Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-12
MR. FEABoDYss NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
DONATION 10 THE SOUTH.


We announced on Sunday in our news
columns, that George Peabody, the bank
er aud philanthrorist, had donated one
million of dollars in money and one mill
lion one hundred and ten thousand dol
lars in the bonds, with accrued interest,
of the Planters Bank of Mississippi for
the education Of the deserving children
of the Southwestern States. The letter
in which he communicates the fact to the
trustees Of the fund, selected by him, is
to hand, hut is excluded from our columns
this morning by a press of other matter.
Mr.. Peabody is New Highlander by
birth. At an early age he removed to
| Baltimore, entered into and remained in
business there fOrabout twenty years. He
then went to England and engagedin bank
ing, in whica he amassed, an immense
\ fortune--in a very large degree by transac-
tons with the business men Of this cOun-
| try lie has now completed his business
career and is preparing to finally wind
up his earthly affairs He is deyoting a
large portion of his means to purposes of
charity. He commenced before leaving
England, by u wing half million in gold
for the relief of the poor in that country.
He then revisited his native land, and has
been here about year. During this
time he has dispensed immense charities
to a number of objects in his native town,
to libraries, colleges, etc, in New Eng
land, and in Baltimore, to the amount, in
the aggregate, of a million and half of
dollars, more or less His last and most
princely offering is that now chronicled,
placed on the altar of Southern misfor-
tune and want The gratitude Of the
passing and of the rising generation viii
follow him to his grave, and his memory
will be enshrined in the hearts Of the
generations of the Southwestern States"
so long as our history shall be read
There is a peculiar interest and signif-
canoe attaching to this charity which
should convey IA lesson Of wisdom to the
people of the entire country. Born and
nurtured in an anti-slavery atmosphere
having transferred his residence and
lived long in a slaveholding community
then going abroad and living under Ii diff
ferent system Of government, and view
ing the course Of events in this country
from a standpoint of the strickest i'm
partiality during the period Of all our
agitahons, including the bloody civil
strife which convulsed this fair land for
four weary years, he returns to it as the
best and most cherished On the face of
the earth, and ,dispenses his charities to
all sectiouE-and In discriminating at all,
obeys the dictates of wise judgment and
a pure heart 10y inclining to the most uu-
dortunate-to the desolated, che orphaned
Southwest Whata contrast Is this to the
course Of the so-called statesmen, who have
been laboring for nearly two years tokeep
the States and peoRle Of the Union dis
severed This good old man needed no
chain and compass to set OF the metes
and boundaries Of dates-no prompters
to disclose who were Rebels and trail
tors. In his great heart, as full Of good
ness and patriotism as has purse is Of
money, we are AmeFiclns all His conn
try, the Union, emhTac ss all the States,
and 1t isto the poor and needy ofNewEng-
land and Of Louisiana n, IKE that he pours
'uthis benefcence. An Mr. Peabody Is