The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-13 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, DEC. 13, 13i9.

England has seen the last of the great philan
thropist, whom she has so highly honoured. The
remains of GEORGE PEABODY were, on Saturday,
removed from their brief resting place in
Westminster Abbey, and duly embarked on
board H.M.S. Monarch, being formally consigned by
the American Ambassador into the keeping of Captain
COMMERELL. The ceremony was brief, but impressive.
Mr. MOTLEY, no unworthy representative of the
great people who sent him among us, made a short
address, observing that the PRESIDENT of the United
States bad intended to send a vessel for the remains
of the honoured American, but bad yielded to her
MAJESTY'S wish that they should be conveyed in
an English man-of-war. Both countries feel
this to be the most fitting arrangement.
It was meet that England should make
some public acknowledgment of the debt which she
owed to the magnificent liberality of the foreign
citizen who was so prompt to recognise
the claims of her poor upon his charity.
As in life so in death GEORGE PEABODY has
called forth the best feelings of both na-
tions. Zhe war vessels of the great Anglo-
Saxon peoples have met too often in hostile
encounter. They have been rivals—not always
friendly rivals—in commerce and in adventure, but
now they unite in an office which does them equal
honour in honouring one so worthy of it. We need
not fear that diplomatic imbroglios and has
speeches can avail to separate the nations who can
produce such men as the great philanthropist, and
are alike ready to recognise his worth.

WE are on the threshold of Christmas, and the
usual appeals are being made to the charitable for
their alms. Far be it from us to check the flow of
benevolence, especially at this season of the year. In
proportion as the days are dark the light of good
works should shine brighter; in proportion as the
frost binds up our streams the river of loving-kindness
should flow full and strong. In truth there is far too
little money spent in charity. The persons who
give one tithe of their income to benevolent and reli-
gious purposes, do, we fear, constitute but a very
small percentage of the population. The reports of
our societies shew the same names over and over
again, for giving grows like hoarding, and they who
have given ten times are more likely to give once
more, than they who have not given are to give once.
The eclat which attends a subscription of £l,OOO
shews how mall is the proportion of their income
which the very wealthy—the men whose incomes
are from £lO,OOO a year to £l,OOO a day—set aside
for works of mercy. The world was loud in its praise
a few years ago because a titled CMESUS contributed
to the London Church Extension Fund £lO,OOO, or a
little more than a week's income. Yet though few
persons give any filing like the amount that they should
give, those who do give often do more harm than
good by giving. Scanty as is the stream of charity,
it is nevertheless often wasted. It is like the
torrent of a mountainous country, rapid, destructive,
and short lived. For proof of this we have only to
turn to the admirable article in Frasci:s Magazine
for this month by Mr. PITCH, who was
one of the Assistant Commissioners to the
Endowed Schools Commission. his account
of the mischief wrought by misdirected
charity both temporary and permanent, is most
melancholy. As regards permanent charity, that
which takes the form of endowments, it is clear that
Mr. GLADSTONE, in his celebrated speech on the
taxing of charities in 1863, understated, rather
-than overstated, the truth. Towns are utterly
demoralised by the bequests which were left
by `.'some rich inhabitant of a past age who