Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-03-08
From, the Ntlc York Record.
The Pleasures and Penalties Of Riches

From he NeiC York Record.
The Pleasures and Penalties Of Riches.
1t is generally accepted that wealthy PEG
pie are penurious, 4. T. Stewart was the
one extreme, H. b. Clafin the other The
moment people learn of philanthropy and
wealth combined, TO use a street expression
"they go for them \ representative call
ed upon a number Of merchants well known
on the great thoroughfare and in social cir
cles but the dread of publicity regarding
their charities rendered them absolutely I'M
approachable on the subject. Upon the
public announcement of 4 donation the
mails food the desk with thousands of let
tiers, asking for loans or gifts to an extent
bordering upon the preposterous. The pri-
yate Office of Charles Broadway ROuss, pre-
scented no exception. In the days mail of
nearly one thousand were thirty-four beg
ging letters and Of that number but six
were from people he had known, the others
he had never heard of before. The heavi-
est was for the loan Of $1,000 to improve
his farm, offering to secure it by pledge of
his personal honor. Another $4,000 for
distribution among the poor promising the
donors name should not be known.
a girl wanted 500 to educate herself,
could give reference but did not want her
name known and signed fictitious name !;
one had been sentenced to States prison for
three year, and 5000 would get him a new
trial. 800 was wanted to buy handsome
tomb stone for dear friend. The lightning
had destroyed church and 500 would
build another, one acknowledging receipt
of $50. \ Baltimore woman wanted to
know why he did not give her the money he
had given the poor on Christmas day as she
was poorer than any of them, nearly all had
promised him that the good Lord would pay
him back at the rate Of about ten for one.
\ lady returned her thanks for - but
coming to business" she said she wanted
to borrow 81 900 for ) years and would pay
ten per cent interest. \ printed postal card
fitted all such cases reading "Mr. Rouss
never lends and never borrows." With one
moment of his busy iunumerahle typewri-
tiers and the borrower is answered. \ GUS
toner Of his early career had a watch he
had bought of him 30 years before in Win
chester, as good as ever, keeping good time,
had paid $3.50 for it, would sell it as SOU
yenier for SO.
He has a private secretary who gets away
with the mass Of insuGcrablc rubbish, a
printed copy after the following ia mailed
to few whilst the bulk is filed or destroyed.
Appeals to Mr. Rousi OF similar charac-
| ter to the extent of six hundred unanswered,
increasing every day, preclude~ the idea OF
his ever reading much less answering:
| Were he to give the amount asked he would
! have to begin life over again. lils great
and >uccessiul business demands his entire
| time and attention To drop this to attend
to personal appeals from unknown people
would be rs fatal as it is thankless, and be
sides he prefers to scatter his charities I'M
solicited
mentioned thr name 10 Mr. Rouss who
does not remember ever having heard OF
YOU" OPIE.
Unless from personal friends or people
well known To- him he never reads these
epistolary curiosites. Whilst running
through these he had cut through with
about one hundred business letters \ sin
gle glance will Ieiecl basiness from thepro-
fcssional besgar, The briet period we sat
near his desk some twenty persons called to
say something nearly all Of whom he an
swered without looking up from his bust
ness. To pointed question as to his ea3-
IL donations he parted it by a remark that
one day a book was presented for his dona-
tions to the lnebriate Home, signed for five
hundred modestly asking the applicant
chow is that for high ~ First rate an
swered the pretty pleader turning a few
pages back with a gift of S25,oOO from Mrs.
John Jacob Astor. Others were waiting,
and we were crowded from the presence of
this busy worker who has the proud dis.
tinction Of working sixteen hours day and
who was the only Mercantile Autocrat who
would coudescend to give Us an audience
and a civil answer on the subject of Doua-
tions.