The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-02-16
Peter Cooper's Ninesiesh Birshday.
THE VENERABLE rBILASTnRoPIsT TELLS THE
STORY OF ms LIFE.
from the New York sun. ]

SiOh1 w uiS Lffbs
from the New York sun.l
Peter Cooper spent the day yesterday
surrounded by his family, at his home,
corner Of Lexington avenue and Twen-
ty.second street. He rose early, as usual,
and throughout the day received many
congratulations from relatives and friends.
The house was filled with the odor
OF flowers. In the afternoon the re-
porter was grated an interview on the
condition. imposed by Mr.. Cooper's kindly
guardian. bis daughter, Mrs. Hewitt, that 1t
should last only eight minutes. Mr. Cooper
seemed in excellent health and iovial spirits.
His face WAS beaming with benignant
smiles. He seated himself in his favorite
easy chair, and asked what he could do for
the Sun.
"First, tell me how you managed TO live
so long; what advice would you give 10
young people TO help them to live to be
ninetyy"
81 should put 1t in two words, live So
berly and righteously," SAID Mr.. Cooper.
When asked to ampliiy little on those
words Mr. Cooper added "ODe OF the best
lessons ever got was from one OF the Oldest
cords OF buman events, where lind that
man is the offspring Of the Infinite Power
which has given him the world. with all that
in il is, to be rightly enjoyed. IL is only re.
uuired of man that he should keep 1t and
SnDdue If. ! understand by that that the In
finite Power gives Us all thar Is in the gar
den 10 cat, to drink. TO work, and to play.
We are n qnircd not 10 eat 100 much, nor 10
drink too much, nor TO work too much,
nor to play too much. When man eats
too much he appears like tDe PrOdigal Son,
who took all his portion OF the lOaveS ana
fishes and went and spent it in rlGtOus liv-
Ing and among harlots. He thus got into a
dpplorable state, and would fain Daye par
taken Of the busks that the swine did eat.
That reminds me that man. very wretched-
ness will bring him TO himself. His suffer-
ings will teach him that he has done wrong.
When the PrOdgal Son returned 10 his ia
thpr he was humble, and thought that per-
adventure hi father would make Dlm one
OF his hired servants. But he dld not hnd
III. father harsh and unforgiying. His father
did not say. You rascal, why Dave you
been wasting my SubSianCcT No; his Ia
ther welcomed him, saying, '1hiS i my
son, who was dead and is alive again. lie
called his people and killed the fatied cali,
aud gave The prodigal Il welcome that even
offended the son WHO bad not gone from
home. infer from this that we are livlng
here on earth under bCautiiuI and DPnehcent
laws-hws designed in Infinite wisdom for
the elevation OF mankind. infer that just
i'm proportion as W. 1--we in obedience 10
hose laws we shall have health and COM
fort. II we disobey those laws we shall
pay the penalty. That rule holas good Tor
man. or city, or community, or State, or
nation. The penalty OF disobedence must
be paid somewhere, somehow, at some
time"
"One more question, Mr.. Cooper. How
did you get rich?"
"In the first place, learned three trades.
learned 10 be brewer, coacbmaker, aud
a macblnst-all before | was twenty.one
wears old. worked three years at Sl.5O a
day, and saved enough oui of that To get
a start in life. | was making machines TO
shear cloth. Then ! bought the patent
right Of the machine and made them for
sale. That was before the war OF 1872"
.'What general rule have you adopted in.
businCss:" was asked.
Gone was that determined TO give the
world an equivalent in some form Of useful
labor for all that consumed in it. | went
on and enlarged my business, all the while
keeping out Of dent. | cannot recOllect
time when ! could not pay what | owed
any day. would lot spend money be-
fore | earned il. Another rule | had
was to keep clear OF the banks.
never asked them for accommoda-
ton. | never got them TO discount notes,
because did not wish TO incur an obliga-
ton without certainty OF being able TO pay
II. In that way managed 10 keep clear OF
panics. My rule was pay aS you co.
can't remember the time when any man
could not have had for the asking what
owed. Another thing wish 10 say: All
the money l ever made was in mechanical
business, and not in speculation"