The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-09-17
GEORGE w. CHILDS.

p" hdltN0E may U0 Sdlu OI the
delphia Ledger and its proprietor, 80
said President Amos Cummings, in the
Press club the other day, George W
Childs is certainly the most generous
and wholc-souled editor and owner OF
newpaper in the world. No worthy
journalist or journeyman printer when
in need ever applied to him and was
refused. A year or two ago Mr.. Childs;
saw that one of his old editors was
worn out, and that his work lacked tho
polish that had always characterized it
He called him into his sanctum ona
morning and said:
'''1 ou have worked for me forty
years. You have always done your
work honestly and acceptably. l am
now going to retire you on full salary
Take your wife and children, go into
the country and enjoy yourself. Come
or send to the office every Saturday
and draw your salary. Hereafter your
time. as well as your salary, is your
own /
''The old editor overwhelmed Mr..
Childs with thanks and departed. On
the succeeding Saturday he went to the
-cOunting-rOom and the cashier refused
to pay him his salary. &
Wait. he said, and I'll go and
see Mr.. Childs about it.
He went to Childs, and Childs told
him to pay the man for aweek's SER
vices.
=" But he is no longer on the paper.'
the cashier suggested.
That makes no difference Mr..
Childs remarked, pay him salary as
long as he lives
"'But. Mr.. Childs,' broke in the
cashier. do you know this man is
worth over three hundred thousand
dollars?'
81 hope he is Mr.. Childs respond
ed. 1T speaks well for him. The fact
that he is worth that money is no rea-
son why should not pay him his sale
airy after his forty years of faithful
service. If he had squandered his
money in rum or dissipation you would
have said that it would be all right to
retire him on salary because he had no
money. His prudence and thrift de-
serve at least an equal reward. Pay
him salary as long as he lives, and say
no more about it.
''13le old editor died three months
afterward, leaving four hundred thou
sand dollars to his wife and children,
but his salary was paid up to the day
of his death.
another instance Of Mr. Childs'
kindness to his employees is shown in
the case of man who was employed
on the Ledger when Mr.. Childs first
bought 1t. He was q good workman
but a noted drunkard. When Mr..
Childs assumed control he went to him
and said: MIR. Childs, are you going
to keep me on the paper at my present
salary?'
"'What are you gettingP' Mr.. Childs
asked.
" Fifteen dollars week. the man
replied.
81 will double it on one condition.
his employer said; that is, that YOU
shall never drink drop of rum as long
rs you are in my employment
Tho man accepted the proposition.
He afterward became a we'll known
temperance lecturer in Philadelphia,
although he complained bitterly when
advertised as a reformed drunkard
Childs kept an eye on him, and he also
has Just been retired ON salary.
Whenever he desires to do any special
work for the Ledger, he is at perfect
liberty to do so. Meantime he draws
his salary regularly and his bills of ex-
penses are never questioned. He, also.
is said to be worth three or four hun
dred thousand dollars.
Another instance of Mr.. Childs' be-
nevolence was shown in the case of
Colonel John w. Forney. As the twi-
light of life approached Forney became
very poor. His good heart had been
to hsa
tended friends, and he was barely able
to make living. One day he met
Childs.
81 am getting DID, the colonel
said, 'and | owe a good deal of money
To persons not able to lose it If you
could aid me in paying my debts. it
would MAKE the latter part of life com-
paratively happy i
go home and find out how much
you owe,' Childs replied, and let ma
know in the morning |
1.-The next day Forney reported that
he owed about twenty-five hundred
dollars. Childs sat down to write q
check for the money, when ForneY
said: 4
'Childs, you might as well make it
five Thousand while you are about it,
''The good-natured editor filed out
the check for 5000 and passed it to-
Forney. Within a week the colonel
wrote him letter, saying that he had
no idea how happy the receipt of tha
money had made him. !
- do not now, he wrote, owe q
cent to anybody in the world, and am
twenty-five hundred dollars ahead.
1.-The colonel, with prehensile friend-
ship. had accepted the generous
mans check as Il gift, and not as =
loan.
mot long afterward the colonel died
He left his family in comparative poV-.
erty. On learning of this Mr.. Childs
remembered that while Mr.. ForHeN
was clerk of the house of represeata-
tives at Washington. he had paid $30,z
600 into the public treasury on account
of the defalcation of one of his subor-
dinates. MIR. Childs went to Samuel
j. Randall, told him of the situation of
Colonel Forney's family, and asked
him to see whether the money that had
been paid to the government by COL
onel Forney on account of the defalca-
ton could not be returned. MIR. Ran
dali investigated the case. II appear
ed that Colonel Forney, while technic-
ally responsible for the defalcation,
was not actually to blame. Through
RandalPs influence congress passed
bill returning the money to Forney's
family, with interest. On looking over
her husbands papers Mrs. Forney dis
covered that Forney had borrowed the
five Thousand dollars from Mr.. Childs-
On the next day she appeared at the
Ledger Office aud returned the sum-
Mr. Childs said:
"'Pll take the money, Mrs. Forney,
aud place it to your credit 1t is for
your use alone. As long as you live
you shall have the use OF it, but L want
it placed so that it shall not be swal-
lowed up in case of any misfortune to
you.'
1T is not generally known that the
action OF congress in making General
Grant Il retired general of the army on
full pay was due to the efforts of
George w. Childs; but such is the
fact, as one can ascertain by talking
with the Grant family. ."-Ne10 York
journalist