The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-12-03
MISCELLANEOUS.
Anecdotes OF George Peabody.

MISCELLANEOUS. .
Anecdotes Of George Peabody.
In personal appearance Mr.. Peabody
-resembled q professional, rather than .
business man. e@a
Mr.. Peabody's great interest in educa-
ton doubtless partially arose from the
fact that he was taken from school at the
early age Of eleven years, and was thus
deprived of what in that day was known
as grammar school instruction.
The first money Mr. Peabody earned
outside of the small pittance he received
as clerk, was for writing ballots for the
Federal party in Newburyport. This was
before the day of printed votes.
When Mr.. Riggs invited Mr.. Peabody
to be a partner, the latter said there was
one insuperable objection, as he was only
10 years of age. This was no objection in
the mind of the shrewd merchant, who
wanted q young and active assistant.
Two gentlemen are living who were
friends of Mr.. Peabody in boyhood, and
who willingly paid his share of the cost
of sailing and fishing parties, ten pins,
etc, during the war of 1S12-14-his ex-
cellent company being considered more
than an offset to his lack of funds.
Mr.. Peabody did not bestow many gifts
to relieve individual poverty or distress.
He thought that much of the money thus
contributed only tended to increase the
evil it sought to alleviate.
Mr.. Peabody was q beautiful penman.
His letters were usually brief and very
much to the point.
Mr.. Peabody was strongly opposed to
fraud in little matters. The conductor on
an English railway once overcharged him
d shilling for fare. He made complaint to
the directors and had the man discharged.
mot" said he, I" that could not afford to
pay the shilling, but the man was cheat
ing many travellers to whom the swindle
would be oppressive"
When Mr.. Peabody first landed in Lon
uon he lived very frugally, taking break
fast at his lodgings and dining at club
house. His personal expenses for ten years
did not average e600 per annum.
Mr.. Peabody had a very retentive men,
ory, particularly in regard to names and
places. He would give the most minute
particulars of events that occurred be-
tween fifty and sixty years ago.
Mr.. Peabody first appeared in print as
the champion of American credit in Eng
land, at the time our State securities were
depressed on account of the non-payment
of interest by Pennsylvania.
Essex county, where Mr.. Peabody was
born, has five public buildings erected by
his liberality. They are consecrated to
the uses Of education, science and re-
Ggion.
Mr.. Peabody leaves q sister, Mrs.
Daniels, formerly Mrs. Russell, of George
town. He had several nephews and
nieces, to all Of whom he has been very
generous.
Mr.. Peabody was very fond of singing,
Scottish songs being his fsvorite.
The toast Mr.. Peabody sent to the Dan
yers celebration in 1852 was:
Education-A debt due from present
to future generations"
Mr.. Peabody was good talker; at the
table few men were his equal. His idea
of q pleasant dinner party was where
there was great deal of talk, and he
could take the lead in conversation.
The favorite games of Mr.. Peabody
were backgammon after dinner, and whist
N the evening.
About quarter of q century ago Mr..
Peabody was 50 much pleased with an
American lady visiting London that he Of
fered her his hand and fortune, which
were accepted. Learning short time
afterward that she was already engaged,
fact of which she had kept him in igno-
rance, he rebuked her lack OF sincerity and
broke off the engagement
Mr.. Peabody visited incognito the
houses erected by his munifcence for the
poor of London, to see if those in charge
of the charity properly attended to their
duties. He asked the wife of the superin-
tendent the name of her child, and was
answered, George Peabody" This
prompted q present to the infant, which
the mother quickly interpreted, and an
/. nounced to her neighbors the presence of
their distinguished benefactor, who gladly
took refuge in a cab to be rid of their
benedictions.
Letters by the hundreds were daily re-
ceived by Mr.. Peabody of late years.
They were first looked over by secretary
and only few ever reached the eyes of
the great banker. He received one of
thirty six foolscap pages from a decayed
English gentleman who solicited loan of
al few thousand pounds to establish the
claims of his family to an estate. Mr..
Peabody wrote in reply substantially this
"That you should have written such a
letter, would surprise your friends; that
should have read it, would indeed surprise
mine"
Chief Justice Shaw paid Mr.. Peabody
the compliment of remarking that bust
ness document, written by him, was one
of the clearest and most comprehensive
papers that had ever been presented to
our Supreme Court.
BY temperament, religious training,
early education, political bias and business
connections Mr.. Peabody was conserva-
tive.
Several years ago Mr.. Peabody selec'
his grave in the beautiful cemetery
his native place, called Harmony GrU -.
where the remains of many of his kindred
are buried.
Mr.. Peabody always cherished the mem
ory of his mother, 10 whose comfort h,
ministered in early life. One who knew
all the circumstances alluded to them il
the following words:
might we invade the sanctuary Of hi
early home, and the circle of his immedi
ate connections, we could light around tn
youthful possessor of q few hundred dol
iars-the avails of the most severe and un
firing efforts-a brighter halo than hi
elegant hospitalities his munifcent dona
TONS or his liberal public acts now she,
over the London banker."-Boston Tran
script.
A peanut-picker was among the ney
labor-saving machines exhibited at tn
Virginia State Fair. Hitherto the nut
have been picked off the vines by hand
four bushels day the fair average for
hand. A farmer who raised 900 bushel
REQUIRED ten hands for nearly two month
10 save his crop, at cost of fifteen cent