The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-02


I pertinent was 50 successful that William
was promoted q be vice president Of the
Hag.em road, a position IN which he proved
himself inTaiuable 10 his father and to the
property. Thereafter he kept pace with
every forNa step Of the commodore
and was very important factor In build
I ing up the prosperity OF his undertakings
As wee president OF the consolidated New
FORK Central and Hudson River he per
formed an amount OF WORK which, as some
OF MS friends think, contributed 20 his
death-a comparatively premature one in a
family distinguished for longevity.
William II. Vanderbilt never sought no
torlety for his acts Of munifcence. bus they
were neither few nor small He voluntarily
paid TO his brother Cornelius an annuity
nve times as large as that named by his
fathers will. he presented each Of his Sis
tiers with $4,000 in United States bonds
lie added 81 800, 900 10 the 81, 900. 900 given
hy the commodore to the Vanderbilt Uni
versity at Nashville. Tenn. He bore the
| expense Of bringing the obelisk that now
stands IN Central park from Alexandria to
New York, which cost over 10000 He
gave $4,000 to the College Of Physicians
and Surgeons. His will distributed another
81, 900, 900 among various charities
That VIII, which disposed of the greatest
fortune ever yet bequeathed, was remark
able document III more ways than one. IL
followed the commodores policy Of main
tanning the bulk of the family wealth prac-
tically intact and united, and az the same
time 1t satisfied the participants in the dis
tributlon, and was commended as polite
and equitable 10y public opinion. Ten mil
lion dollars and one Of the andesbilt houses
on Fifth avenue were given 70 each of the
teStatOr's eight children Then, after Il
long list of smaller legacies TO relatives
friends, employees and charitable religious
institutions, the residuary estate was equally
divided between the two elder sons.
William II. Vanderbilt's family consisted
of four sons-Cornellus, William Washing
ton Nissan, Frederick William and George
and four daughters. Mrs. Elliott f. Shep-
ard. Mrs. William d. Sloane, Mrs. H. Mex
Twombly and Mrs. W. s. Webb. All Of
them were-no doubt fortunately for them
selves-born and brought up while their
tpthsr was a comparatively poor man, and
IN their childhood they knew little of the
luxury Of wealth. Never was a better or
dered household than the severely simple
one where these eight children received IA
training that has been of luestmable value
to them. Rarely has so large family
turned out SO notably well. The four sons
are, mentally and physically, excellent
specimens of the American gentleman.
There / 5 a saving that it Ia Ies three gen.
erations of wealth 20 make a gentleman.
htiO 10 hOOuI llluCLl lTuIu III luis rs In
some other accepted sayings. Ii is doubtful
whether three generations Of wealth do not
unInake as many gentlemen as they make
Mlllonaires' sons aud grandsons do not
usually compare favorably. either in brain
power or culture with their fathers and
grandfathers We have all heard of the
rich man who declined to let his son travel
abroad, not because he objected to letting
his boy see the world, but because he was
uueVlllinU T. allOuy a world IN -,
In the admirable manhood of Cornelius
Vanderbilt and his brothers we see not
the eXemp litication of rule so much as an
agreeable exception 10 the customary order
of social evolution.
Cornelius Vanderbilt was 40 years old
when the sudden death of his father on Dec
$, 1855, raised him to the head of New
Hork's greatest moneyed family. That
headship is not merely al empty phrase, il
may he rema ked. for The wealth of the
Nandsrbilts. though not held in common
as that of the Rothschilds is said to be, is
vet kept together by strong bonds Of fam
lily alliance, and is practically controlled
as u unit by the elder brothers
Catering the world of business in his
teens as clerk in the Shoe and
Leather Bank, Cornelius was always. like
his father, nard worker. He left the bank
to fulfill the duties of a subordinate position
in the Office Of the New York Central and
worked mis- way up the ladder until, az his
fathers death he was ready to take the
vacant place at the head Of the manage
ment of the great railroad interests TO
the duties that this position entails his at
tention has been unremitting Not only
does he deal with large questions of general
policy, but he gives personal attention 20
details that many would consider trihing-.
for the reason that no one else can atteOd
to them equally well.
There are few more publc-spirited mon
than Cornelius Vanderbilt. His charities,
as we'll as his wite's. are numerous and uu~
ostentations He takes an especially deep
interest in all movements for the benefit OF
boys aud young men. OF the New York
Young Mems Christian Association he is an
active supporter, and its branches for rail-
road men are largely his own or cation He
gives TO these worthy institutions something
more valuable than money contributions
he gives them share Of his time and his
personal effort, and is frequent attendant
and speaker at their meetings. He also
gave to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
one OF its finest and most valuable paint
lngs-Rosa Bonheur's famous Horse
Fair
Mr.. Vanderbilt is q church warden OF st.
Bartholomew, the handsome Episcopal
house of worship on Madison avenue. He
succeeded to the office a, the death of his
father, why had held IL Tor many years, and
whose name Is now craven on bronze
memorial tablet on the wall of the edidce,
He is active in the work of the church and
liberal ana cheerful giver to the missions
connected with it.
In his home life, too, Mr.. Vanderbilt is
most happily situated. He is a model hus-
band and father, and is very fortunate in
his family relations He was married
twenty-four years ago TO Miss Alice Clay
wood Gwinn of Cincinnati, and has had
seven children The eldest, who is named
William II, after his grandfather, is Yale
student. and very promising boy.
His New York residence, at the northwest
corner OF Fifth avenue aud Fifty-seyenth
street, ia considered one OF the Handsomely
houses in the country Its well chosen pict-
ures and extensive library show the cultured
MUD of its owner, whose tastes are as re-
fined and intellectual as mis- habits are Sc
verely simple and unostentatious. Still, he
is far from being an ascetic, and enjoys the
good things OF life as he has u right TO enjoy
them. His cottage at Newport, The Break
ers. is one of the finest of the summer capt.
tails palaces. His holiday trips abroad are
spent amid the best soclalities of Paris aud
London or the art treasures Of the hlstor-
ical cities of Italy.
None Of the Vanderbilt brothers is ac-
lively interested in the speculations Of Wall
street. Great as is the power they might
yield in the cattle of bulls and bears they
prefer. wisely indeed, to stand aloof from
the fray and to devoce themselves to the
management of their vast and substantial
property. II is fortunate for the public
kaf thar ynnpaxyod -