The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-05
CHARITABLE RICH MEN.
THE GENEROSITY OF PEABODY,
CORCORAE AND OTHERS.
The Begging Letters They Receive
Queer Charities Of Editor Childs

-BcguH-t@ to 1nufGheS, ETC
No nation Of the world has Sc many
charitable rich men as the United states.
George Peabody died worth 81, 0J0, 0Ot.
lie gave away while living s., 800, 600
to educational and charitable institu-
tions. to say nothing Of the hundreds Of
thousands thet he dispensed in other
wavs. W. W. Corcoran is still the
richest man in Washington, bat he has
given away between s., 000, GO and !,
900, coo, and his purse is always open.
Abram Hewitt says that Peter Coopers
charities were twice as large as the estate
he left, and during the panic of lS73-'54
his library table was piled high with
money, and from , O'Clock in the after
noon till half past six he distributed half
dollars aud dollar bills to all the poor
who came to him fer it. During this
same panic james Gordon Rennet, Jr.
donated $50, 600 to establish soup
kitchens for the poor. Paul Tulane,
a millionaire, who died in New
s., 600, coo to the University at New
Orleans before his death. Tulane began
life as a farmers boy and was born near
Princeton, y. J. He made his money at
the start as a merchant tailor in New
Orleans, and he spent his last days in his
native state. lie often gave away hun
dreds of turkeys upon a single Christ
mas, and many poor family relied upon
him for Its winter clothing. Z. T. Bar
mum gave few years ago winter house
plants to more than 600 working people
of Bridgeport, Conn. Armour IS a man
who is very charitable to his employees,
and delights in helping them. If he sees
a man trying to get along he promotes
him, and he induces his men wherever
possible to buy homes and to strike for
as high a mark in life as possible
George w. Childs of Philadelphia,
insures the life of every editor, reporter,
clerk, and head of department in his
employ He provides them with doctors
when they are sick, and when dead they
are given a burial plot in Woodlawn
Cemetery, which is now known as the
Printers Cemetery. He and his friend
Drexel lalelysgave $40, 600 to the Intcrna-
tional Typographical Union.
Every Christmas he gives every in
dvdual member of the Leiger staff a
present in money ranging from $40 to
$500, and he tries 10 make money for his
men. When they become old and broken
down he retires them on full pay, and a
number of his employees have grown rich
in his service. Like most rich men noted
for benevOlence he is 0 :crrun with beg
gars, and he generally gives even to the
tramps. Mr.. Childs gets about 200 beg
cling letters every day.
Senator Stanford's gift of $40, 600 900
to establish the University in California
is one of the largest of the kind known to
history, and this gift is three times the
size of the fortune which Stephen Girard
lett. Glrard's fortune amounted to about
seven millions and a half, and Of this he
left six millions to his university He
gave nearly all his property to the public,
and out OF his whole fortune his re atives
received only $I40 600. George l. Sency
gave $500, 00Ot0 the Wesleyan University
of Middletown, Conn, and his charities
which have been chiefly educational
have amounted to over 81, 500, COO Asa
Packer gave about So, 600, 900 to the Lee
high University, and there is a college at
Cleveland which received $500, 600 from
the estate of Amasa Stone. This college
is called Adclbert College, and it com
memofatc, Nj Stones son, Adelbert who
was at Yale College at the time of his
death and who was drowned while on a
botanical excursion in Connecticut. Vas
sar College was founded by Matthew
c1SSdl3 W no 9i\C PdDt, tVO LON dlu II,
and %assar's son added to this amount.
Peabody's charity extended to Yale and
Harvard, each of which cot $3.50. 600
from him. He gave $4,000, coo to the
Southern Educational f. I'D, 81, 800. 600
to the Peabody Institl at Baltimore,
and $40, 600 to the Peabody Academy in
Massachusetts. Senator Joe Brown, Of
Georgia, has given $50, 600 to university
fbpp4 NN3n1y1oo l-ar Of Dhil,,l11,
gave $50, 900 TO the Bethany Sunday
school Of that city, and Robert L. Stuart,
the millionaire sugar Tetiner who died
about five years ago, had given before
his death $500, 600 to Princeton College,
and he left it $150, 600 more
One of the curious charities of the
United States is the Louise Home at
Washington. This is home for re-
duCcd gentlewOmen. 1t is supported by
W. W. Corcoran, and is named after
Corcoran's deceased daughter Louise.
The ground upon which it stands is
worth a fortune and the beautiful build
ing erected upon it must have cost several
hundred thousand dollars The ladies adj
mittcd to this home live there as though
at q hotel. They have their rooms to
themselves, they are treated as though
they were the owners Of the house. and
they entertain their friends NJ. Cor
coran always visits them New Years,
and he pays all the expenses of the irsti-
tuition. Another of Corcorau' tcharities
is the Art Gallery, which has already cost
q fortune and to which he will leave
another at his death. He gave the money
which brought John Howard Payne to
this country, and in respect to this kind
of giving George ". Child5, of Phila-
delphia, is like unto him. Childs was a
large subscriber to the Edgar 4. Poe
monument in Baltmo He put me-
mortal window in an English church to
the memory of the poet Tom Moore
He subscribed largely to the monument
to Alexander II. Stephens, and he gave,
a year or so ago, $500 to erect monu-
ments to the two Southern poets, Haine
and Richard Henry Wilde.
Amos Lawrence, one of the noted
Boston millionaires Of the past, gave
more than 5000, 900 in charity, and
Burnside, the A. T. Stewart Of New