The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-04-11
bEArH OF PETER COOPER


Peter Codper died at his home i'm
New York April 4 of penumonia,
10 theasiAety -thiFd year of his age,
closing life of great activity and
usefulness amid the most PEACEFUL
surroundings and under the tender
ministrations Of 1ovipg friends. Mr.
Cooper's name was identified with
the early history of some of the.
most notable Inventions and inn
movements of the past hundred
wears. While in Baltimore he built
after his own designs, the first loco
motive engine turned out on this
continent, and it was operated On
1.-THE Baltimore and Ohio railroad. -
4 The main foundation of MIR.
/ Copper's lasting tame, however, Was
fhis -eeaseless, uRwearied efforts for
1.-THE upbuildiDg Of the great masses
'hofEthe people, especially in the mat
tier of education. He early became
4 trustee Of the public school society
fof, New York, and was its Viee-pres-
lident at the time when it was merg-i
ed in the board of education He
was subsequently a school commits
sioner. Convinced that the com
mon school system could not sup
i ply a chronological education, he
determined to establish in his ma
tive city an institution In which the
working classes could secure that
INSTRUCTION which he sought in vain
when he was young and ambitious,
and the result was the noble sun
ion for the Advancement of Science
\ and Art commonly called the
Cooper Institution. The cost OF
this Gncluding interest on the out
llay, which he would have received
on an ordinary investment) was
about 81, 100000, to which he, ad-
ded an endowment of $3.50, 900 IN
cash, and other gifts. The building
? is devoted by aTdeed of trust with
all its rents, issues and profits to
the instruction and elevation Of the
working classes of that city, For
wears the expenses of this insti-
tuition have exceeded $4,000 annn-
ally. Thousands and thousandstr train
ed there to-day rise up and call Peter
Cooper blessed. Mr. Cooper took
great interest in and made personal
efforts in behalf of that most impor-
tant and difficult of modern enter
prises, the laying OF the ocean cable.
= Mr.. Cooper married Miss Sarah
Bedel, of Hampstead, L. l., in De-
cember. 1918, being then twenty
two wears sold, and his wife In her
! twenty first year, sThey had six
: lchiidreu, four of whom died in child
hoods The two surviving children
! are Edward Cooper, of the firm OF
Cooper & Hewitt, merchants Ia New
Z York City, and Mrs. Sarah Amelia
Hewitt. wife of Hon. A. =. Hewitt,
member of Congress. Mrs. Coooer
died in the seventy seventh year oil
her age and the ffty-sixth anniver-
sary Of her wedding day, December,
1869. Mr. Cooper never spoke OF
his wife without emotion. He at
) tributed all his highest happiness
and most of bis. success in life TO
the sterling qualities of character in
his wife. He said she was the ebay
star. the solace and inspiration OF
? his life words that express deep
feeling and also a substantial fact
y for there is no doubt, from the
character given her by others, that
she was woman of superior moral
qualities and had precisely that fit
mess and training that made. a
worthy and most efficient "help-
mate" of Mr.. Cooper. Mr.. Coopers
life presents a model for young
men. He amassed a large fortune
by unusual energy in business pur-
suits, and he made such use OF his
money as to make the world better
for his having lived in it. He has
felt for some years past that death
must come soon, and he has so lived
that when his summons came to
Join the innumerable caravan, he
approached the grave as one who
draws the drapery of his couch
about him and lies down to pleasant
dreams.