The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1882-07-29

OF his tBtlGfk SAYS ilAG most Ee
markaEle ana interesting paTsonag,
insthis city at the present time, am
50 best worth writing paragraph
about, is Mr. Peter Oooper--living
sort of posthumous life and enjoying
amestenviablei Immortality at ninety
ane He is remarkable for havine
began will nothing and making him
sell zniilionaire; for having beer
horn eigat years before Washington
died, and being still robust; and toi
giying away large part of his for
tune more wisely than any Other
philanthr0pist Ihe city ever produced
I dropped in there on Saturday K
see how the old gentleman stood the
spring changes. The colorcd Ger
berus who answered the door, has,
tened to say, Rely, now, sir, RELY,
Mr. Cooper can't see nobody tall te.
day he SAYS, cos thisis his busy day.
Would he take my card in Oh,
YES; he'd do that, but 'twant any use
at ali-not to-day. Exit.
Presently ] heard a gentle patter
OF footsteps, and Mr.. Cooper appear-
ed In the pallor. "0h, yes, " he said,
Pm very glad to see you, but Eve
got two directors meetings To attend.
and"
'0h, certainly" / said; Ianfy call
ed to see how the spring affected
him; how his rheumatism was.
/ was a little embarrassed when be
oped his eyes wider and exclaimed
Rheumatisnil Why, i haven't any
rheumatismlp Then / thought /
would change it to influenza, and if
he repudiated that, try malaria, for
it was safe to infer that man Of
ninety-one must have something that
he didn't want; but it opened unseen
possibilities and so I merely said,
No You look uncommonly well
What is your secret Of healtll?"
He stood before me in the hall as
straight as n wild IndiaB-bent, per
haps, slightly back Of the perpendic-
ulaT--with bright eye and a clear
voice, strong and alert.
= 'eSeeret?'7 he repeated; Work!
that's It'll Work! Work doesn't hurt.
It is the secret of life. 1t is loalin@
and resting that kill people"
You were born here, ! believe? "
90 Yes, right here in New York, and
I never went TO school more than
three-quarters Of my life ! learned
four trades hating, brewing, brick
making and coaoh-making. / didn't
drink. / saved my money. ] paid
my fathers debts. l always paid my
hands every Saturday night fer sixty
years, though l sometimes employed
5000; and always on the Saturday
before Christmas went around and
paid all the debts I had in the world
with my own hand
"Tm busy to-day, butI just want
to tell you The said, and then he
genially went on talking. He told
me all about bis building the first
locomotive in this country and run
ming it out Of Baltimore in 1929;
about his numerous inventions about
the rolling mills and blast furnaces
he had operated about being presj-
dent Of the original Atlantic cable
company for ten years before they
succeeded in getting & cable down,
and how he personally put $3.50, 600
into itwithout knowing that he would
ever get.it back; and finally, about
the growth Of his institute to be q
blessing of the land.
81 was always oontriving," be
said: When ] was an apprentice,
Ispent my time in ornamental cary
inc in the garnet / made pair Of
shoes, too, about that time. ] took
an old pair carefully to pieces, then
I got leather, thread, needles and
some other tools, measured my foot,
Whitfield out a last and made pair
of pretty good shoes I wore them
AL winter
He said that when Edward was
born Mayor Gooper) he made a ma
chine that rocked the cradle and
played music box accompaniment
He was for many years commissioner
of charities, member Of the board
of education, and an alderman, but
for all his Office holding, as for his
services as president Of the Atlantic
cable company. he neFer received a
cent.
The details of the story were won
derfully interesting, but there. is no
roem for them here Suffice it that
Peter Cooper stood there in the hall,
talking a foil hour and a half never
sitting or even leaning against ban
nisters, as ] did, piiing into my
hands at least twenty tracts that he
has written recently on finance and
labor The unpieturesgue India rub-
Der oyershoes on his feet and the in
serufable cushion under bis arm did
not obscure the fact that ] stood in
the presence of one Of the most re-
markable men this country has pro-
dHced.
Setting Even with a EBrrlallaaleE..