The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-05
YGLLSH GRATITUDE TO MR.
PEABODY.

PEABODY.
The citizens of London have testified to their
appreciation of MIR. Peabody's benefaction to
the poor of that city by erecting Statue in
his honor, which will serve to keep his bodily
presentment always before those who are the
recipients of his magnificent bounty. This
statue was unveiled short time ago by the
Prince of Wales, who made an awkwardly
graceful speech on the occasion, in which he
made such illusions to Mr.. Peabodys native
country that Minister Motley, who was one
of the invited guests in attendance,
was obliged to reply, in spite of his
n-speech-making proclivities. The
whole affair was characterized by
excellent taste throughout, and it is
gratifying to know that the statue, which is
the work of Mr.. W. w. Story, the American
sculptor, is spoken of as a fine work of art
and an excellent likeness.
We cannot refrain from asking, however,
whether the erection of this statue is all that
England, and the city of London in particular,
intends to do in acknowledgment of the mag
nificent donation of Mr.. Peabody London
is the largest and wealthiest city in the world;
1t has merchant princes whose accumulations
amount to as much as those of this American;
the Queen herself has an immense private for
tune, and there are members of the nobility
whose annual incomes figure up among the
millions. These cordially unite to do honor
to- MIR. Peabody, to sing his praises, and
to set up his statue, but it
does not appear to have entered into the
head of one of them to initiate his example
Miss Burdett Coutts is the only English sub
ject that has in our day and generation at
tempted to apply her wealth with the same
boundless generosity and discrimination as
Mr.. Peabody, and she is perhaps entitled to
the honor of having set him the example.
The practical benefits of Mr.. Peabodys gift
are, we believe, acknowledged on all sides.
Much complaint was at one time made against
his trustees, but he has expressed himself as
perfectly satisfied with them. They have car
ried out his ideas, not by erecting pauper
asyluns, but by providing, clean, comfort
able commodious, and low-priced dwellings
for the Woodworking, industrious poor of
London. This is the practical benevolence
not of an enthusiast, but of a cear-sighted.
warm-hearted business man. Without waiting
until death to have his wealth divided, he has
made a distribution of it in his lifetime, and
he has had the satisfaction of seeing his great
ideas carried out as he wished them to be. IT
would certainly seem that such an example as
this would find some imitators, but all that
London has yet given is a statue, while, great
as is the benefaction of Mr.. Peabody, it is
but the beginning of the great work of amc-
liorating the condition of the London poor.
There are thousands of men in England
mobiles, gentlemen, and merchants-who could
donate as much to such an object as Mr.. Pea
body without making an appreciable diminu-
ton of their incomes or depriving themselves
of single proper qualification; but the man
who is able to dismiss million dollars from
his grasp without pang of regret, even in
prospect of the glorihcation that would follow
the deed, has yet to make his appearance, and
| it does not seem probable that Mr.. Peabody
will soon have a rival in his particular field.