The Portland daily press., 1870-01-19

HonOrs TO Peabody.
There is widely prevalent impression that
a mistake has been made in the posthumous
= honors paid to George Peabody, both in Eng
land and America 1t is perhaps worth while
to consider whether this impression is not cor
3. rect, since 1t is certainly not confined to those
hisgaruiy persons who view every thing
through the medium Of their own selfish pc
cuniary interests
george Peabody distinguished himself sole
~ as philanthropist Others of this gener-
stion nave been as successful as he in accu-
"uatlng wealth; many others have greatly
surpassed him in the ostentaton of their lives
his fame is only that of good man-one of
the few who give literal and practical con-
- ,struction to those ever recurring and almost
uniformly discarded scriptural njunctions that
command the rich to divide their possessions
.<4es3 with the poor. The delightful sngularity of
bis conduct naturally attracted attention and
- compelled applause, but the methods adopted
to honor him , show how far mankind are from
tEss ss BY which i;,' he was governed he had
= when deadMf the e~nendra w' rag ia ana ao lame
.s = agreeable to his taste than the more common
"a = ones in which millionaires indulge themselves
-:he observances in his honor would have
been entirely appropriate
= 49,, Let us see what has been DONE Oueeh
Victoria was great admirer of Mr.. Peabody
while he was yet living. This good woman.
who might have doubled his donations from
<, her private purse without seriously impairnc
fortune which has haap fIo
her life to accumulate without earning it
80 straishtway made him several costly presents,
but gave not farthing to the poor under the
inspiration of his example. Indeed, she has
D.. been going on ever since, boarding her mill
ions FOX the rainy day that even the Guelnbs
anticipate, and occasionally sending five
pounds to the sufferers by colliery ex-
plosion or perhaps two pounds to women who
bear three or four children at birth! The
English public pursued the same line of con-
duct that had suggested itself to the Queen
Inc nobility, very many of whose fortunes
exceeded Mr. Peabody's never thought of en-
ulatlng his glorious benefcence, but merely
honored him with their acquaintance There
- was no revival of philanthropy, no springng
up Oh benevolent institutions all over Eng
land, no increased activity in alleviating phys-
lcal ana moral diseases and sufferings; the
pauper ranks were still full-three millions
@- slrong-ignofance and the resultant crime
still Tiled the jails and warehouses with the
Vlctlms That are called criminals, poor women
~ III thousands passed from enforced poverty
s. 70 10 enforced vice and the Bridge of Signs"
aud the "Song of the Shirt" still had their
counterparts in actual life as when kind
hearted Iom Hood first showed them to the
~ world. Meanwhile England erected to Pea
oouy, VINO alone OF the millionaire guild had
Il . peen moved by the. spectacle of woe that sur
rounded him, statue!-a statue that cost
81, thousands Of pounds, and that was unveiled
q by the unclean hands of the Prince of Wales
,E Ihere can be no objection to the manner in
which Mr.. Peabody has been brought to his
native land. The naval vessels of both coun-
tries employed in the service are in any event
go. faithful contri7ances for the expenditure of
money for no assignab,e purpose, and they
are better employed in this innocent way than
angether. But upon the arrival of the re-
mains in America we find that English pre-
1'" cedents are still followed. We are aware that
'fi%''a we are treading upon delicate ground, but
without impugning the motives of any one it
tp., is due to the truth to say that the unprece-
Ii dented display, the ceremonial pomp and ex-
- travagant expenditure which are to mark the
T reception of Mr.. Peabody's remains are inap-
propriate to the nature of the occasion. We
will not stop here to make any inquiry as to
=, the expense attending the ceremonial and as
to whether it is to be sustained by the State
or the city. 1t is apparent to the most super-
fcial observer that the expense must be con-
siderable, and that devoted to charitable pur-
poses it would relieve much suffering Would
it not have been much better that as the ash
a of fho f,1,; I,
native shores it should be found that the nak-
ed were clothed, the hungry fed and the ic-
norant instructed? If these things had been
done avowedly in honor of Mr.. Peabody.
would it not have been method of reyering
him that he himself would have chosen? To
lie in state surrounded by the ostentatious in-
sigma OF woe while the roar of funeral guns
and strains of mournfu music add to the SOL
emnity ofthe scene better befits the last rites
in honor of men eminent in other fields than
that in which Mr.. Peabody gained immortali-
to-men who never gave their best efforts to
tighten for the unfortunate the hardships and
sorrows of this existence? 1t NAV perhaps
be said that such honors bestowed upon an
individual distinguished for his humanity are
calculated to excite the emulation of others
This is not true, for a soul capable of being
reused To- the performance of the benevolent
acts that distinguished the later years of Mr.
Peabody's life would find no stimulus in such
tokens of appreciation.
Let it not be supposed that we would CEN
sure those who have devoted themselves in
this city with SO much energy to making
preparations for decorous reception of Mr.
feapody's remains. They are but fulfilling
the requirements Of public sentiment coex-
tensive with the country that demands it. If
- less had been done, Portland would have suf
: fered discredt 1t is with this sentiment that
= we quarrel and not with those who have
- merely expcufed its nebas+s