The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-15
GRANT AS A GIyER.
How the Favors lie Bestowed Worked Ill
to Him in a Worldly Sense.

How the Favors lie Bestowed Worked Ill
to Him in Worldly Sense.
Gath, in Minneapolis Tribune.
Carry this parallel up to the height of General
Grants position, and consider the staggering
height of favors that have been requested of him.
It is greatly to his credit that the more he was
asked the more hearty and generous, and even
considerate grew his manner. If there ever was
a man who expressed the spirit Of Christ it was
Grant whose very countenance seemed to say:
ASK and we shall receive From the moment
he concluded his labors in the battlefield he be-
gan to give. People would come to him for pro-
motions. for pardons. for presents, for his valua
BILE time. The prodigal son did not give away
with less caution. Yet he never was an extrava-
CANT man in what he purchased. He has never
been buyer of fine paintings. or furniture,
or books He gave freely while General of the
army gave also while Secretary Of War,
gave while President, and the conclusion OF
such an unselfish life, with few marks OF caution
in it, Is as we perceive, merely pathetic. He
is like some of the old saints OF the Catholic
Church, who, inheriting vast estates like St
Carlo Borromeo made it emulous to give more
and more from day TO day, until there came a
day when the saint said that he had given away
more IN twenty-four hours than any individual
in the world. Upon this historian remarked:
Yes and if he had taken that money and given
employment TO people IN some enterprise which
would have continued TO employ people and be a
benefeence he might be giving now while he is
dead, instead of lying there under the cathedral
with jewels in his skull and boarded gold wrap
ping his old bones around 1t is not well to strain
the quality of charity any more than that of
mercy yet business sense must accompany even
charity unless we come to that time when by a
miracle we can feed whole multitudes on two
l0aves and five small fishes. apprehend that
day will never be restored. OF course it must
have happened because it has been printed.
notice that after some twenty five years of
experience with the newspapers my family bring
me anything printed in newspaper with the
greatest confidence, and intimate that it must
be so because it is printed With the same
childlike spirit accept the miracles because
they have been in print. Grant has physical
ailment but all doubt whether he would have
now been sick but for his financial troubles.
There are three sorts of Affections accompany
ing his failure, all ineurable. First, his own
humiliation near the point of honor; next the
failure of his business attempt in hfe and finally,
the destruction of his relatives and connections
by his success and prominence In the latter
case the ruin is nearly complete Mrs. Corbin,
Mrs. Dent, and considerable number of people
of the Grant and Dent families had become
comfortable in one way o. another until the firm
of Grant s. Ward had such phenomenal success,
a. General Grant himself expressed, that these
different people brought up their estates and
savings and put them upon the altar
of sacrifice, and there Ferdinand Ward
set them afire while Buck Grant and his father.
and ali the rest were delighted standing around
as some Hindoo family would be at the burning
of the baby the little spirit was going to heaven,
and it was therefore an occasion of gladness.
Those devoted people brought down to the river
bank as to the Ganges their trinkets and their
treasures and the young crocodile Ward appeared
above the surface and swallowed them in and
swan on his way. After these failures these
connections generally felt that they had now a
right to go to General Grant for
support. Previously they had gone to him
for support to brother inlaw. Blu,
when he had nothing TO give them they went
there like creditors
So Grant saw that his $250,000 would not be
used to maintain himself and wife, but he had
three married sons, not one of whom was in
any vocation, and all had families Thus there
stretched outside of his family circle connections
and kin, some bruised, some ruined. and others
helpless who had been really living upon his
influence for twenty flour years The man saw
that the little money he had would not be DROP
in the bucket for all these expectants. So his
heart was set upon one great hunger. to recover
his place in the army, which he had earned by
the strictest duty and the greatest sacrifices
He felt that he was a complete failure bust
ness man. and that he probably could not KEEP
the remaining estate which had been begged fol
him.