Philemon
Philadelphia	3704
Philadelphia, a tfenus of hardy shrubs
belonging to the order Saxifragaceas. P. co-
ronariits, the common mock orange or 'Sy-
ringa,' bears racemes of strongly - scented
white flowers in May.
Philae, a small island in the River Nile, 5
miles by rail s. of Assuan. It is about 500
yards in length and 160 yards in breadth and
is noted for its many temples, built mostly
by the Ptolemies and the Roman emperors.
The oldest building on the island is the vesti-
bule of the temple of Nektancbos, built by
him about 350 b.c. and dedicated to his
'mother Isis.' The most important building is
the temple of Isis which probably occupies
the site of an earlier shrine. West of the
Temple of Isis are a gate built by the Em-
peror Hadrian and the Temple of Haren-
dotes, while to the e. is the Temple of Ha-
thor. Nearby is the beautiful many-columned
pavilion known as 'Pharaoh's bod/ Except
from August to December, when the water
is allowed to flow freely through the gates
of the dam, Philae is partially submerged.
Philanthropy, a love of mankind as
evinced in deeds of practical benefit for the
good of one's fellows. While similar in mean-
ing to charity, philanthropy differs from it in
this respect, that where charity may and
often does help men individually, philan-
thropy helps them as members of society, in
numbers.
Philately, a name suggested by Herpin of
Paris (1865) to express the stamp-collecting
craze which sprang up some years (1885)
after the appearance (1840) of the 'Id. black'
and 'Mulrcady envelope' of Sir Rowland Hill
in Great Britain, The London Philatelic
(founded 1869), La Societe Franchise de
Timbrologie (1874), and the American Phi-
latelic Association are the chief societies* Sec
postage stamps.
Philemon, Greek poet, earliest exponent of
the Attic new comedy, began to write about
330 b.c., and continued to do so until 262.
He wrote nearly one hundred plays, frag-
ments of which show much wit, liveliness,
and knowledge of the world. He was a great-
er favorite at Athens in his day than Mcnan-
der.
Philemon, Epistle to, the shortest of
Paul's letters, written during his Roman im-
prisonment. The letter deals with a purely
private matter, the restoration of Oncsirnus,
a slave in Philemon's house.
Philemon and Baucis, in Greek mythol-
ogy, a devoted couple from whom Zeus and
Hermes received hospitality. On being told
in a manner consistent with his doctrines and
his peaceful spirit. The treaty which he con-
cluded with the Indians in 1683, under the
great elm-tree at Kensington, spared Phila-
delphia the horrors of aboriginal warfare and
allowed peaceful opportunities for progress,
while the established legal principle of toler-
ation for all religious sects stimulated immi-
gration to the new settlement. A number of
Germans, at Penn's invitation, landed in 1683
and settled on the site of what is now Ger-
mantown, long since an integral part of Phil-
adelphia. Philadelphia took rank as a city in
1701, when Penn chartered it, and until 1799
remained the capital of Pennsylvania.
Venn's spirit of justice and toleration was
emulated by Benjamin Franklin, who, after
its founder, wielded the greatest influence
over the city's life and activity. Franklin's
Pennsylvania Gazette, issued in 1729, his
Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser,
started in 1742, and his Poor Richard's Al-
manack and Plain Truth were powerful
moulders of public opinion. Philadelphia was
a strong factor against British impositions,
and when the Revolution began it was the
seat of many important events. The first
Continental Congress met in Carpenters' Hall,
September 5, 1774. The second Congress as-
sembled in the State House on May 10, 1775.
There, on June 15, Washington was appoint-
ed commander-in-chief of the army. On July
4, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of
Independence in the State House to the peal-
ing of the old Liberty Bell. From September
27, 1777, to June 18, 1778, the British held
Philadelphia while the Continental army was
encamped in the recesses of Valley Forge, to
which it had retired after the battle of Gcr-
mantown on October 4, 1777. Philadelphia at
this time was reputed to be the finest city in
America. The Constitution of the United
States was adopted there on September 17,
1787, and from 1790 to 1800 the city was the
seat of the Federal Government. The first
Abolition Convention met here, Jan, i, 1794.
In the last few decades of the nineteenth
century some of Philadelphia's notable his-
toric events were celebrated: by the Centen-
nial Exposition in 1876 in commemoration of
the declaration of American independence;
the bi - centennial in 1882 to commemorate
the landing of William Penn; and the centen-
nial of the signing of the Constitution in 1887.
In 1908 the 2$oth anniversary of the found-
ing of the city was celebrated. The Sesqui-
centennial Exposition was held in Philadel-
phia from May 31 to November 30,1926.