The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-09-01
"Reminiscences of Johns Hopkins.

1AC 'ciC S',uOO,VOO, mOlety OF which
was divided between eighteen relatives,
and the bulk retained for a university
and several hospitals. The nephew who
was often at variance with him received
almost twice as much rs his brothers who
never contradicted him. Mr.. Hopkins
never married: The daughters of Epam-
lnondas were that hero's famous victories.
The children of Johns Hopkins arc the
splendid institutions he has left to learn
ing. to mercy, and to science. There
never was :. stronger man. He started
life with $40O, and built up, by his own
exertions, colossal fortune. From the
beginning he declared that he had mis-
sion 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 1t from him. He 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 grasp
ing, avaricious, and narrow minded man
he, WAS accounted. lie nevertheless
helped secretly many worthy persons,
ana, after his death, it was discovered
that not few merchants had been saved
by him from financial embarrassment
and sorrow. But in tho common accep.
tation of the term he was not liberal
His mission" prevented that. Toward
the close of very long life he became
sstln1gy and suspicious, but the end he
had proposed never suffered change, and
that was the mistress Of his soul toward
whom he maintained an inhexible fideli.
". Clifton" was his pride, and upon il
he spared no expense. Here the great
university was TO be founded but in this
his design will be baifled. The city au-
thorlties have taken some seventy acres
Just in front of the imperial mansion.
and the noble chestnut grove he had
nurtured, not one tree Of which he would
nave cut down even when withered, has
fallen before the remorseless az Of pro
gress. The foundations of vast lake
Tor the water supply of Baltimore are
already IN course of excavation, and the
engineers and their rude implements oc-
cupy several of the beautiful chambers
of Clifton"
An uncanny old tramp used TO station
himself under q giant oak that stood
sentry by the lodge of Clifton" This
made hir Hopkins nervous and became
mortal offense. He told one of his
nlephews of it, and said he did not know
how to abate the nuisance. "Wly not
pay him, uncle, and send him away ?"
queried the young man. "Pav 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 hundred vaga-
bonds here instead of one." "Well,
thnn," added the nephew, "if were you.
Uucle John, l would kick him ouL." ri
CT mot do that" the old man pleaded, 'I
am afraid!' "What! !' the nephew re-
torted, "are you afraid of such n cur as
tht?" "No, no." Mr.. Hopkins whis-
pered hoarsely, II am not afraid of him,
but 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 forcycr?'' That ended
it.
On one Of the last days of his earthly
existence Mr.. Hopkins called his deyo-
ted gardener to him and said: ~ am
beginning to hate this place, because it
does not bring in money. Did you ever
feed hogs? Have you not observed that
the strong animals bear away the cars of
corn, and that the weaker ones pursue
them squealingly, in hopes that all OF
some of the treasure will be lost or
dropped" The gardener replied that
the sketch was a true one. "Well,
then" said Mr. Hopkins, II am that
strcng 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 hapoy?" The gar
dener answered: "Thc extreme OF pow
erty is a sad thing. Tho extreme OF
wealth no doubt bears with it many trib-
ulations." Mr.. Hopkins rejoincd "You
are right, my friend; next to the hell OF
being utterly bereft Of money is the pur.
gatory of possessing vast amount of it
| have mission, and under it's shadow
J. have accumulated wealth, but not hap
piness."