The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-02-15
GEORGE w. CHILDS.
/ AN EXEMPLAR FOR YOUNG MEN
OF TO-DAY.
The Secret of His Success and
Popularity---A Man Of Pure and
Exalted Character, Whose
Cardinal Virtues We're Perse-
verance, Temperance and Fru-
gality.
(CharlOtte Observer.

Perhaps nothing more encourages
a young man just stripping for the
race of life than the example Of one
who has finished his course, coming
out in the end laurel crowned win
ner. Many youth has been filled
with enthusiasm and stimulated TO
powerful determination from studying
the eventful lives of great men, men
who have pushed aside all obstacles
and overcome all difficulties.
Any man who keeps before his eyes
these three cardinal virtues, perse-
verence, temperance and frugality, is
bound to succeed. Success may come
slowly at first, but it will come surely,
and the greater the efforts expended
to attain it, the sweeter it will be when
it does come, finally and fully.
Philadelphia has just lost her great
est citizen, George w. Childs, man
who lived after his maturer manhood
in unbounded affluence, and with
every comfort and luxury; man who
enjoyed the friendship of the greatest
men of his day, the intimate friend Of
Thackeray and Dickens, of Long
fellow, Whittier, Lowell and Holmes,
of Grant, Tilden, Randall, and many
other public men. A Philadelphia
paper giving sketch of his eventful
life, says:
In those young days OF the nation he
knew and corresponded with William
Cullen Bryant, Fitz Green Halleck,
George Bancroft, John Lothrop Motley,
John &. Whittier, James Russell Lowell,
and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He visited
the aged Washington Irving at Sunny
side. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote to
him confidentially how he had named
the A tlantic Monthlya and why he had started
the AutOcrat. Hawthorne revealed to
him the history of the Scarlet Letter.
Prescott sat for his own photograph.
Harper discussed with him the proposed
new Monthly; Longfellow copied for him
his Radnor Church poem when Mr.. Childs
bought his estate near the historic
church of st. David's, where he buried
General Anthony Wayne. One of his
earliest and most intimate friends was
the elder ames Gordon Bennett. Another
was Thurlow Weed. He was on the most
friendly terms with men of all parties
and creeds. He accompanied Thomas
H. Benton to Boston, when he delivered
his great Grafton there, and returned to
entertain Edward Everett.
At the Philadelphia Centennial, he
entertained at his house, among other
distinguished guests, the Emperor and
Empress of Russia.
This man who enjoyed the con-
sideration of great men, was an obscure
shop boy of Baltimore, who went to
Philadelphia in 1S43 when he was IA
years old, and clerked in book store
for 50 week, $3.50 of which he spent
for board and lodging. He was
faithful in his work, and only four
years had elapsed before he had enough
money to start book store of his own.
His ambition as boy was to become
owner of the Public Le4ger, the
greatest Philadelphia paper in his day.
At the age of 81 he realized his
ambition, becoming joint owner with
Anthony J. Drexel, who had become
his friend and helper long before. He
also became a great publisher.
There is nothing miraculous in the
success l have met with, he stated late
in his life, in his advce to young men.
If man has good principles and does
his best to act up to them, he should not
fail of success. Industry, temperance,
frugality-write these words upon your
hearts and practice them in your lives.
1t is good thing to have good motto,
but it is better to live up to one. Five
other notices haveever been helpful and
encouraging to me throughout my busy
life: BE true be kind keep out OF
debt do the best and leave the rest,
what can't be cured must be endured.
He bestowed his benefactlonS before
his death, thus seeing with his own
eyes the great good he was enabled
to do.