Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-04-04

ne.noed not court riches for the happiness
tAey bring, alter reading the very interesting
sketch OF John Jacob AstoI 10 Hdrpcr's Month.
b for February. The following paragraphs
a1out his great rival, stephen Girard, Of Phil.
aielphia, will noisogges, any exalted views Of
the enjoyment Of men OF wealth
His sole pleasure was to visit once day a
little farm which he possessed few miles out
Of town, whero he was won't to take of mis- coat,
roll up his shirt-seeges, and personally labor in
the field and in the barn, htelDg corn, pruning
trees, tossing bay, and not disdainng even to
assist IN butcberiDg the animals which be raised
for market. Ii was no mere ornamental or ex-
perlmental farm. lie made it ray, All OF It's
produce was carefully, nay, scrupulously hus-
banded, sold, recorded and accounted Tor. He
loved his grapes his plums, his fgs, and espec-
Ially his rare breed Of cauary.b birds but the
people Of Philadelphia had the full benefit Of
their increase-at the highes. market rates,
Many feared, many served, but none loved this
singular and lonely old man. If there was
among the very few who habitually conyersed
with him one VINO understood and esteemed
him, there was but one and he was man Of
such aboundlng charity, that, like Uncle Toby,
II be had heard that the devil was hopelessly
damned, he would have said, " am sorry for
IT," Never was there q person more destitute
than Glrard OF the qualities which win the al.
lection OF Others His temper was violent, his
presence i0rbidding, bis usual manner ungra-
cI0us, his will ibaexble, MS heart untender, hs
Imagination dead. lie was odious TO yery
many OF his ellow-citizsns who considered him
the hardest and meanest of men. lie had
lived among them for half a century, but he
was no more a Philadel phian in 1880 than in
l776. lie still spoke with French accent, and
accompanied his words with French shrug
and French gestieulation Surrounded with
Christian churches be had helped to build, he
remained o sturdy unbellevor, and possessed the
complete work of only one man, VoltaIre.
lie made II a point Of duty to labor on Sun.
day, Us a good example to others. lie made no
secret Of the fact that he considered the idleness
OF Sunday an injury to the people and
economical. He would have opened his bank
on Sundays il any one would have came " it,
For bis part ho required no resi- and would have
none. lie never travelled. He never attended
public assemblies or amusements. lie had no
affections TO crafty, no friends to VISIT no curl
0sty ID appease, no tastes to indulge. What
he once SAID Of himself appeared to be true,
that he rose in the morning with but single
object, and that was to labor 50 hard all day as
to be able tn sleep all night. The world was
absolutely nothing to him but working.place.
lie scorned and secuted the idea that old men
should cease to labor and should spend the even
ing Of their days in tranquility. ." No" he
would say, labor is the price Of life, its hap
piness, its everything to rest is to rust every
man should labor to the last hour OF his ability"
Such was Stephen Girard, the richest man who
ever lived in Pennsylvania.