The morning call., 1893-07-23
FOUNDING A FAMILY ESTATE.

George W. Vanderbilt. young member
OF the millionaire family of New York. is
laying out an estate in North Carolina in
style which no one but very wealthy
man could affrrd 10 attempt, and which in
extent and magn6ceDce has heretofore
had no parallel in the United States. He
is endeavorng to do in his own lifetime
what the oldest European families only
achieve in generations. He will have
vast domain brought under the cultivation
Of the gardener and the landscape artist,
with a noble environment of woods. lake
and mountain land abundantly tim bered,
but also made accessible by good roads,
and in the midst of this setting he is to
have a mansion which is to cost five mil
lion dollars. and perhaps filled with fur
niture, pictures and statuary worth sew
eral millions more. Whether it is a wise
expenditure Of a portion OF his colossal
fortune, seeing that he might be happy
with a much smaller display of grandeur,
it is mmaterial to inquire. II is spending
his money in the artistic embrllisbment
of Is. 600 acres, with 20. 600 additional acres
as park, and great mansion and an army
of servants are necessary to sustain his
role of grand seigneur.
1t will be ackno wledged that there is
vast difference between a large estate
sophisticated in this fashion, like the
ducal heritages of Chatswortn and Chan
tlly, and a mere wild stretch of territory
owned as a ranch, over which roam
thousands of cattle. The labor required
for such Improvements is enormous.
Much money is put into circulation. and
il is much better the Vanderbilt taste
should turn in this direction than in
dawdling existence and fortune away in
Europe while processing 10 be American
and an admirer of simplicity and equality.
1t is bet er thus to be an arstocrat, en-
ploying hundreds OF gardeners, agricul-
turists, fore sters, game preserverS and
servantseon a home demesne, than to keep
IN big town house and oscillate between
a business office and a club and a theater.
If other miilionaires follow the example
and take pride in their neighborhood
and State, their ostentation must have
some compensation for the general COM
munity who are least of all interested in
a man boarding his fortune with miserly
thrift
Mr. Vanderbilt obtained the services of
Mr.. Olmstead of Worlds Fair fame to lay
out his & ounds. 1t requires little genius
TO undertake the work. No fewer than
700 men ar. employed, and their wages
run from 81 a day 10 ST.. 600 year. this
being the salary of the overseer. There
are several miles of approach to the house,
incompatible in beauty. No public park
in the United States contains so much TO
arrest the eye pleasurably and delight the
lover of nature and art associated. An
arboretum is in process OF formation, by
far the largest in the United States, WHERE
in every shrub and Tree in the world
which will grow In North Carolina is to
be found. What delight to the botaniSt.
The park of 10000 acres is TO be stocked
with game. but in addition there are to be
deer parks and lakes. and no doubt the
mansion will be embowered beautifully,
and its towers Will command exquisite
views. So far there are sixty-fve miles Of
IN aca damiz-d road and ten miles of rail-
road Perhaps the latter civilizng agent
IS not intended TO be permanent, but why
not give refinement to the railroad aud
the iron horse also.
In house like this, with such splen-
did setting, Mr.. Vanderbilt, who is only
80 years of age, is certain to entertain
largely. He has the means to live like
prince and to play the part Of the man
with many friends, and he must, in order
TO be comfortable in what would other
wise he iiderness and solitude, employ
a long retinue of servants. The public
also may flock to his estate bent on
sightseeing. That is one of the penalties
OF living as grand seigneur. but when the
public are welcomed, as in so many cases
in Europe, there is a joy in being able to
give the world a little entertainment in
the contemplation Of beautiful things. 1t
S ca &c of nnhlessa nhlioa