The Cecil Whig., 1881-06-04
JOHN HOPKINS.
ANECDOTES OF THE LIBERAL PATRON OF
HIGHER EDUCATION.

HIGHER EDUCATION.
The Augusta (Ga.) thr0ntcle has the
following:
He left $4,000. 900, a moiety of which
was divided between eighteen relatives,
and the bulk retained for university
and several hospitals. The nephew who
was often at variance with him received
almost twice as much as his brothers
who never contradicted him. Mr. Hop
kins never married. The daughters of
EpaminOndas We're that hero's famous
victories. The children OF Johns Hop
kins are the splendid institutions he has
left to learning, to mercy, and to science.
There never was stronger man. He
started life with $500, and built up, by
his own eXertions, 4 colossal fortune
From the beginning he declared that he
had mission from God to increase his
store, and that the golden flood that
poured into his Golfers did not belong to
! him OF to the hundreds who sought to
borrow or beg it from him. lie declared
that a supernatural power prevented him
! from taking money from his pocket to
bestow foolish aims and that some day
| the world would know that he was not
| the graSping, avaricious. aud narrow
minded man he was accounted. He
nevertheless helped secretly many wor-
thy persons. and, after his death, it was
discovered that not a few merchants had
been saved by him from financial embar-
rassment and sorrow. But in the COM
mon acceptation of the term he was not
liberal. His mission" prevented that.
Towards the close of very long life he
became stlngy and suspicious, but the
end he had proposed never suffered any
change, and that was the mistress of his
soul towards whom he maintained an in
flexible fidelity. Clifton" was his
pride, and upon it he spared no expense.
Here the great university was to be
founded; but in this his design will be
baffled. The city authorities have taken
some seventy acres just i'll front of the
imperial mansion, and the noble chestnut
grove he had nurtured, not one tree OF
which would be cut down even when
withered. has fallen before the remorse-
less axe of progress. The foundations
Of a vast lake for the water supply of
Baltimore are already in course OF exca-
vation, and the engineers and their rude
implements occupy several of the beau-
| tful chambers of Clifton.
An uncanny old tramp used to station
himself under giant oak that stood SEN
try by the lodge of Clifton. This made
Mr. Hopkins nervous and became NOR
tai offence. He told one of his nephews
of it, and said he did not know how to
abate the nuisance. 'Why not pay him,
uncle, and send him away" queried the
young man. "Pay him money" Mr..
Hopkins shrieked, while his long arms
flew about like wind mills. PAY him
money. God forbid, When ! do that
there will be a hundred vagabonds here
instead of one" "Well, then," added
the nephew, eff were you, Uncle Johns,
| would kick him out" Il cannot do
that" the old man pleaded, Il am
afraid "What" the nephew retorted,
"are you afraid Of such cur as that ~
"No, no. Mr.. Hopkins whispered
afraid of God. Did you never read in
the Bible how Dives treated Lazarus
Would you have me repeat that story
and burn in hell forever" That ended
it.
On one of the last days of his earthly
existence Mr.. Hopkins called his devoted
ming to hate this place, because it does
not bring in money. hate everything
that does not bring in money. Did you
ever feed hogs? Have you not observed
that the strong animals bear away the
ears of corn and that the weaker ones
pursue them squealingly, in hopes that
all or some of the treasure will be lost or
dropsed >" The gardener replied that
the sketch was 4 true one. "Well,
then," said Mr.. Hopkins, Il am that
strong hog. have that big ear of corn,
and every piggish rascal in Baltimore is
intent upon stealing it or wrestling it
from me- "Sir." he said turning
brusquely to the gardener, "do you
think a very rich man is happy The
gardener answered: "Thc extreme of
poverty is a sad thing. The extreme OF
wealth, no doubt, bears with it many
tribulations.' Mr.. Hopkins rejoined:
You are right. my friend: next to the
hell Of being utterly bereft of money is
the purgatory of possessing a vast
amount of it. have a mission, and un-
der its shadow | have accumulated
wealth, but not happiness