The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-12-31

gros ning ander ITS expressions and rascall-
ties will be relieved.
Gerrit Smith.
We ought certainly to say word about
this very distinguished person upon the &C.
casiou of the fnal occurrence which winds
ua his career and finishes off his character
during his existence upon earth. A very re-
markable snan he was, who mixed up with
his solid, and matter-of-fact, and stout, and
resolate Holland blood an amount OF en-
thusiasm or fanatIcsm that made hfm most
extraordinary person. We suspect he must
have Inherited the enthusiasm that distln'
euished hifa from his mother. He could
hardly have derived it from his father,
who was sagaciohs fur-trader, a
| partner of JoHN JACOB AsToR, and
man whose perseverance and whose in.
trepid achievements in his excursions in the
then wilderness in pursuit of his trading
with the Indians proved him to be anyth ing
bu. philanthropjst," as we under stand
them nowadays. But while the sol differed
most decidedly from his father-especially IN
his negrophlist zeaa-it must be confessed
that he had an eye to the main chance
sufficiently yigilant to keep together the rich
estate he inherited from bis father, amount
ing very nearly to a million Of dollars. A
pretty well-to-do fanatic!
GERRIT SMITH was born at Utica, New
York, on the 9th of March, 1897. He re-
ceved liberal education for the times. He
seen married the daughter Of the president
Of Hamilton College, New York, where he
had graduated. She lived but year, and
be afterwards married the daughter of Colo
nea F,rzaUGH, of Maryland, relative of the
Virginia FITznUGHs. His early life was de.
voted to agriculture and the management of
his fathers large landed property. sts
He entered inte politics in 1924. and took
sides, as might have been expected, with
great : y in the anti.Masonic crusade. His
singular mental dispositions just begun to
develop themselves. He was earnest-a ia.
matte. His contemporaries and confleres-
TnURaew WEED and the rest-were most OF
them mere politicians engineering their way
to Office. .r.-..
Without undertaking to follow the career
of this extraordinary man, we may say that
he gave early indication'o of especial interest in
domestic. concerns, as shown in. his advocacy
of the Eriec canal. and his being present with
LAFATETrR, Governor CLINTON, and others,
at the opening of that great work in 1924
Soon after his anti-Masonic freak he became
perplexed with religion ard philanthropy in
ways that showed his eccentric genius.
Among his 'manias was antisiavery. He first
took to the Colonization Society but com.
ing to the eeaelusion that that institution
only relieved the South Of 1'wortbess free
aegroes' (so says one of bis eu.ogists), he
teaped into the ring as az unqualified aboli-
zionist. and devoted himself theaceforward
to all kinds OF effort to bring abo4tabolition,
Including even laid Ito JOIN Brown
in his frenzied and brutal invaslon.
The deceased erdeavored to equality
his aamplicity with BRows. no man
suspected that he zleant to bring about
bloodshed, but he certainly gave eoEnte.
nance to what very logically so.resuIted. He
aided absasnding siaves-entered the courts
to defeat the efforts 81. slave-owners to &C.
capture runaway slaves. He was an actias
Guss-maker in these matters. In 1885 be
proclaimed the United States Constitutions
aR anti.slavery document, and announced
that war had begun between the North and
the South. The cause was slavery, and he
declared that the sword should nexer be
sheatired until that ssas extipgaished.
No movement Of she antialavery Rsrty
was taken without ths presence and paraci-
patton Of the deceased. He was liberal with
ais means. He was uHaa imposed upon By
fanatics and fools, and by the objects Of hisl
especial sympathy frosa the South. Hell
ealonzed some two hundred thousand acres
in the region near Petefbolo' with poor
whites and blacks. and gave to 1oHN BROWN
3 fansp, for which JOHN BRewR undertook to
teach some negroes that were to be sent to
Africa. and at that farm john BRowR,.s body
now "xes moulderirg in the grave"
He went to considerable leugths in the
way of gifts in the line Of his philanthropy,
and even declared that he intended 10 die
poor In property but rich In the memories
Of those who knew BIN. The first part of
his declaration be falsifed by dying worth
nearly million of dollarst The latter part,
we fear, will not be realized. The memories
md the wealth may not have exactly changed
places; but be will hardly be faTorably re-
neUbered outside of his family for anything
ut bis honesty and good intentions, which
re universally accorded to him.
His fansticism included religion as well as .
oiitics. He protested to be a Nationalist, or II
blower OF The religion of nature mo doubt
disciple Of ROUSSEAU. His fine palatial re-
dence benmea sort Of Mecca for strange
eresies and strange people. Its said that !.
ou might find Mt. Peterboro' a dozen rel
ned visitors from tSe metropolis; q sprink.
ng ofsnegroes from the sunny South on
elr way to Canada crazy MillerIte orI
~ nh rho, disguised aith the World, thought! q