The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-11-12
nv.Tv or evarcr pgARanv.

a cable dispatch t4as a. ring ~
nounce the death Of the emiuent phil
anthropisi, George Peabody. an an
ouneement which will be received with
the deepest greet wherever his name
and benevolent deeds hare become
known. and nowhere more 40 than IN
Baltimore. The dispatch is dated Lon
don, November 4th. midnight, and was
received here about eleven o'clock last
evening" conveying simply the slate
ment that George Peabody died at
1l15 O'Clock Z. NJ which hour, allow
ing for the difference oi time. was ~
bout the same as eight O'Clock in Balti-
more.
Mr.. Peabody was born in Danvers.
Massachusetts,. FEBRUARY Is, 1875. H.
was the son nf poor pIrents and his
early education was acquired IN the
district schools. He was placed AS AS
sistelt to grocer in his Lative town at
t e age of eleven, and IN his sixteenth
year went to New bury port as clerk for
his elder brother, who had opened dry
goods shop there. This establishment
being burned down he went with Az
uncle to Georgetown, ID. G., where for
the following two Years the business
was conducted in his name. though a
minor. In 1914 lie Withdrew from the
| business and became par.ner Of Mr..
Elisha Riggs in the Wholesale dry goods
trade. Mr.. Riggs furnished the neees-
sary capital and entrusted the man
agement to Mr.. Peabody.
The ne xt year The house was removed
to this city. Here it attracted large
business and in 1922 branch houses were
established in New York and Philadel-
phia. Mr.. PeabOdy's first visit to hu-
rope was in 1927. going to buy goods.
| In 1929, Mr.. Riggs retired ard Mr..
! Peabody became senior partner in the
house. Ga his visit to Europe the
State of Maryland repeated y entrust-
ed HIM with important negotiations,
which were invariably conducted with
success. In 1887 he took up his per-
| manent residence in England and in
1913 having withdrawn from he firm of
Pc body, + iggs 81 Co., he established
himself in London as merchant and
banker. His eXertIous are said to have
contributed greatly to maintaining the
confidence in American responsibility
which had well nigh failed in the dis
astrous period Of 1897. and his repeat
ed and important favors in this respect
to the State of Maryland were grateful
Y acknowledged, but he refused all
compensation tor them. In 1867 lie
gave the sum of 100000. dollars with
pledge to increase it to 800, 900 TO found
an institute in Baltimore (noW known
as the Peabody institute) for the pro-
motion OF science literature and fine
arts. He subseq AentIy increased it To
l.O00,000 dollars and more recently
added the sum of 100000 dollars in
Virginia and Tennessee bonds.
The list OF his charities to benevolent
and educational purposes including his
munifieent contributions TO institutions
In his native town of Danvers for lodg-
ing houses tor The poor of London, tor
protessorships III Yale aud other New
England colleges, and lastly but not
least, his great donation for education
in the Sout' reaches in the aggregate
to about ten millions OF dollars.
Mr. Peabody is said to have long ago
avowed that benelicence WAS the end
for which wealth should be sought.
In carrying ont this object he has wise
Y acted upon the conviction that char
table gifts made during the life time
OF the donors are likely to be much
more serviceable than money left by
will. The annals of history NAV be
searched ia vain for a man who has
made more benevolent use Of great
wealth and been more judicious and
practical in the distribution OF it. Could
it have been possibls for this man to
have been happier if he had used riches
to pamper his bodily appettes or per-
petuaie the ostentation OF wealth, us
seems too often the vain purposeoi men
or could his executors, il they had en-
ployed ali his wealth i'll caring Il moa-
ument over his remains have built
structure which could be seen as far.
or be entwined by the affections and
admiration of such mviiads of the hu-
man race as the good and generous
deeds which have been restricted by
no boundaries Of section, or nation ana
which have associated so many thr0bs
OF happiness and gratitude with the
venerable and beloved name of George
Peabody .-BalttRore EuR.