The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-27


who think straight and shoot the same
way, and are in no manner 70 be regarded
as being like the Georgia cracker ov the
poor white Of the lowlands
The mansion that is the central figure
Of all this spread Of scenery is worthy OF
its surroundings. OF granite and marble
mined from the mountains near which
the building stands, its appearance as
seen through the towering trees that sur
round 1t is impressive II is not lorg and
low and rambling as most southern dwell
/ ings are. Instead, ii rises to the height
Of four stories, not counting the lower
| floor where domestic work is done, or the
| story next TO the roof But it is broad
and long, and impressive. Mr.. Wander
bilt was largely his own architect, and
the result would indicate that he is not a
bad one. He has been courageous enough
to borrow literally from others, but
| mainly from Switzerland, for the
! house as seen from u distance
| resembles an Alpine chateau. The
massive mountains near by add 10
this impression. The house is as vet in
an unfinished condition, but work on it's
interior has gone sufficiently far to enable
one to see that it will be a magnificent
structure when finished The halls in it
are as wide and lofty as those in the old
houses in England. There are no small
rooms The dining halls are immense.
There are no less than so guest chambers,
an indication that Mr.. Vanderbilt does
not intend to be hermit in his noun
tain home. There are several large
rooms evidently intended to be reception
rooms, and there is a huge ball room look
ing out upon the mountains showing a
most romantic scene by moonlight The
baths are of marble mined from the
mountains near by, and the whole interior
is rich in appearance and arrangement
The stables at a distance alone are
finer than many modern houses, and the
kennels there is yet game in these
mOuntains-are on plane with the other
buildings.
Withal there is nothing glaring or
garlsh about this. Many modern houses
would look ridiculous in the midst of the
wild mountain scenery, but Mr. Wander
bilt has been fortunate enough to bring
about harmony and TO make his splendid
home appear natural part of the scene
presented.
No one but MIR. Vanderbilt himself
knows what all this has cost him. The
amount is small compared with what it
would have been had the estate been in
the north. Land in Western North Caro-
lima when Vanderbilt purchased was
ridiculously low. So was all sorts of
ordinary labor, for skilled labor had to
come from the north at northern rates of
wages. But the building material was
right at hand TO be cut or mined, and
nature herself had been the surveyor and
landscape gardner as well.
Whatever Mr.. Vanderbilt has expend-
ed upon his estate, however, has been
well spent, for he has the most beautiful
country home in America, and in q spot
as healthful as may be found anywhere
The farm as much as the library is
George Vanderbilt's hobby just now He
has found health in experimenting it and
he will be strange member of the Van
derbilts If he does not make the farm in
the end pay for itself despite the heavy
outlay upon it. One thing he has already
set out to do, and considering his capital
and the locality of his farm he should
succeed. He proposes to give our Ameri-
can flower growers the benefit of some ex-
perimeuts that he will make regardless of
expense He is an enthusiast on the sub
ject of flowers, and it is his intention, or
more properly, perhaps, his ambition, to
grow on his southern farm orchids, palms,
chrysanthemums and other rare flowers
that may not be excelled. If money
counts for anything he will probably sue
coed. Mr.. Vanderbilt spends good deal
of his time in the south, and while he has
never gone in for sport as some other
young men do, he has become somewhat
hunter by mixing with the Carolina
mount aineers, whereby his health has
been benefited even if he has not made a
record as a Nimrod
But George Vanderbilt does not devote
all of his large income to those things
that appeal most to his own inclinations
and tastes. He is like all of the Wander
bits, large giver to charities that are
deserving. Like al of his family he gives
with discrimination. and is not of the
sort to scatter money without knowing
the purpose to which it is to be applied.
But he is no niggard. When the project
of new building for the New York col
lege for teachers was to the fore, he gave
lots for the purpose near the new site of
Columbia college worth a small fortune
at the time and sure to be worth much
more This is but one of many similar
acts. Usually, however, the public hears
and knows nothing of his deeds of benev-
olence. They are mainly in aid of educa-
tional objects, for he is not of quite so re-
ligiOus turn as his elder brother Corne-
Illus, who is a mainstay of the Young
Mems Christian Association, and of nu-
merOus semi-religious organizations.
Take him all in all, George Vanderbilt
is very good type of the young man of
to-day who is so made up mentally and
morally that great wealth cannot spoil
him He had every opportunity to turn
out an idle spendthrift as great MANY
y
make garish displays of richness and vul-
garity and to help make good the criti-
cisms often freely passed upon the sons of
rich men. He did not make use of these
opportunities, and when you meet him
alone or in company he is always the
same, quite an transformations and cOurte-
Gus gentleman. A ripe scholar, he makes
no show of the fact being satisfied with
the pleasure it gives himself With vast
wealth he handles it wisely, but opens
his purse when there is legitimate need
for it to be opened. 1t Is hardly strange,
all things considered, that he should be
more popular among his fellows than rich
men of his age usually are.
FOSTER COATES
Long, know an artist who painted
runaway horse 1t was so natural that the
beholders jumped out Of the way
Drowning -Humphi NY friend McGilp
painted portrait of a lady that was so natur-