Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-28
FOR POOR BOYS AND GIRLS,
Jacob Tones Plans for Free Training
School.

Baltimore telegram to the N. Y. Tribune, JAN 80
The endowment by Jacob Tome Of a free
seminary and manual training school at Port
Deposit will not be 100000, as reported, but
will be nearly $3,0O0.OO0, if not more. His
plans are fully formed. and work ON the semi
nary will be vigorously pushed, Port Deposit
is town of about {, 200 population, on the east
side of the Susquehanna river. 1t is there that
Mr.. Tome arose from penury to wealth. He
could not be induced to talk Of the school Until
tonight, when he said:
81 want to give poor boys and girls chance.
know what it is to fight your own way in life,
and if can want to try and make the road a
little smoother for others. My purpose is to
erect the necessary schools and warehouses; for
five hundred children. want them to have a
practical education and sound manual training.
The boys want to teach the use of tools, and
want them to learn the groundwork of any
trade they may select The girls will be taught
may learn telegraphy. shorthand, typewritng,
and the other occupations in which other Young
women are engaged. The school is designed
primarily for orphans of residents of Port De-
post; second, for children of residents of Port
Deposit; third, for orphans of residents of
Cecil county; fourth, children of citizens of
Cecil county, and if there are then still accom-
modations left, all Maryland shall have a chance.
1t will not be a boarding school. desire to
keep my plan free from the idea of charity
house. 1 expect to set aside 80 600 900 as an
endowment fund. I intend to erect several
buildings on two acres of ground, which have
set aside. They will cost probably $500 O0O
and hope to start work on them next year."
1t is probable that Mr.. Tome will make the
endowment three million instead of two He
is much interested in the work. and in wishing
to see it accomplished before his death, is fol-
lowing the example of Isaiah Williamson and
Enoch Pratt. The school is incorporated as
1.-THE Tome Male and Female Seminary of Port
Deposit" The incorporators are Evalyn S.
Henry c. Nesbitt, Samuel H. Rowland John
NJ. Clenahan, Thos. c. Bond, Robt. c. Hopkins,
and Peter E. Tome, all of whom are residents
of Cecil county. Mr.. Tome is a selfmade man.
He was born August -, 1910, in Mannheim
township, York county, Pennsylvania of Ger
man parents. His early educational advantages
consisted of a few short winter sessions at a
district school. For several years he hired out
at farm work in Pennsylvania. His first step
upward was as school teacher. He fitted him
self for the place by private study and for two
years had charge of school near Elizabeth
town, Lancaster county, Pa. In 1888 he went
to Port Deposit and got employment in hotel
afterward securing clerkship with lumber
dealers in that town. His activity and earnest
ness attracted attention, and David Rinehart a
banker and lumber merchant of Marietta, Pa
proposed business connection, putting up
$4,000 against young Tones service. The firm
of Tome d Rinehart was thus started, and for
sixteen years its success was uninterrupted. In
1851 Mr.. Rinehart died, and the accounts
showed a capital of 100000. Since that time
Mr.. Tome has been one of the most active and
enterprising capitalists in Maryland, and his
business connections extend over several states
Now he is many times q millionaire.
Mr.. Tome was a strong Union man during
the war. He has always been sturdy republi-
can. He was a member of the state legislature
in 1864, and was the republican candidate for
governor of Maryland in 1871, but was defeated
by VIM. Pinckney Whyte.