The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-08-25
[From Ballou's Monthly Magazine. ]
George Peabody.

There is no name known among
men, to-day, that carries with it n pro-
founder respect than that of George
Peabody. He is emincntly the bene-
factor of the poor, from whose liberal
and wise gifts generations to come, rs
well rs the present generation, will re-
ceive the benefit. His benevolence is
not spasmodic nor sentimental. He
indulges in no lachrymose ebullitions
OF tenderness in giving away money,
but with the clearest head and the
coolest purpssc, seeks the future ad-
vantage of those he aids and directs
his wealth accordingly, undivcrted by
the clamor of interested parties or
any appeal that his Judgment does
not fully endorse. Thus his grand
gift, or rather loan, of $3.50, 900, for
the poor of London, never-ending
source of benefit to those who enjoy
it, was as coldIy and methodically
conveyed as though the warm heart
that prompted it were inactive, and
the head were alone interested. So of
his other donations in this country (;
that of his native town of Danvers
(now Peabody, the gifts for like
purpose to Baltimore, and last and
even grandest, the munifcent, the
more than princely, bestowal of the
millions for the education of the COM
ing generations of the South. There
is method III all of this that reveals
the careful Judgment of the man
that has given him his financial great
ness, and placed him in the position
to do the good he is performing. And
his interest in his charities is rs active
as that which governed him IN bust
ness, seeing, himself, to the applica-
ton of his gifts, and knowing that ev-
cry dollar goes to its intended use
Though in feeble health, and with the
weight of seventy years born Feb. Is,
1851, to diminish his activity, he at
tends personally to the reports of his
agents i'm the distribution of his South
ern benefaction, and expresses hi
warmest satisfaction with the result
thus far.
To his birthplace he has been espe-
cially beneicent, and the grateful peo-
pie of that town have hardly terms in
which to expires their sense OF the OBJ
legation they arc under. In 1852, it
will be remembered, he sent his fa-
nous toast to the people as they were
celebrating the bi-centennial of the
town, 'EDUCATIoN-G 6eJt from the
present and future geaaerations," enclos-
ing Mt the same time check for $780,
900, to be expended on founding an
institute, library and lyceum for
the town. This he subsequently in
creased to $50, 900, and OH his visit to
this country in 1866, he further gave
the the sum of 100000, with an adj
ditional sum of $4,000 to found a
branch library at Danvers, to meet
the want of the people, the two to be
separate and distinct. To these gifts
''for the spread of knowledge and
morelity among the inhabitants" he
added the donation of valuable books
from time to time, and has manifested
the deepest interest in this first child
of his care.
In bestewing his gifts to the town
of his birth he had expressed the wish
that the inhabitants, by their own act,
might exclude sectarian theology and
political discussions from the walls of
the institution. Mr.. Peobody, from
a more than thirty years residence in
England, saw, as from an outside po-
sition, the dangerous tendencies of
such collisions of opinion as were like
ly to occur here, and hence tried to
avert the inharmony that must arise
in consequence of increased facilities
for trouble. But the spirit of the
time and a misconception of his de-
sire--pretended or otherwise-admit-
ted to the platform of the Institute
those who represented the extremists
of the land, in religion and politics,
and hence the result was adverse to
his idea. Accordingly when he gave
his last donation he made his mean
ing more plain, repeating the sugS
tions given in his letter establishing
thesInstitute at Baltimore
"My. earnest wish The saws 10 Dro-