North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-04-12
STEPHEN GIRARD.


gentleman, used 10 walk in his swift, awk-
ward way, the streets Of the lower part Of
Phiad .lphia. Though every thing about him
indicated that he had very little in common
with his fellow citizens, he was the marked
man of the city Cor more than a generation
HIS aspect was rather Insignificant and quite
unprepGsscssng. His dress was old fash
ioned and shabby and he wore the pig tail,
the white neck cloth, the wide brimmed hat,
and the large skir;ed coat OF the last century
He was blind in one eye and though his
buIly eve brows gave cme character TO his
counteuance, it was curlously devoid of ex-
preston. He had also the absent look of
man who either had no thoughts or was alb
sorbed in though and ne snutiied along on
mis- enormous feet, looking neither to the
right nor to the left There was always a
certain look Of the OLD mariner about him,
though he had been fifty years an inhabltant
of the town. When he rode it was in the
plainest least comfortable gig in Philadelphia,
drawn by an ancient and ill formed horse,
driven always by the masters own hand at
good pace. He chose still 10 live where he
had lived fov fifty years, in Water street.,
close to the wharves, in a small and incon'
venient house, darkened by tall store houses,
amid the hustle, the noise, and the odors Of
commerce.
His sole pleasure was to visit once a day a
little farm which he possessed a few miles
out of town, where he was wont to take off
his coat, roll up his shirt-sleeves, and per
sonalIy labor in the field and in the barn,
hoeing corn, pruning trees, tossing hay, and
not disdainung to assist even in butcheElng
the animals which he raiseu for market. 1t
was no mere ornamental or experimental
farm. He made it pay. All Of its produce
was carefully, nay, scrupuluusly husbandsd,
sold, recorded and accounted for. He loved
bis grapes, his plums, his pigs, and especially
his rare breed of canary birds; but the peo
pie of Philadelphia had the full benefit of
their increase-at the highes. market rates.
Many feared many served, but mono loved
this singular and lonely old man. II there
was among the very few who habitually con-
versed with him, one who understand and
esteemed him, there was but one and he
was a man Of such aboundng charity, that:
like Uncle Toby, if he had heard that the
devil was hopeIessly damned, would have
said, II am sorry for it," Never was there
a person more destitute than Girard Of the
qualities which WIN the affection of others.
HIS temper was violent, his presence forbid
ding. his usual manner unsracious, his will
inhexioe, his heart unter der, his Imagination
dead. He was odious TO mlny ofhis fellow
citizens, who considered him the hardest and
meanest Of men. He had lived among them
for half a century. but he was no IN ore
Philadelphian in 1880 than in l776 He
still spoke with French accent and accom-
panied his words with a French shrug and
French gesticulatlon. Surrounded with
Christian churches which he had helped t.
build, he remained sturdy unbelever, and
possessed the com plete works of only one
man, Voltaire.
He made it a point of duty to labor on
Sunday, as good example to others. He
made no secret Of the fact that he considered
the idleness of Sunday an injury to the peo-
pie, moral and economical. He would have
opened his bank on Sunday, if any one wo'd
have come to il. For his part he required
no rest and would have none. He never
travelled. He never attended public assem-
biies or amusements. He had no affections
to crafty, 10 friends to visit, no curiosity to
appease, no tastes to indulge. What he
once said OF himself appeared to be true, that
ne rose in the morning with but single OBJ
iect, and that was to abor so hard all day as
was absolutely nothing to him but a working
place. He scorned and secuted the idea
that old men should cease TO labor, and
should spend the evening Of their days in
tranquility. "No," he would say, "labor is
the price of life, its happiness, its everything /;
to rest is to rust every man should labor to
the last hour oil his ability 2" Such was
Stephen Grard, the richest man who ever
lived in Pennsylvania.
This is an unpleasant picture of citizen
of polite and amiable Philadelphia. 1t were
indeed grim and dreary world, wherein
should prevail the principles of Girard. But
see what this man has done for the city tha
loved him not Vast and imposing slruc-
lures ri>e on the banks of the Schaylkill
wherein, at this hour, six hundred poor OF
phan boys are fed, clothed, trained and
taught, upon the income of the enormou:
estate which be won by this entire conse-
Grafton to the work of sccumulatiug proper
ty. In the ample grounds of Grard College
looking UP at its Eve massive marble edi6ces