Morning journal and courier., 1883-04-05
t9ourual allo Gonrier.
Thursday, April 5, 1883.
PETER COOPER.

The life of Peter Cooper, who died yester- day at the great age of 92, was long, active and useful. His death will cause widespread mourning, but the mourning will be tenn pered by the recollection of the fact that he man, and by the contemplation of his many and conspicuous virtues
 MT. Cooper was particularly distinguished as business man. He began work very early in life and at the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to carriage maker in New York, receiving the muniicent salary of twenty five dollars, year. At twenty-one he was engaged ia making machines for shearing cloth At the end of three years he had saved enough to buy the right to manufacture the machines throughout the State of New York. After three years more MT. Cooper set up 8 gro cery on the site of the present Bible House, opposite the Cooper Union. He was very successful in this business and at the end of three years he was able to buy glue fac tory, with all it's machinery and buildings, and lease for twenty-ene years of three acres of ground. This factory brought large revenue to Mir. Cooper, and it may be regarded as the source of his great wealth, since he continued in the same business till the close of his life After MT. Cooper got well started in the glue business he made numerous other business venturesoR large scale and with much profit. He was very successful in the iron business. His active mind was often engaged with some invention, and to show how long ago he anticipated many of the inventions that have at tracted great attention in later years it is said that large sized copy of his cloth shearing machine was made and used for moving gentleman's lawn more than thirty years before any of the present popular now ing machines were ever thought of. The endless chain system Gnvented by him in 1S23) for towing canal boats is in use on some canals at the present time. The latest improvement in torpedo-craft, the Lay and the Whitehead torpedoes, are managed on nearly the same principle as that adopted by Mir. Cooper more than half a century ago.
 The grandest business enterprise with which Mir. Cooper was connected was the laying of the Atlantic cable. Perhaps no one man did more than he to make this great en- terprise success.
 MT. Cooper was not much of a politician, and never held any public office but that of Alderman. It was due to his opinions on finance that he became nominal candidate for the Presidency in 1876. His financial theories were founded on what is called the ''fat'' doctrine, namely, that the govern ment could create money by simply printing it and giving the printed slips of paper arbi- trary values. His belief in this theory was undoubtedly genuine. He was also an en- thusiastic supporter of the paternaI theory of government. He believed that the national government ought to provide for the comfort and prosperity of the whole pop ulation so that there should be no more suf- fering and want.
 That for which MT. Cooper will be longest and best remembered is not his business skill and success, not his inventive talent and not his political prominence, but his noble charities, both public and private. The needy found friend in him and he helped 8 great number of them. He was sometimes imposed upon, but the next applicant for aid found him as patient and sympathetic as ever. A grander and more endur- ing monument than any that can be reared for him is the Cooper Institute. Early in life he had realized the great diff culties encountered by young people in seek ing education in art and science. He de. termined to hid those who should come after him by placing within the reach of any one in his native city the means of getting such education as each person might most need. The building for the Cooper Union was be- gun in 1855, on its present site at the junc- tion of Third and Fourth avenues and Eighth street The first cost-amounting to more than $600, oo0-and all the expenses of the Union, which are about $5O,oOO a year, have been defrayed by MT. Cooper. Thou sands of deserving young men and women have already cause to bless MT. Cooper for this noble deed, and thousands more will have.
 Mir. Cooper was shrewd and careful but honest and open in all his dealings, just, con- siderate, kind and courteous. He was re- spectef and admired by the people of this country, who will long hold his memory in honor