Harrisbure. * ^ Pennsylvania, by E). J/ Stackpole, March 13th, 1900.] % t j^^^wJ'./-.! .*. I » Ff//ozf Members of the Board of Trade: Having accepted an invitation to address the Board of Trade in this series of talks arranged by your committee and having chosen as my subject "Seventeen Years in Har- i risburg — A Look Backward," I was overwhelmed with a flood of recollections. There are many things that 1 would like to refer to, but in such a talk it is not possible to dwell upon certain matters which under other circumstances and at another time it might be proper to discuss. It would be fitting, perhaps, to devote some time this evening to a few remini- scences of those makers of Harrisburg who have gone ahead a little while, but when one looks backward and reflects upon the large number of his friends who in the short period of seventeen years have crossed to the other side, it is not easy to mention any without fear of slighting the memory of one or more who were prominent in advancing the interests of the city. Active, unselfish, broad-minded men are the pillars of every community and their memories should be honored by those who come after them. Stately shafts of granite and enduring bronze are not more lasting as monu- ments of such men than the works which they have done. We all cherish the memories of those good men and women who did so much for Harrisburg and who have been called to their reward, and we can only hope that those who follow them will emulate their devotion to the welfare of their fellow- citizens. First impressions of cities and persons are hkely to be last- ing. Twenty-three years ago my father represented the coun- ty of Mififlin in the House of Representatives and it was then that I first visited Harrisburg. Recollections of that trip are vivid and you will pardon to-night a brief reference to some of the things which engaged my boyish attention. Somehow it was impressed upon me that all visitors before leaving the Capital City should first climb to the top of the stand-pipe at the wato ' works and after that look the city \ ^ 6:^5 2 \ ^ over from the dome of the Capitol. My time was hmilted ^ and with youthful enthusiasm I made the ascent of the tower- ing column at the water works and having obtained the mag- nificent view of the city and its picturesque surroundings from that point hastily descended. Then without resting \I climbed to the old Capitol dome. Tramping to the top of these local observatories had about finished me and the, sightseeing during the balance of my stay was done in mod- eration and on the first floor. I haven't been at the top of the stand-pipe since, and as the flames licked the gold sheet- ing from the face of the old Capitol dome three years ago I watched the destruction and thought of my ascent of the an- cient pile on that first visit to Harirsburg. These were my first g"limpses of the city, but it was not until January, 1883, that I became a permanent resident and identified myself with the city which has since been my abiding place. It is almost impossible in such a talk as this to get away from the personal pronoun, inasmuch as a comparison of con- ditions as they existed seventeen years ago with conditions of to-day involves, necessarily, the personal views and comments of the speaker. It gives me pleasure, however, to review the progress and development of our city. As an adopted son I yield to no older inhabitant in admiration for £ all that is good and beautiful in Harrisburg. \ When I came here in 1883 it was my custom to take fre- quent strolls about the city and suburbs and in those walks I was constantly brought face to face with the fact of Harris- burg's unsurpassed situation and immense possibilities for commercial and industrial development. It is difficult to realize that within the short period of time covered by my residence here so many and so great changes have been wrought. Seventeen years ago the stranger entered Harris- burg through an antiquated structure knoAvn as the Penn- sylvania Railroad Station. It is impossible of description. Older citizens will remember the long, rambling brick build- ing which served as headquarters for the railroad officials, passenger waiting-rooms, restaurant, baggage-rooms, etc. They will also remember how it Avas impossible for a pas- senger to determine with any degree of accuracy whether his train was coming in on the right side of the station or on the left. While he "was wrestHng with this serious problem the luckless passenger was not infrequently left. Trains in those days had a habit of rushing in on the right side of the build- ing and leaving those passengers who were waiting on the other side without notice. It was a supremely dangerous place and to this day I wonder that more lives were not sacri- ficed at that point. ' Time came, however, when the railroad company realized that the old station must go for the good of the service. Then the present more or less modern struct- v ure was erected. It has always seemed a pity that those who were responsible for the plans of the new building were not able to give so important a point as Harrisburg better station facilities. We ought to be thankful, perhaps, for what we have; but we ought to have something a great deal better. Defects of the present Union Station are obvious, but it is not my purpose to do more than suggest that the city is deserving of greater consideration than has been shown by any of the railroad companies heretofore. But while the great Pennsylvania has not done all that this splendid corporation might do in reason for Harrisburg, the Reading has done infinitely less. Seventeen years ago the Reading passenger station was an old squat shed at Market street. It resembled a warehouse and the entrance thereto was across the dangerous maze of tracks which have since given to that part of Market street and to all the busi- ness interests of that section of the city a serious commer- cial set-back. Seventeen years ago, yet that station still stands a monument to the indifference of a great corporation to its own interests and to those of the city. Still I am glad to see an evidence of the awakening of the Reading Company to the importance of Harrisburg in the extension of its yards toward Rutherford Station. All the railroad companies are showing by their increasing facilities a disposition to accom- modate a community which is becoming too large a.nd too progressive to be longer ignored in the matter of freight fa- cilities or passenger accommodations. We will all hail the day when grade crossings shall be no more and when modern passenger stations and all the provisions for the comfort of the travehng pubHc, as well as facilities for the business community, shall be accorded Harrisburg. We are rapidly becoming a great railroad center and it is with pride that we refer the stranger to the manifold advantages of this city in the way oj transportation facilities. I ought not to leave this subject without remarking that the time is propitious for such co-operation by our municipal government as may be neces- sary to bring about the reforms and improvements with re- spect to our railroad companies which suggest themselves to the thoughtful citizen. Seventeen years ago we had the bob-tail horse cars on our streets and the echo of those tinkHng bells must even now resound in the ears of most of you who are present to-night. Those were wonderful cars. There was no conductor to col- lect the fares and to politely assist feeble passengers on and ofif the cars ; the passenger was expected to get on and off as best he could ; drop his nickel in the slot and be content with the situation. Of course, the super-sensitive passenger occasionally found fault with the driver who looked through the window and hard at the cash-box when the passenger ab- sent-mindedly forgot to drop his nickel therein ; but the driver in those days was not only expected to keep his car moving ; it was also his duty to see to it that the passenger deposited the fare in the box provided for that purpose. I shall never forget the first electric car that passed up Third street. \s it swept along, leaving a trail of dust behind, timid women and affrighted children rushed to their homes in terror, while men stood upon the sidewaiKs and in open-mouthed wonder watched the receding car as it sped on its way uptown. That Avas a rapid transition, and it may be proper for me to say that no one agency has contributed more to the advancement and development of Harrisburg than tlie electric railway. We have here a most complete system of city and suburban lines and the people of Harrisburg have 'long since ceased to r&gard the trolley car as a nuisance and a proper object of criticism. It has brought all the surrounding towns and villages into close connection with the city and our merchants and busi- ness men doubtless appreciate what the change from horse cars to those propelled by electricity meant for them. Reservoir Park and Paxtang, two of the fresh air resorts of the city, have been made accessible by the electric lines, but other breathing places ought to be established. Sometime ago a distinguished physician of this city offered to Harris- burg a large tract of wooded land on which is a spring of pure water without money and without price, yet, so far as I have been able to learn, no definite steps have been taken to accept his generous gift. There was some pow-wowing of a board of road viewers which came to naught, but the City Councils, as I am informed, have taken no such action as would seem to have been proper in view of such a munificent proposition. I refer to Dr. Eli H. Coover's offer to turn over to the city a large tract of land embracing many trees and a pure mountain stream. In my humble judgment there cannot be too many parks in Harrisburg or any other city. The time is coming when such tenders as that of Dr. Coover will be accepted with the gratitude of the entire municipality. In this age of forest destruction we can hardly realize what a park may mean in the future. With the exception of one which has been provided at the expense of the Common- wealth this city is practically without a park within the city limits. On our western boundary there is a wooded piece known to all of you as Hoffman's Woods, which ought to be secured for park purposes. It is situatea at the intersec- tion of Ridge Avenue and Park Lane and more than once during the last few years I have heard talk of the cutting down of th)e trees and selling the land for building pur- poses. I hope I may never see the day when those trees will be felled. Harrisburg could not do a better thing than purchase that tract of wooded land and allow the generations- yet to come to pay the debt. I wish to remark before pro- ceeding further that any thing said to-night which may seem harsh is not directed at individuals, but at classes and systems. . When I made my way up Market street seventeen years ago it was an unpaved thoroughfare. Gas lamps flickered here and there, old-fashioned stores hedged both sides of the street, and the hotels were not what they should have been. Market Square was occupied by the market sheds of fragrant memory and the curbstones were lined with farmers' wagons and other evidences of town life a century ago. There were also many trees along the street, which have since disap- peared. Few things in Harrisburg at that day were modern. Our people were apparently satisfied to go along in the same old way which was good enough for their fathers. We have some people — a few of them — who still think what was good enough for their fathers is good enough for them. We should be thankful that this class is gradually becoming ex- tinct. We can easily picture in imagination the Harrisburg of that period. It was a town which seemed to be thoroughly satis- fied with itself and the stranger who came here with any sug- gestions looking to a change of the existing order of things was regarded as an iconoclast whose room was more dei- sirable than his presence. There was a distinct air of chilli- ness in the so-called social atmosphere of the city, and a good deal of the old-family notion which, I am glad to say, is slowly dying out. Men and women seemed to be more inter- ested in unearthing their ancestry than in doing anything to promote the welfare of the town. There was on all sides an apathetic condition which endangered the very life of the place. Here and there a courageous spirit was doing his level best to get out of the rut, but he found it mighty hard work. He discovered that Harrisburg people didn't take kindly^ to strangers with peculiar notions as to. how things should be done. They gave the ambitious newcomer to understand by their actions, if not by their words, that they were perfectly content to continue in the "good old way" and to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors. Strange how some people love their ancestors — after they are dead. Henry Ward Beecher used to say that some people were like a potato — the best part of them under ground. But when old-fogyism seemed to have reached its height there flashed out of the gloom of th'e period a gleam of light which broadened until the whole city basked in the sunshine of a new era. Two years after my advent the city, at the instigation of a few energetic spirits, determined to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of its birth. For one whole week Harrisburg gave itself up in an excess of joy to a cele- bration that was in every respect a magnificent success. Even the antiquarian exhibit served to teach those who had been drifting- along that after all there were some things that were better than in the times of their forefathers. During that week thousands of visitors thronged the streets of the city and people began to appreciate how much might be done to make Harrisburg a city in fact as well as in name. New life was infused into every avenue of trade. All classes of society manifested a keener interest in the resurrection of the city. Men who had not before shown any apparent inter- est in its affairs began to insist upon the paving of streets, the substitution of electricity for gas in street lighting, the improvement of our hotels and business houses, and a gen- eral rehabilitation of the city throughout. They observed how slow we had been and then and there determined that the second century should be one of progress and development in every way. I have always thought that two monuments should be erected in Harrisburg by a grateful and apprecia- tive people — one over the resting place of the founder of the city, and the other in Market Square, "In Memory of Sleepy Old Harrisburg. Died A. D. 1885." From that centennial celebration sprang a new and pro- gressive city. Resistance of the old pull-back element in our population became less effective. There was a gradual surrender of the forces of the non-progressives and the de- velopment of the cemmercial and business activities of the city was rapid. Since then the native Harrisburgers have touched elbows with those who, appreciating the advantages of our location, have come hither to help in the upbuilding and advancement of the city. No longer is the question asked as to whence comes this man or that man, but instead there is a disposition to extend the hand of welcome to all who come with the earnest purpose of joining forces with us in the advancement of our material and social well being. It is worth value in this presence to consider what has brought about the great change in Harrisburg. Manifestly the aroused spirit of the people has been responsible in larg^ • measure for the improved and improving tone of our busi- ness and social life. This spirit has forced the paving of the principal streets, the introduction of electric light and steam heat, the enlargement and modernizing of our business places, the increased cab service, the betterment of telegraph and telephone facilities and all the changes for the better which have followed in the wake of that centennial anniver- sary. Marvelous has been the development in many direc- tions and still more marvelous will be the development of the next few years. With the growth of the city and the rapid increase of its population purely local hindrances will be more easily overcome. There will be a stronger com- bative force and the enfeebled grip of the selfish barnacle will finally be loosed forever. The Great Architect of the universe has wrought won- drously in the hills and valleys which give to the landscape here so much of its charm. We who live and move and have pur being in this favored spot do not always appreciate what grandeur of scenery there is in the natural environment of the city we call our own. Strangers who have traveled far and wide ecstatically view the winding river and the hills and mountains round about us and wonder at our matter-of-fact acceptance of Nature's favors. But while the picturesque appeals to those who have a spark of poetry within them, it is the practical side of our situation which attracts the manu- facturer and business man. Few cities have such advan- tages and it must be exceedingly gratifying to the genuine citizen to see the growing appreciation of these advantages on the part of those who are looking about for suitable loca- tions for industrial and other enterprises. They see here solid banking institutions, a conservative business commun- ity, contented American labor, unsurpassed agricultural re- sources, handsome school buildings and stately churches, fijie markets and all that goes to make up the essential needs of a flourishing city. One need only stroll through that section of the city bounded by Market and Tenth Streets to see the wonderful transformation that has taken place during the comparatively short period covered by the residence of the speaker in Har- risburg. Great warehouses for the distributing agencies of the leading farm implement manufacturers of this country — several of them — box factories, carriage factories, mattress and casket factories, all springing up as in a night. Then cHmb the slope and see the new East Harrisburg, the city of Allison's 'Hill, where there has grown during the last sev- enteen years a bustling and active business community which will never stop its onward march until it has overtaken and absorbed Paxtang and Hummelstown and all the villages and hamlets intervening. Otit yonder are the big plants of the Harrisburg Boot and Shoe Company, employing hundreds of persons, the Harrisburg Boiler and Manvifacturing Com- pany, the Mt. Pleasant Printery, the parent branch of the Harrisburg Foundry and Machine Works, and many other concerns wdiich are adding to the wealth of the city and giv- ing employment to thousands of our people. That overhead bridge at Mulberry Street, the artery connecting the city on the hill with the city proper, was not there in 1883. Its erec- tion was the direct outcome of the agitation of the people most interested and the newspapers, two forces which united are invincible. Would that they might get together more frequently. Too often the newspapers are left to fight alone 8 and when they fail through the desertion of those for whom they battle the first to point the finger of scorn are those who ought to have given most aid and encouragement. Looking now from the loftier buildings on the bluflf be- yond Paxton Creek to the westward the change is even greater. Miles upon miles of houses where seventeen years ago were fenced fields and vacant town lots. Going to and from my boarding-house in those days it w^as my custom to cut across the old reservoir ground at Sixth and North — now the site of the handsome High School building and many fine residences ; then an unsightly hump of earth, all that was left of the first reservoir basin. Where a few of us erected a toboggan slide at Third and Reily Streets are now hun- dreds of the most attractive of the city's homes. All the land from Reily to Maclay on the west side of Third Street was at that time practically vacant. To-day it is solidly built in modern blocks to a point beyond Kelker Street, and the builder ceaseth not. Away beyond Maclay Street and east of Third the city has made its way until there is no one with vision broad enough to see the limits of Greater Harrisburg. Permit me to observe right here that the person who talks well of every city save his own is being elbowed out of the procession. .There is no room for him. He belongs to the croaker class — first cousin to the clam. Instead of putting his shoulder to the wheel and helping along in the progress of the city he sits on the fence, makes faces at the passing throng and growls because the hustlers are kicking up a dust as they push on toward the goal of a still greater city. lYet this croaker is the representative of a class which is best de- scribed in the story of "Betty and the Bear," which was my star recitation in the school-boy days. Most of you have heard it and I will stop only long enough to recall its point. A certain pioneer, who was noted for his presence of mind — on the theory that presence of mind is absence of body — heard a bear in the kitchen on one occasion, and screaming to his sleeping frow told her of his discovery. She called to him to murder the brute, whereupon he bravely assured her that he would, if she would first venture in. Betty then jumped from her downy couch and grabbing a poker entered the kitchen, her husband quickly closing the door and leav- ing her to settle the controversy with bruin alone, now and then volunteering advice through the key-hole. At last Betty laid the bear out and her courageous spouse lost no time rushing into the street and telling the neighbors how he and Betty had killed the bear. So it is with the croaker. He makes dismal predictions about the fate of every local enter- prise, but is the first to take credit for the success which is achieved in spite of him. Having been warned against indulging in too much praise 9 of our city I only want to say that it is better to err on that side than on the side of the fault-finder. It makes one feel better to utter a pleasant word than to look sour and growl. Sometimes, however, it is well to listen to the admonition of a friend. There are things which should be improved. We all realize that our city has faults: that there are matters wdiich demand the attention not only of this Board, but of every good citizen. We know, for instance, that our water supply is not what it ought to be, and yet we sit around like bumps on a log and wonder whether mud or culm is more injurious to our internal machinery. We have seen the grow- ing contamination of the river for years and we have listened to the wise men who have told us that three parts of culm and one of mud is pure water. We didn't believe them, of course, but we sat still. Occasionally our hopes have been kindled by a proposition looking to permanent improvement only to flicker and fade away. Now we are faced with serious conditions. Physicians tell us that there is more typhoid ma- laria, more typhoid fever in Harrisburg now than ever before and they clo not hesitate to admit that the water has much to do with it. We have a source of supply in the river that is inexhaustible and it is our duty as men and citizens to see to it that a filtration plant is established without delay. Don't let us procrastinate. Don't let us stand about and whittle and chew words and listen to windy theories, but let us re- solve as an organization of live business and professional men to abate this nuisance at once. Let us not be halted by the cry of municipal poverty which does not exist, but with cour- age and determination demand pure water and plenty of it for every man, woman and child in the city. We must not be unmindful of the important fact that strangers seeking busi- ness investment here will first inquire as to the health of the place. We have a healthful city; let us so maintain it. I don't pretend to know which system of filtration is best for us, but other towns and cities have solved the problem and we must. We who have children cannot patiently listen to the clam and croaker discussing the cost. Councils will act with us and this very night we should take the initiative. There are men of courage and energy and public spirit in Harrisburg in these_ closing days of the Nineteenth Century and they need only have their attention called to the situation which con- fronts us to force a prompt and practical solution of the problem. Another matter worthy the consideration of our citizens is the unwieldy system of collecting taxes now prevailing in Harrisburg and other cities of the third class. Legislation will be necessary to remedy this evil, but the agitation must start with the people. iWhen a city attains the size and im- portance of Harrisburg it should have a receiver of taxes and lO the day must come when the collection of taxes will be left to a single responsible official and not to a dozen or more. Present methods are lax and out of joint with every proper conception of business principles. One other thing. iWe must awake here to the importance of inducing manufacturers and others to locate in Harris- burg. There is not sufficient interest in our municipal de- partments in those things which are of direct and lasting benefit to all the people. Recently a large manufacturing concern, which would have given employment to i,ooo men, passed Harrisburg by — after sending a representative here to look over the field — because there was not sufficient en- terprise shown in the paving and cleaning of the streets and in other matters relating to the legislative and administrative departments of the city. This company was impressed favorably with the location and certain other advantages which appealed to their representative, but the dirty streets and the lack of interest of certain departments of our city government in the general welfare of the city led him to make an unfavorable report. Pittsburg secured that plant and others are said to have been lost to Harrisburg in the same way. I have always thought that with the superb credit of the city, and in view of our comparatively low taxation, it would be a wise thing for the present generation to issue bonds to the extent of $1,000,000, if necessary, payable in twenty years, for paving the streets, erecting a city hall, and making such other im- provements as wovild place the city on a level with all others of the same size and importance. In my judgment, a low tax rate, where such a rate involves disregard of municipal progress, is not the best recommendation for any city. In this connection it may be well to say that there is also an unfortunate disposition on the part of large real estate hold- ers to place a prohibitive price on their land as soon as they suspect jt may be wanted for manufacturing purposes. Such land-owners are doing all in their power — innocently perhaps — to retard the growth and development of the city. It isn't pleasant to point out defects, but let us go a little further in this friendly self-examination of municipal needs. Let us pause to consider the demands of Harrisburg with respect to its imrivaled water front. Time was when the ribbon of green along Front Street was not so wide as now and when the trees were fewer and farther between; when the gentle slope was decorated with tin-cans, brush heaps and refuse indescribable, and when the sewers vomited their stench at the brink of the river. There has been some im- provement, but there is room for much more. The time will come when the residents of Front Street will get over the idea that a kind Providence intended that the river front II should always remain that way. They will awake to the sit- uation and demand in the name of all the people that this picturesque fringe of the majestic Susquehanna shall be made a famous boulevard, stretching from one end of the city t"© the other. May we not contemplate in our dreams of the future a beautiful terrace sloping, gently to a wide sup- porting wall and furnishing a grand promenade along the entire city front. Such an improvement may be criticized as a purely aesthetic idea, but in my humble judgment it would do more to bring Harrisburg to the favorable attention of the world than any other single proposition, lit need not be done all at once, but in sections, just as many other im- provements have been accomphshed. A fresn air promenade such as this would be an everlasting benefit to all the peo- ple and would make Harrisburg famous throughout the coun- try. Let me further remark that the investment of money at home is quite as likely to bring profitable returns as the get-rich-quick planting of your financial seed elsewhere. Many of you have experimented in the dazzling real estate enterprises of distant cities and you are still paying taxes on the investment, with an occasional assessment for alleged street improvements. Others have turned Napoleons of finance for a short time and have emerged from the market- place shorn. Still others have placed their cash in manu- facturing concerns elsewhere and are waiting patiently for the dividends that never come. Meanwhile they have seen Harrisburg enterprises grow and flourish and have wondered why they Avere so foolish as to turn their backs on the home industry to help along the doubtful enterprise of a place in which they have no interest whatever. We have all been told many a time of the need of additional capital to make promising business ventures in Harrisburg still more suc- cessful, but the men who put in their money and back it with their pluck have been compelled to go ahead in a crippled condition, sometimes for years, until wide-awake foreign capital has come to their relief. We ought to have more diversified industries and the men who make their money here ought to be given to understand in the most unmistak- able manner that they owe this community something for their success ; that they must not, like the leech, take every- thing and give nothing. They should be made to feel that it is disgraceful — not to die rich, as Mr. Carnegie contends — but to die with a record standing against them of never hav- ing invested one dollar in a Harrisburg enterprise. We must stand together, and those who refuse must stand aside and be made to feel that they have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. These things I have pointed out not in any spirit of criti- 12 cism, nor in any assumption of superior wisdom, but merely in a suggestive way to illustrate what might be done to en- hance the beauty of our natural situation and make more at- tractive the city and its environments. Since 1883 this Board of Trade has come into existence and has done much for Harrisburg. So also has the Harrisburg Club, where we may meet in a social way and get from the atmosphere of a broadened fellowship more helpful views of a business life ; and this thought of the social side of business and social life, as it finds expression in such a club, suggests another thought and one which it may be well to dwell upon in this connec- tion. I refer to the official life on Capitol Hill, with which we are daily brought in contact. There was a time when one heard much of criticism in Harrisburg of the officials and clerks of the various State departments, which criticism ex- tended to the members of the Senate and House. These men were regarded as ever^-thing that is venal and corrupt. They were almost shunned and were made to feel that they had no* place in the hearts of Harrisburg people, much less in their homes. Since the removal of the old iron fence which surrounded Capitol Park criticism of the men whose duties were performed inside the fence has almost wholly ceased. It may have been the favdt of the fence, but whatever the cause it is a satisfaction to note that indiscriminate abuse of lawmakers and State officials is now seldom heard in the streets of this city. These men are no better and no worse than the average of mankind the world over. As a matter of fact, it would be difficult to get together from the four corners of the State a more reputable and self-respecting group of men than those who are now attending to the Com- monwealth's business at the Capitol. It will be a glad day for the citizens of Harirsburg and the country at large when those who have the right of suffrage get sufficiently interested in politics of the right kind to as- sist in the nomination as well as the election of men of the right sort to public office. It comes with bad grace from those who remain away from the naming meetings and the primaries to sneer at and criticize the candidates who seek their support. Until men awaken to the importance of tak- ing part in politics from start to finish in the exercise of their high privilege of citizenship they must not look for the millenium of reform. The people of Harrisburg have it en- tirely within their own hands to send to Councils and to the School Board, and to every municipal body representatives who will do their bidding, iDut unless they see to it that the candidates are chosen in the right way they must not expect that perfection of local government which comes from the hearty co-operation of all good citizens. My first thought when considering what I might say to- I^ night that would be interesting was that a comparison of the business of commercial and industrial establishments for the years 1883 and 1899 would be appropriate; but the more 1 looked into the matter the stronger became the conviction that statistics, however eloquent in themselves, would prove tiresome. So I determined to simply refer to a few exam- ples of the development of the last seventeen years which will sufficiently illustrate our progress. First of all, let us glance at the Pennsylvania Steel works. iWhile not within the city limits it is to all intents and purposes a Harrisburg industrial plant employing thousands of our people. There were on the rolls of this company on the first of January this year 6,600 men, whereas the number in 1883 probably did not exceed 2,500. It was about that year that the company began extensive improvements. Prior to 1883 the only mills in operation were the blooming and rail mills; the present Bessemer plant was started in 1883 and there were then two small open-hearth furnaces. To-day the great plant em- braces instead of two open hearth furnaces, fourteen; a second blooming mill, a large slab mill, merchant and billet mills, bridge and construction and other important depart- ments, with ajlmost a hundred acres of land recently purchased for still further extensions of the plant. The value of the product turned out to-day, notwithstanding the fact that prices are very much lower than in 1883, is probably three times as great. At the Central Iron and Steel Company's large plant, where the ever hopeful and energetic chairman of our Committee on Manufactures is the general manager, the change has been marvelous. In 1883 this company made about 10,000 tons of plates; last year the output was about 120,000 tons ; seventeen years ago the number of men employed was about 150; last year about 700. Meanwhile there has been built a large universal mill and other depart- ments have been enlarged, beside the addition to the plant of the Paxton mills, all now included in the Central . Iron -and Steel Company, having a total capacity of 150,000 tons. In the years covered by this comparison new machinery and ap- pliances have been introduced and the increase in every de- partment has been astounding. The Harrisburg Pipe Bend- ing Works, recently enlarged and with a new pipe mill soon ready for operation; employing 10 men in 1891, disbursing $3,400 in wages and doing a business of $24,000, now a hun- dred workmen, over $36,000 in wages and doing a business of $250,000; the Lalance & Grosjean Manufacturing Companv, the direct evidence of the good work of the Board of Trade ; the Harrisburg Foundry and Machine Works, with two plants in active operation, one of them a perfect modern workshop ; the Harrisburg RolHng Mill Company, and other iron and steel plants have either been established or largely increased since 1883. But it is not only in this important 14 feature of our industrial activity that remarkable develop- ment has been shown. When I came to Harrisburg the build- hio-s at Second and North Streets were vacant memories of an^abandoned cotton industry ; to-day they are fairly teeming with life and energv. They are now, with important addi- tions, the home of the silk mills brought to Harrisburg through the eflforts of this Board. Started in 1887 the mills emploved at the close of the first year about 150 hands; to- day there are on the pay-rolls nearly 600 hands— 75 men and bovs and the remainder girls. Last year the output was 1.200,000 vards of broad or dress silks, and 2,400,000 yards of silk ribbons. Yet there are a few croakers who say that the Board of Trade is more ornamental than useful. Had I time it might be well to speak of the large, cigar manufacturing companv on Race Street, two typewriter factories, the new match factorv in course of erection, the specialty cereal mill on North Seventh Street, and many more recently establish- ed industries. But that is not all. Our newspapers have increased m size and influence and the job printing facilities of the city have spread beyond even the knowledge of those immediately interested in the printing business. An instance of this is the Mt. Pleasant Printery on Allison's Hill. It wasn't there in 1883, but to-day it gives employment to upwards of 100 peo- ple and distributes in wages nearly $900 a week. For 1899 the business approximated $75,000, and the average number of employes throughout the year was 80. Of the total vol- ume of business at this printing house less than 10 per cent, came from Harrisburg; in fact, the business from this city was not much greater than that obtained from South Africa. At this establishment there is now in hand a cyclopedia of American Horticulture upon which over $30,000 is being ex- pended. Witman Schwarz and Co., wholesale grocers, be- gan business here in 1886 in a small room on South Second Street with a force of eight persons and one delivery wagon. To-day there are 25 persons in the Harrisburg establishment and II in branches at Lewistown and Carlisle. This firm within a year or two has occupied a fine building on Walnut Street admirably equipped for the increasing business of the house. Eight years ago the site of the Dill Carriage and Cycle Works at the east end of Mulberry Street bridge was a berry patch, now a successful factory is in steady operation there. Two years ago the Harrisburg Knitting mill was establish- ed in the western part of the city and now employs about 45 persons. Last year the company shipped to all parts of the United States 46,594 dozen pairs of mens' half-hose. The Harrisburg Boot and Shoe Manufacturing Co., employing over 700 persons and turning out millions of pairs of shoes 15 annually; the Capital City Shoe Company and the Bay Shoe Company, all giving employment to large numbers of people and paying out weekly thousands of dollars in wages. So I might go on through the list of the city's industries. There is the Harrisburg Burial Case Co., with 25 people and $15,000 in wages in 1883, now 65 employes who were paid $37,000 in wages last year ; the mattress factory of the Boll Bros. Manu- facturing Co., with a small army of employes ; the D. Bacon Company, wholesale confectioners, where less than a dozen persons were employed a few years ago, and now almost 100 with a weekly pay roll of $425, and where there is used an average of 200 barrels of sugar per month, as against 40 barrels ten years ago, and other raw materials in propor- tion; the Paxton and Steelton Flouring Mills Co., using 2,- 000,000 bushels of wheat per year and the money value of the product approximating $2,500,000 with the labor of 150 men; the Blough Manufacturing Co., having increased the capacity of their plant four times in as many years and now supplying sun-bonnets for the women of the world; the Oliver Chilled- Plow Works, handling through the Harrisburg branch in 1883 ninety ten-ton cars and last year 140 twelve-ton cars; and the great department store of Dives, Pomeroy & Stewart, which was established before my advent in Harrisburg, but which "has developed to its present proportions since that time. The handsome five-story building on Market street, the present home of the prosperous house, is a great contrast to the small establishment where the firm began business in 1878 in the Opera House block, then employing about twen- ty clerks. In 1881 the growing business made it necessary to seek larger quarters in the old Wallower building on Mar- ket Street. Mr. Stewart, the junior member of the firm, died ill 1885 and was succeeded by Mr. William H. Bennethum, the present manager. Then came the new building which was occupied in 1887 and has been so enlarged as to include practically the entire end of the block. It is understood that the enterprising firm contemplates still further important changes.' During these years of prosperity the number of employes has been increased and hundreds are now on the pay roll. We ought also to mention the great credit house of Burns and Co., the home furnishers and leaders in Harris- burg of a successful credit system ; the large and handsome de- partment store of E. V. EinsteTh and Co. on Market Street; Bowman and Co., a great store ; Astrich, and many other establishments, every one showing the impulse of better things for Harrisburg. So, too, with the stores and shops. One touch has made them all kin in spirit and enterprise. There is greater liberality in business competition and men are no longer mortal enemies because they happen to be engaged in the same business. Young men have come to the front i6 014 365 115 and many of our leading industrial and mercantile establish- ments are managed by. them. It's a good sign and means much for our future as a city. It occurs to me in closing this fragmentary talk that there is one other thing that ought to be mentioned as further demonstrating our progress during the last seventeen years. I refer to the system of education. When I came to Harris- burg there were two high schools — one for the boys and another for the girls — and it is not so long ago that you can- not recall the storm that was created by the suggestion of co- education in the High School. But co-education came and who is there to-day who would return to the old system. A school ought to be hke a home, where the boys and girls see much of each other and where the refining influence of the sister is observed in the character of the brother. There is no good reason to be advanced for separating the girls and boys of the same age and attainments.