The Portland daily press., 1890-04-26
STORIES OF C, w. ChlLDS.
Two Occasions on which He l.
Known to have been Angry.
TCorrespondence Of the Press.l

Correspondence OF Lne ITeSS.l
PHILADELPHIA, April 24-Mild, genial
and gentle as Mr.. G. w. Childs, of The
Philadelphia Ledger, is known to be,
there are at least two occasions on record
when he has shown something akin to an
ger, but it is more than probable that the
recording angel has let fall couple of
tears that blotted out the record of those
two lapses from his usual serenity Of
manner and gentleness of speech, for it
is pretty certain that he felt himself fully
justified, which doubtless had its weight
in the judgment of that good angel.
On one occasion the writer of this was
in his Office and for an hour watched
him as he received the motley collection
of unfortunate persons who came there
for aid. Mr.. Childs sat in his chair, and
each person came forward from the outer
office to the small inner one, which only
held himself and the one person.
Sand what do you want?" he would
say kindly and alphabetically and then
the person, man or woman, would tell
his tale of sorrow or suffering, and Mr..
Childs would say nothing more than to
ask how much money was needed, and
then, without a moments hesitation,
hand out the sum required and cut short
the thanks almost brusquely and hurry
the person out, to go through the same
formula with another.
No unworthy person could Withstand
the mild and trustful kindliness in those
eyes, that were full of tears more than
once that day as some simple but sor-
rowful tale Of misery was told him. He
had an obituary poem put into the paper
for poor old woman's dead grandchild,
and he gave broken down printer money
to start job Office, and no small sum,
either, and he gave a man money to bury
his wife and new born baby, and news
boy money to buy a bootblack's kit for
little friend who did not put in his ap-
pearance. All these applicants and very
many more, from the broken banker to
the sick book agent, went away rejoicing
After there had been many of these
visits there entered a lank and oily, long
haired man, who at once opened out on
the evils of giving money to beggars and
persons who might go right off and spend
- - o. - - - y
bing and wound up by asking Mr.. Childs
to give thousand dollars to help mis-
sionary church society. Mr.. Childs rose
up in his place, and his usually rosy color
gave place to one still roster, while his
eyes fairly snapped fire as he said: ''Not
a cent, sir, not cent; get outl'
The other time was when the political
kettle was just beginning to simmer, be-
fore the nomination of Hayes, and there
was party very anxious to obtain Mr..
Childs' consent to nomination for presi-
dent, and among all those brave men there
was not one who dare breach the SUBJ
ject to him. So they found a woman
who knew Mr.. Childs, and who did not
know his deep rooted aversion to Office
holding, and who thought that the word
she brought was going to bring him
pleasure, and she was proud to be the
bearer of SO important a message.
The good man listened as the lady un-
folded her tale, but she grew frightened
as she proceeded, observing that instead
of receiving the news with pride and
feeling that it was but just and de-
served expression of the sentiments of
his good friends, clouds gathered over
his usually benign features, and she
grew confused and frightened at her
temerity, but persevered until her errand
was done.
"You tell se-those-cowards who
put an ignorant woman to do what they
dare not come and say themselves, that
I'll see them - l mean-ahem, well for
reasons of my own I decline-irrevoca-
bly, and entirely. And now, my dear
madam, you needn't be SO frightened,
for you've done no wrong, only you've
been made catspaw of. Let me adj
wise you to keep out of politics forever,
as shall. Good day"