Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1881-08-18
Anecdotes of the Late John Hopkins.
He left SO, 600. 900. a mo;etv :

He left $9,0OO,0OO, moiety OF
which was divided between eish-
teen relatives, and the bnll< retain
ed for a university and several hos
pitals. The nephew who was often
at variance with him received al
most twice as much as his brothers
who never contradicted him. Mr..
Hopkins never married. The
daughters of Epaminondas were
that hero's famous victories. The
children of John Hopkins are the
splendid institutions he has left to
learning, to mercy and to science.
There never was stronger man.
He started life with S4OO, and built
up, by his own exertions, a colossal
fortune. From the beginning he
declared that he had q mission
from God TO increase his store, and
that the golden food that poured
into his Golfers did not belong to
him or to the hundreds who sought
to borrow or beg it from him. He
declared that a supernatural power
prevented him from taking money
from his pocket to beetow foolish
aims. and that some day tie world
would know that lie was not the
grasping, avaricious and narrow
minded man he was accounted. He
nevertheless helped secretly many
worthy persons, and after his death
it was discovered that not a few
merchants had been saved by hin,
from fnarclai embarrassment and
sorrow.
An uncanny old tramp used to
station himself under giant oak
that stood sentry by the lodge OF
'Clitton.' This made Mr.. Hop
kins nervous and became mortal
offense. He told one of his ncph-
ews of it and SAID he did not knox
how to abate the nuisance. 'Whv
! not pay him, uncle, and send him
!, away?' qneried the yoang man.
5 PAY him money p Mr.. Hopkins
, shrieked, while his long arms flew
, about like windmills; pay him
5 money! God forbid When / dc
5 that there will be a hundred vaga-
5 bonds here instead of one = well
! then, ADDED the nephew, 'if ! were
| yon, Uncle John, | would kick hin
5 out i cannot do that the eic
| man pleaded. L am afraid = sW hat!
the nephew retorted, sare yo'
f afraid of such cur as that!' No
! non Mr.. Hopkins Whispered
a hoarsely, Il am not afraid of him
, but afraid of God. Did you nevel
r read in the Bible how Dives. treat
e ed Lazarus I! Would You have IN,
t repeat the story and burn in hel
1 forever 2 That ended it.
On one of the last days of hi
earthly existence M. Uopkin
called his devoted gardener to hln
and said: Il am beginning to hate
this place, because it does not bring
, in money. l hate everything tha
= does not bring in money. DiC
you ever feed hogs Have VOL
;. not observed that the strong am
mails bear away the cars of cor!
and that the weaker ones pursu
: them sqneaiingly, III hopes that al
. or some Of the treasure will be los
or dropped 2 The gardener re
: piled that the sketch was tru
one. 'We1l, thcn,' SAID Mr.. Hop
G kins, & am that strong hoy. | hav
V that big year OF corn, and ever
/; piggish rascal in Baltimore is lnten
If upon stealing it or wrestling it frnr
If me! Sir" he said, turned brn:
IS quely to the gardener, =" do yo
d think a very rich man is happy
l. The gardener answered : The c,
It treme uf poverty is a sad thing
h The extreme cf wealth, no doub
IS bears with it many tribnlations
Il Mr.. Hopkins rejoined you ar
right my friend ; next to the he
L of being utterly bereft of money
le the pnrgatory of possessing va:
u amount of it. l have mission
g and under ITS shadow l have acc,,
y, 10 mulated wealth, but net happiness