History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 78

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1320

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In the spring of 1826, when nearly fourteen years of age, Mr. HaNeman was sent to the classical acad- emy of Dr. John Miller Keagy, of Harrisburg, Pa. . of the hot-ovens, etc., during the erection of the blast- Ilis appreciation of this gentleman's ability was afterwards shown by several tributes to his memory | failing, his were adopted. His papers on the "Smelt- preserved respectively in Mombert's "History of Laneaster County," 1869, Barnard's Journal of Educu- tion, 1871, and the Pennsylvania School Journal, 1875. Besides the classical languages, Dr. Keagy knew Hebrew, German, and French, and in the absence of text books on those subjects he taught the natural sciences orally in an excellent conversational style.

Mr. Haldeman remained under the care of Dr. | Keagy two years, and then went to Dickinson College, ! stately edifice in this part of the country, eminently

Carlisle, Pa. But though he found a congenial friend in one of the faculty, Professor HI. D. Rodgers, subse- quently the distinguished geologist, the restraints of a college course were irksome to a mind eager to explore and to originate for itself. After two years, in 1830, he left Carlisle without waiting to obtain a degree, but in good standing, as a testimonial from the president shows.

Though energetie and diligent in this undertaking, his love of dollars and cents was never strong enough to repay him for the time spent in their accumulation. He says of himself at this period, "I preferred rainy days and muddy roads, when purchasers were few, and I was left undisturbed in the peru-al of my books, a supply of which I kept in a back office." The only business letter extant addressed to Mr. Haldeman is from a creditor, thanking him for an extension of time for the payment of a note then due. Another anecdote he used laughingly to relate of himself,- "I was elected and re elected director of a bank on several occasions, and my evident popularity gave me much satisfaction, until I remembered I had never been present at a meeting."

Yet he showed quick perception and good judgment in affairs, was a rapid and accurate accountant, es- pecially in mental calculation, and gave sound advice. Hle proposed building the mill without inclosing the saw in the cumbersome frame so long in vogue. but even then discarded in the West, offering to go out and get exact information on the subject. This was considered too much of an innovation to be permitted. Ile made practical suggestions regarding the amount of horse-power necessary for the engine, the position furnace in which he was partner, and other methods ing of Iron with Anthracite," and "On the Construc- tion of Furnaces to Smelt Fron with Anthracite," pub- lished in Silliman's Journal, can also be mentioned in this connection.

Hle designed the residence built for him by his father at Chiquesalungo, and prepared the working plans for the builders. It was noticed by the " Pic- torial Sketch-Book of Pennsylvania" as "the most worthy of a gentleman of fortune and cultivation. . . . its situation unsurpassed for bold, romantic pro- file and delightful prospect." Mr. Haldeman also laid out the grounds, and most of the trees and shrubs, fine native specimens from the surrounding woods, or foreign varieties imported by Barton, of Philadelphia, were planted by his hands.

In 1835, Mr. Haldeman married Miss Mary A.

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Hough, of Bainbridge, Pa., a descendant of John sylvania. His field of operation was that part of the Ilough, yeoman, of Hough, County Chester, Eng- 'State lying between the Blue Mountain and South land, and Hannah, his wife, who arrived in the river Mountain, from the Delaware to the Maryland line. Delaware in the Ninth month, 1683. A lady possess- ing beauties of mind, heart, aud person to an unusual degree, a wife devoted to her husband's interests, who was ready and able to take upon herself the direction of family affairs, for which his engrossing pursuits left him less leisure year by year, and a mother whose

Professor Lesley, the present State geologist, speaks highly of his labors in this direction, the section gone over by him containing the most intricate geology in Pennsylvania. Professor Haldeman also did much by letters public and private, advice, etc., to promote the survey of other States, notably those of New York children can "stand up and call her blessed." She ' and New Jersey. While engaged in this occupation died in 1883.

The young people settled at Chiquesalungo, where later Mr. Haldeman entered the iron business as a silent partner with his brothers, Dr. Edwin Halde- man and Mr. Paris Haldeman, the latter being now the only survivor.

At the age of twenty-three, the year of his mar- riage, Mr. Haldeman made his first appearance in print, contributing to the Lancaster Journal a refuta- | Fresh - Water Univalve Mollusca of the United tion of Locke's " Moon Hoax." Mr. Haldeman often quoted the French aphorist, "Style is the man." His grew naturally out of his manner of investi- gating a subject, and though so pronounced, was never cultivated. In presenting his idea he detested a word or sentence that could be avoided. "Spare your adjectives," was the advice he once gave a young author, and " Eloquence is fraud," is another of his apt sayings.

From this date onward, Mr. Haldeman's life was devoted to science. For forty-five years he spent most of the time in his library, where, during his vigorous manhood, he worked sixteen hours a day ; for though he accepted several professorships, and delivered a number of courses of lectures, he preferred being master of his own movements in the quiet of home. Here books and 'cabinets accumulated under his laborions hands, only to be scattered again and give place to others, when his insatiable appetite for know !- edge led him into new fields of investigation. He traveled, but it was only to gather material for further research. Ilis work-room, at first in the upper story of the southern end of the house, was afterwards trans- ferred to the same position in the northern end. Here all his later works were written. A large dormer- window overlooks the busy scene below. The Penn- sylvania Canal and Railroad, thriving villages, six smoking furnaces, all rose within view after he first took up his pen. Troubles also came, years of finan- cial difficulty, illness from overstudy, the death of two interesting children. These deeply affected his sympathetic nature, but neither change from within or without could turn him from the path he had chosen. It is a pleasure to know that Dr. Haldeman accomplished his task as few are able to do, and that he lived to enjoy the reputation he so nobly won.

In 1836, Professor Haldeman became assistant on the State geological survey of New Jersey, under Professor Rodgers, his old preceptor, and the following year he was transferred to a similar position in that of Penn- I Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

he discovered the Scolithus linearis, a new genus and species of fossil plant, and the most ancient organic remains found in Pennsylvania, upon which he pub- lished a monograph in 1840.

Geology, however, did not engross his whole atten- tion. During this time he was also busy collecting and studying shells, the result of which was brought out in 1840 under the title of " A Monograph of the States." The completed work containing nine parts was finished in 1845, and was illustrated with forty copperplate engravings, drawn and colored from the original shells and living animals. The Revue Zoo- logique of Paris commended it as " very well done in a scientific point of view, and perfectly executed in regard to the plates and typography." Dr. Gould, the eminent conchologist, of Boston, wrote of it in a private Jetter : " I looked at the beautiful pictures till my eyes were dazzled and then read the text. . . . This most splendid work. . . . Everything beautiful and elegant." Benjamin Silliman, of Silliman's Jour- nal, wrote : " It is in advance of any similar work."

Dr. Haldeman's next publication on shells was en- titled " Monographie du genre Leptoxis, Paris," 1847, with five plates folio, including one hundred and sev- enty colored figures, forming part of Chenu's mag- nificent " Illustrations t'onchyliologiques," and writ- ten in French, Of this F. A. Conrad, an authority on these subjects, says: " I rejoice to find you employed for Chenu's book ; it will add much to the value of any department of it you may undertake," 1845.1

In the list of his publications ten are found devoted to shells; the last appeared in 1863, but it is impos- ¡ sible to assign periods to his studies. The one seems to have been carried on simultaneously with and often to be an outgrowth of the other. As ideas accumu- lated on a subject he took it up, investigated it to his satisfaction, and published the result, so that the dates of his various contributions frequently overlap each other. Thus, while engaged in geology, he was preparing his work on shells, and, when in the midst of his conchology (1844), he issued a communication on "Species and their Distribution" that opened a question which has recently developed into what is called Darwinism. Darwiu mentions this as Mr.

1 The original collection of shells for this work were presented to the Delessert Lamuich Collection in Paris, and those of the former to the

SS5

WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP.

Haldeman's able paper in the preface of his "Origin of Species," p. vii. As this topie has received much attention, Mr. Haldeman's opinion is given in full :

"Although we may not be able, artificially, to pro- duce a change beyond a given point, it would be a hasty inference to suppose that a physical agent, act- ing gradually for ages, could not carry the variation a step or two further, so that instead of the original one we will say four varieties, they might amount to six, the sixth being sufficiently unlike the earlier ones to induce a naturalist to consider it distinet."

Not satisfied with having mastered two important branches of science, he appeared, in 1843, with a "Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Southeastern Penn- sylvania :" Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, p. 295. The same year he writes a friend : "I have learned enough of entomology to know that a person may make a good conchologist, who would have made a very ordinary entomologist." The next year he writes: "I intend to devote myself almost exclusively to this branch of zoology hereafter, and am gradually acquiring a good entomological li- brary." Again the same year: "I collected 2050 specimens last season in all the orders, but princi- pally coleoptera, with about 300 hymenoptera ;" and again, "So much of my time is occupied with insects, and so little with shells, that I have suffered your last to lay quite a long time unanswered."

About this time Mr. Haldeman, with Dr. Mel- sheimer, of York County, Pa., D. Zeigler, Esq., of York, and Dr. Morris, of Baltimore, formed the Entomologieal Society of Pennsylvania. These gen- flemen met every two weeks at the residence of each other in turn, Mr. Haldeman driving to York County at all times of the year to be present when the meet- ings were held there. This society was the first for advancing the study of this branch of zoology in the States, where now entomologists can be counted by the hundred and each member of it has put some good work on record. His principal entomological writings are " Materials toward a History of Coleop- terons Longicornia of the United States," correc- tions and additions to this paper, "Descriptions of North American Coleoptera," and others, making twenty-three papers in all. Of these, Rev. Dr. Mor- ris, of Baltimore, an eminent entomologist, has re- corded, "They give evidence of patient analysis and sharp discrimination, and are profitably consulted by investigators of the present day."

Professor Haldeman's other work in natural history consists of two papers on arachnoidte, five on crustacea, six on annelides and worms, and seven on geology and chemistry. Of geology it was said of him that " he reads rocks like capital letters." He also wrote a small work on fishes, for which the speeimens were collected and prepared and the diagrams drawn by his own hand. This was never published. A large work on unios was also crowded out, after being nearly ready for the press.

A proposition being made for him to edit a maga- zine devoted to natural history in 1843, he writes thus: " You may think the assertion a strange one, but I would not have time to conduct such a work. Between studying general zoology, collecting, -dip- ping into German, and writing lectures, my time is pretty well occupied, and if I had more to spare I could, I think, employ it better in original research." lle was now lecturing in public, having been chosen Professor of Zoology in the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia in 1842. These lectures, with the nu- merons illustrative drawings accompanying them, were lost later by fire.

And now, having reached a stand-point from which he could proceed without fear of the stumbling-blocks in the way of first efforts, being looked upon as an authority on all the subjects he had treated, and after spending fifteen years in unremitting toil, one would suppose Professor Haldeman satisfied to rest on his laurels. Yet what he considered his greatest triumphs were won in quite a different field.

It is astonishing that one man could give attention to so many abstruse branches of learning and with so much success at the same time. Later he said, " I take up a new study in order to rest myself."

His private letters show that he conceived the idea of studying language in a philosophical manner at an early date. At one time he thought seriously of applying for an Indian agency, in order to be in con- tart with the natives for this purpose. When asked to accept a position on Capt. Lynch's expedition to the Dead Sea, he did so with the same intention in view; and though neither of these journeys was taken, he adhered to his design, the fruit of which appeared later. An extract from a letter of July 5, 1844, gives the following :

" As sounds cannot be conveyed except orally, I am convinced that a universal alphabet can only be prepared after a careful comparison of many living languages, and the place to effect this is at Rome, where one hundred different languages and dialects are taught in the missionary college, and at the last public exhibition addresses were delivered in forty- six languages or dialects. . . . The study of the mod- ern languages in connection with Latin would have been of service to you as tending to break down the barriers with which the student in but one is sur- rounded."

In 1845 he wrote a system of phonography, to which he refers in these terms: "I wish to give philosophical principles for the guidance of others, not being anxious to found a system or to have the credit of one." Two other contributions on language have this date : "On the Natural Order of the Articu- late Sounds of the Human Voice," and " On the Pho- nology of the Wyandots." At the same time a series of lectures was composed of which he writes : " My examples are not taken from books, which is an im- . portant consideration. They (the lectures) would be

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HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.

pretty full (of sounds) from our Indian languages, eight of which I have heard spoken by the natives, and five by whites who have been amongst them. But so nice are the distinctions to be taken into ac- count in the pronunciation of words not familiar to us that I place little value upon the latter."!

But he did not immediately give up natural sei- ence. In 1849 he published a paper " Ou Some Points of Linguistie Ethnology," and at the annual scientific convention held at Cambridge that year, after speaking on language, he gave a description of two new insects. However, constant use of the microscope, incessant work, and late hours began to injure his eyesight,

and forced him to abandon this line of investigation. I heard from the lips of the natives themselves. The two subjects run parallel until 1852, the date of his last paper in the natural sciences, entitled " Zo- ology of the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, Insect-, Utah, 1852."

An amusing anecdote is related in this connection. About 1871, when attending the annual meeting of phonologists at Hartford, a young entomologist, who had begun the study after Dr. Haldeman had left it, and who knew him only as a writer on language, commenced speaking at dinver of an insect he found in that locality. Professor Haldeman gently cor- rected the way he pronounced its name. The young man objected to the correction, and upheld hi- pro- nunciation in a long argument. The old naturalist, with a twinkle in his eye, let him proceed until fin- ished, then answered quietly,-

" Well, I called it so when I named it." " You ! did you describe it ?"

" If you refer to your books you will find I am credited with it, and you know a man objects to har- ing his own children ill treated."

The necessity of having some definite alphabet in which to convey the unwritten sounds of the aborig- inal languages he was studying led Dr. Haldeman to turn to Latiy as most universally known. The result of this labor was given to the world in the "Elements of latin Pronunciation," 1857. The work was no- ticed favorably by a few reviewers, but the general publie remained unaware of its value. Twenty years after, when the world had traveled to the professor's level, praises of this work poured in upon him.

One enthusiastic gentleman, Professor Richardson, of Kentucky, who had been appointed by the State to gather data on the merits of the different pronun- ciations of Latin in the colleges of the United States, while thus occupied chanced upon Mr. Haldeman's little book in 1875, and writes, "In this orthoëpy matter you have the most enviable position of any man living on either side of the water. You set this ball in motion before any of them."

Professor March, of Easton, himself an eminent scholar, pens the following, 1875: " You ought to be

delighted to see how the pronunciation of Latin has changed since you took hold of it. I think the victory is substantially won for the Roman method, but our book-makers will need admonition for some time yet."

His next volume of importance was " The Trevel- yan Prize Essay," 1855, published under the name of " Analytic Orthography: an Investigation of the Sounds of the Human Voice," in 1860. This was undertaken at the request of his wife, and gained a prize offered by Sir Walter Trevelyan, of England, over sixteen competitors, who were among the best European philologists. This work contains speci- mens of about seventy languages and dialects as

One of the judge, of the committee to decide upon the papers sent in for competition, Alexander J. Ellis, of London, himself famous in these matters, wrote of it in the following terms: " I found it one of the greatest intellectual treats which I have had for a long time. I do not know at all what the opinions of the other judges may be, but as no conditions of secrecy were imposed on me, I may state that I have given my vote for it very strongly."

Five years later appeared " Affixes to English Words," which claims to be the key to the analysis of one hundred thousand words. This was thus no- ticed in the Contemporary Review of London, July, 1867: " Mr. Haldeman has compressed into an ele- gantly-printed volume . . . a collection more rational, complete, and exhaustive of the component parts of our language than we have had any good right to hope for within the present century ; . . . a most practical, useful work, . . . absolutely indispensable to systematie and thorough students of language."

Here is an extract from a private letter : "I con- sider your 'Analytical Orthography' what the Ger- mans call . Ein Epoche Machende- Buch,' and your 'Aflixes' to the student of English what the saw is to the carpenter." --- W. Hand Brown, Esq., Baltimore, 1874.

But it is impossible to notice all Dr. Haldeman's publications in detail; the complete list contains nearly one hundred and fifty separate titles. His "Pennsylvania Dutch" was prepared at the request of the Philological Society of London, and appeared in 1872; "Outlines of Etymology" was issued in 1877, "Word-Building" in ESSI. His works on language amount to over thirty titles. He had also for many years contemplated writing an etymological diction- ary, and had done much work towards this end, which he did not live to finish. He was in correspondence with Noah Webster, and that veteran credits him with many words and definitions in his dictionary. Ile was also engaged on the " National Dietionary," published by the l'niversity Publishing Company of New York ; on Lippincott's late edition of " Worees- ter's Dictionary." Philadelphia; and was associate editor of " Johnson's Cyclopedia," New York, for which he wrote many articles.

1 Thero lectures were delivered before the Smithsonian Institution in 1849, at the request of Professor Henry.

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WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP.

He was one of the earliest in this country to agitate he found the interesting collection which he pre- the necessity of a spelling reform. " Ile was a mem- ber in 1875," writes Professor F. A. March, of La- fayette College, " of the first committee raised by the American Philological Association to consider the re- form of English spelling. Ile presided at the Inter- national Convention in behalf of the Amendment of English Orthography, held at Philadelphia in July, 1876, and took a leading part in shaping its proceed- ings. At this convention the Spelling Reform Asso- ciation was organized, and Dr. Haldeman was one of the vice-presidents. Ile was also one of the com- mittee on the alphabet and on new spelling. He was , during the short period of lite which now remained

a regular attendant at all accessible meetings of the association, often presiding, always contributing . papers, and making the discussions lively by constant timely comment, learned, trenehant, and mirth-pro- voking. lle also contributed freely with pen and money to the advancement of the cause in every di- rection. His address to the American Philological Association at the close of his presidency of that as- sociation in 1877 was devoted mainly to this reform. He was strongly in favor of pushing for the thorough adoption of the Continental values of our letters."

In 1851, Dr. Haldeman was elected a member of the British and American Phonetic Council, which was concerned with phonography, pronunciation, and an improved orthography of English. Here, however, he stood alone in his views. " Believing that an al- phabet should be cosmopolitan, he opposed all per- versions, and would have everything reduced to the Latin standard, even to assigning the power of Eng- lish W to V, and Y to J, saying, ' Any course but one proceeding upon some such broad principle of justice would tend to give a different alphabet to every lan- guage. Mu-icians have a notation which is uniform throughout the world, why should not the cultivators of literature have the same?'"

As early as 1850, Mr. Haldeman, impatient at the slow movement of the world in this direction, under- took a spelling reform in his own writinga, sending in his contributions to Heck's "Jeonographie Eney- clopedia" clothed in the new guise. A friend, Spen- cer F. Baird, now of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, thus describes the effect it produced : "Garigue (a publisher of New York having the work in charge) is in raptures with your manuscript, but

- sented to the American Philosophical Society, and fully described in a paper read before that body June 21, 1578. , This monograph, "On the Contents of a Rock Retreat in Southeastern Pennsylvania," has been published by the society since Dr. Haldeman's death, illustrated by fifteen large quarto plates. A first brief memoir on this discovery had been sent to the Congres International des Americanistes, which met in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1877, and was published by them in their proceedings. Seven other papers were published by him on archaeology to him.

Under the head of miscellaneous may be men- tioned " Tours of a Chess Knight," 1864; " Rhymes of the Poets," 1868 ; " Modern Spiritism," Pena Monthly, 1877, " American Dictionaries," 1867; "Sketch of the Natural History of Lancaster County," 1844, Rupp's " History of Lancaster County," chapter xiii. ; "Outline of the Zoology of Pennsylvania," in Trego's "Geography of the State," 1843, and about thirty others.

That he was received as an authority by authorities as well as by the public numerous private letters show. He was credited by Drs. Holbrook and Bin- ney, in their respective works on " Reptiles" and " Land Mollusca," forspecimens and notes furnished. The latter asks in a letter, " Could you not manage to run over my list and suggest any changes:" P. A. Brown, 1852, writes : "I wish you were within speaking distance, so that more time was allowed that I might submit it (his manuscript) to you before pub. lishing." Agas-iz, 1553: "1 long to see your work on etymology. 1 have always been delighted with the originality with which you treat those subjects;" and again, speaking to Dr. Holbrook at the annual scientific meeting hell at Troy, N. Y., that year, he said, " That man Haldeman has an idea behind every word he utters." Schicke De Vere acknowledges his assistance in his " Americaniama," 1871 : " More than once I have tried to sit down and thank you for your last and most valuable contribution to my collection of Americanismis,"

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History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 78

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1320

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Evans, Samuel, 1823-1908, joint author
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1320