Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-10-15
GEORGE w. CuiLDs.

Press club the other day, George W.
tfbiids is certainly the most generous
and whOlc-soulcd editor and owner OF
y Newspaper in the world. No worthy
journalist Or jnurneIman printer when
IN need eyer applied to him and was
refused. a Year or Two ago MIR. Childs
saw that one of his old editors was
worn out, and that his work lacked the
polish that had a!ways characterized ii.
lie called him into his sanctum one
morning ami said:
- on have worked for me forty
wears. You have always done your
work honcstly and acccp'aby. | am
BOW going to retire YOU on nj salary
Iai.c Your wife aud Children. 70 into
the country and enjoy Yourself Come
or send To the Office every SATURDAY
AMI draw your saiary. Hereafter your
time. rs well as your salary, is your
own.
"Thc old editor overwhelmed Mr.
Childs with thanks and departed. On
the succeeding Saturday~lIc went to the
counting-room and the cashier refused
10 pay him his salary.
Wait, lie. said. and I'll 60 and
see Mr.. Childs ahoat it.
He went to Cailds, and Childs told
him 10 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 remarkcd, pay him salary as
long as he lives
but, Mr.. Chills.' broke in the
cashier, do you know this man is
worth over three hundred thousand
dollars9
"I hope he is, Mr. Chilis respond
ed. 1T speaks well for him. The fact
that he is worth that moncy is no rea-
son why ! should not pay him his sal
airy after his forty years of faithful
service. ii he had squandcred 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 aud thrift de-
serve at least an equal reward. Pay
him salary us long as he lives, and say
no more about it.
''Ihe old editor died three months
af,crward, leaving four hundred thou
sand dollars 10 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 Lciger when Mr.. Childs first
bought 1t. He was good workman
tut u noted drunkard. When Mr..
Childs assumed control he went to him
and said: Mr.. Childs. are you going
to keep me on the paper at my present
salaryY
"'What are you getting?' Mr.. Childs
asked.
- Fifteen dollars week. the man
replied.
Il will double it on one condition, ;
his employer said; that is, that YOU
shall never drink drop of rum rs long
as you are in my employment
The man accepted the proposition.
He afterward became we'll known
temperance lecturer in PHILADELPHIA,
although he complained bitterly when
advertised rs Il reformed drunkard
Childs kept an eye on him, and he also
has just been retired on a salary.
Whenever he desires to do any special
work for the Ledger. lie is at perfect
liberty to do so. Meantime he draws
his salary regularly and his bills of ex-
pcnscs are never questioned. He, also,
is said TO be worth three or four hun
dred thousand dollars.
"Anothcr instance of Mr.. Childs' be-
nevoence was shown in the case of
Colonel John w. Forncy. As tho twi-
light OF Lie approached Forney became
very poor. His good heart had teen
strained To the utmost tension by pre-
tended friends, and he MAS barely able
TO make living Oae day he met
ChildS.
~ am setting old tho colonel
said, 'and owe n good deal IF money
to persons not able to lose it. If YOU
could aid me in paying my deots, it
would maze the latter part of life com
paratively happy
Go home and find out how much
YOU owe Childs RENTED, and let me
know in the morning.
1.-The next day Forncy reported that
hc owed about twenty-five hundred
dollars. CniljS sat down to write a
check for the money, when Forney
said:
five thousand while YOU are about it.
The good-natured editor filled out
the check for 50, 900 and passed it to
Fnrney Within week the colonel
wrote him letter, saying that he had
no idea how happy the receipt OF the
money had made him.
III do not now, he wrote, 'owe q
cent to anybody in the world and an
twenty-five hundred dollars ahead.
The colonel. with prehensile friend.
ship. had accepted the Gonerou:
man $ check as a gift. and not rs ;
loan
Not long aftcrward the colonel died
He left his family in comparative pow
crty. On learning of this Mr.. Child'
remembered that while MIR. ForneN
was clerk of the house of representa-
lives ut Washington, he had paid $50.
GOO into the public treasury on aceoun
OF the dctalcation of one OF his subcr
dinates. MIR. Childs wet TO Samue
j. Randall, told him of the situation o
Colonel Forncy's family. and aske,
him 10 see whether the money that haze
been paid 10 the government 10y Co.
oncl Forney on account of the defa ca
ton tOuiu not pt lttNiucds MI nam
dali investigated the case. Ii appear
cd That Colonel Forney, while technic
ally responsible for the defalcation
was not actually to blame. Through
Randalrs influence congress passed
bill returning the money 10 Forney'
family, with interest. On looking owe
her husbands papers Mrs. Forncy dis
covered that Forney had borrowed tn
five thousand dollars from Mr.. Childs
On the next day she appeared at tn
ledger Office and returned the sum
MIR. ChildS said:
"'rll take the money. Mrs. Forney
and place it TO your credit, 1t is TO
YOUR use alone. As long as you liv
Won shall have the use OF it. but | wan
il placed so that it shall not be swal
lowed up in case of any misfortune t
you.
1T is not generally known that tn
action of congress in making Genera
Grant a retired general of the army o
full pay was due 10 the efforts c
George W. Chlds; but such is tn
fact, us one can ascertain by talkin
with the Grant family. "-Nct0 Ior
Journalist.