Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-03

great in lis way; great for good or great for
evil; full of a dead-levei force and obstinate
directness is the English scholar of Oxford,
or elsewhere. But the name of Americas
newest and richest university is upward,
large, lofty and generous in its tropical in
Gcation.
CALIFoENIA's FIRST CITIZENS.
The world has not the very highest re-
gard for the man who holds tight on to his
money till death comes by and shakes his
tight fists loose from it. Yet this was the
way of old, and is still the way in the East
to great extent.
But the real Californian is larger and
wiser by far than that. | might rgn over
quite a list of names, none of them, of
course, at all approaching the splendor of
Stanford's, but still glorious with gener-
osity.
And did you ever observe how much
better it makes the world feel to see man
bestow his money i'll this large and splendid
way while life IS still tiding full of pleas
ure?
OF course these $4,000, eco gifts must
necessarily be rather scattered on the pages
of history. In fact | think we may
search the annals of the world in vain for
any mention of any gift. for any purpose,
of halt this magnitude. The'g old days
were very mean old days, if we only would
tell the truth about our ancestors, and the
world is growing better. This is truth.
And it is well for the world to believe it.
And it is great pleasure for those of US
who took part in the fashioning and the
forging ont of this empire of the Pacific to
| see one OF our companions, like the rose,
Tear the silken tassel of his purse
And its treasures Ser the garden blow.
LNy,e 7 4. -
comfort in seeing this man give away $20,-
00o.00o Yet hardly know why. Maybe
| it is because it makes me glad to see the
worldso good. And maybeit is because il
teaches me that money is not the all mall
of earth. Anyway, the world is better; SC
much better, because of this generous ac-
ton, that have thought fit to devote this
| Sundays lesson entirely 10 this fact For il
has already done the world more good than
all these millions could do if counted down
to each Individual fifty times over.
And if it is more blessed to give than re-
ceive, as 1t surely is, then has the great and
good Senator had also some satisfaction out
of it, along with the rest of the world.
Yet had this gift grown out of Wal
street or the other doubtful ways incident
to great wealth, should not call the atten-
| ton of the world to thus so entirely. But
the truth is, this man appealed to mother
earth; and out of her generosity and re-
sponsive bosom she poured this wealth into
| his Golfers.
! But do not imagine that he found his
way path of flowers. In opening up rail
roads to pierce this and other untracked
and untitled regions he bitterly fought fol
every foot of advance. Strange as it may
read, the many people who were to profit
! were so blinded by envy and small sus
picions that they, for nearly quarter of 6
| century, were his worst enemies. They
not only stood right in his way, but they
threatened him terribly. l merely men
| ton all this for the encouragement of 9th
ers when besetin some great life-work. Fol
in the midst of all these assaults and mis-
interpretations he kept on blowing, SOW
| ing, planting.
| find a record here of II 600 trees planted
in a single season! A man who plants
even single tree is greater than the man
| who destroys city.
look back over this mans histoN and
| find him refusing political preferment and
distinction. / look back over his record
| and ! find, with infinite satisfaction, that
! he has all time, even in an age of titles, had
| the good taste to escape entirely the inso-
| lent appellation of Colonel or " Gen
eral.3"
The student of Plutarch is often struck
with the remark by that learned man that
! this or that hero took this or that historical
character for his example in life. q
| Were | to point out to any young man in
| California or elsewhere an example, char
| acter to initiate, should certainly not turn
back to the men of battles and of blood
| But l should point them to man who
| never took title of war, who worked hard
| ten and fifteen hours each day, who des-
pissed politics and politicians. who despised
plots. and craft, and combinations, and
| cunning ways but who set his face for new
ways, and hewed out new and wide and
open ways of his own, and appealed tc
mother earth like brave and honest son
of Adam.
l should name Senator Leland Stanford
as an example for youth to follow, thus far
even to the wondrous endowment of his
| wealth for their good.
What infirmities may befall him or fol
| lies overtake him before he dies heaven
| only knows but they will come, most like
| in one form or another, for he is only hu.
man. Yet thus far he is easily the first cit.
| izen in a State that stands out resplendeni
with great men: aye, he is the first citizen
of these United States.
The man who has the enterprise and the
wisdom to obtain all this wealth in the no
Bile pursuits which he has employed, and
also the persistency and wisdom 10 bestow
| it as he has bestowed it. is better exam
pie to follow than anything to be found in
Plutarch by far. Follow this example, lads