The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-08-27
Miscellaneous.
ASTOR AND HIS MONEY.

HOW HE MADE IT AND HOW HE KEPT IT
THE LOVE OF 1T RULED HIM LIKE
TYRANT.
The ancient city Of Heidelberg is famous
throughout tho world no, less for its silk
stocking and Handkerchief manufacture,
cotton, wax-lights etc, than for its institu-
tions OF learning. And who has not heard
of the yin du Ncckar, pressed from grapes
grown on both sides of the mountain in its
capacous tun, originally containing five
hundred and twenty-eight hogsheads, and
when rebuilt, enlarged to six hundred, which
is still shown to strangers? Though the cas-
tie and the garden are in ruins, the statutes
of the ancient electors and Count Palatines
are still to be seen on the front Of the castle,
and the remains of the hall of the chevaliers
are still visible while the granite columns
formerly supporting part of the imperial
palace at Ingelhcin, near Mayence, are seen
supporting the roof of the fountain of the
castle.
1t was near this historic city, In the little
village of Waldorf, not quite decade over
century ago, that the light of tho world
| first shone upon person who wa. destined
to remarkable career in the New World ;
for here John Jacob Astor was born ON the
18th of July, 1853.
His father, Jacob Astor, was butcher OF
that village, and "ne'er-do-welP Of the
Rip Van Winkle kind, who having little to
do in his line of business in village where
animal food was considered luxury, spent his
leisure time, which was pretty much all OF
it, in about the way poor Rip did, though
we ale not informed that he ever became the
worse for liquor, except to become as idle as
the beer-guzzling gossip. did who spent theil
time in the beer-house, where the father o
the future wealthy New York merchant
made merry over his troubles, and forge
them in the hilarity surrounding him.
Yet there was one season Of the year wher
business was brisk with old Jacob, and tina
was during the harvest time. 1t was ther
the custom in Germany for the farmers t.
each set apart a bullock, calf sheep or pig
anu idltCh hs,tthot lhC oiNOop oSdoohy ah'
these animals the village butcher was calleC
upon to kill and prepare. So this seasor
found jolly Jacob Astor on his journey from
house to house, making sausage meat of th
pig, or otherwise preparing the flesh of tn
other animals in the way the owner desired
frequently spending from one to several day
at the house where he was engaged, accord
ing to the length of time it took him to &C
complsh his work.
Jacob Astor's wife, and the mother of ou
hero, was, however, different person tina
her shiftless husband. She was thrifty
Woodworking, saving, and as devoted to he
family as her husband was to the beer-hous'
II the truth must be told Dame Astor Wa
blessed (?) with a popularity of the Va
Wnkle household, rs we'll as her husban
a somewhat free use of the tongue, whic
she used in viXenish manner at times wit
much the same result that attended Dam
Van Wrinkles exercise of it, though in thi
case it drove the boys from home to see
congeniality in the world at large, an
seemed to have little effect on the easy goin
husband and father.
So out from beneath the parental ro
went the Astor boys at comparatively your
, age, and inheriting their mothers thrift al
, business qualities, fought their way success
fully. Two of the brothers of our hero ha
preceded hm--One to become dealer
( musical instruments in London, and Il
other to follow his fathers calling in Bait
more.
: 1t had been the intention of the father [
have John Jacob follow his own calling
but the soul of the youth rebelled again
the "uncanny" business, and so at the a.
of sixteen he was allowed to go out in Il
world to seek his fortune; but not until a
ter the death of his mother and the mark
, dislike to him taken by the step-mother
y father brought home subsequently to t
event.
With two dollars in his pocket, and !
scanty wardrobe swung over his shoulder
a stick, the future millionaire passed h
!; confines Of the Black Forest, and reach
~ inc iVNine where he was soon III neBOllatl
with some of the lumbermen for chance
pr the oar of one of the immense RATS of Il
region, which, instead of floating do,
stream as on our rivers, are rowed by a lar
number of men, sometimes seventy or Gig
ty to crrft and as the work is hard, u
: disasters often overtake the laborers,
s. wages paid are high for that country-at IL
~ time being about ten dollars for the t
Wy weeks, passage in addition to the coarse f
furnished.
But what were either labor or danger
- young Astor2 His eye was upon Lond
and America invited him smilingly at
ture day, when the war should cease its r.
ages for ever since his elder brother
been in America, it seemed to him as thou
:, that was to be his future home