The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-02-10
GEORGE ". cH1Lps.

held in the Drexel institute on Satur-
day. Jan. 26. Twice during the day Nh.
.hilds went in person to the institute
and in person had seen that all necessary
arrangements We're made. His enforced
absence from the ceremony worried him
profoundly, aud to this fact was largely
due the relapse which occurred on the
night Of Sunday, the 21st.
A Money Getter and u Money Givcr.
manhood Mt its very best, und by his death
not only America but the English speak
ing race has lost one of its noblest char
acters, for the benevolence of Mr.. Childs
has made his name as familiar on the
other side OF the Atlantic as on this.
Mr.. Childs was born in Baltimore, May
10, 1870. He attended private schools
there until he was fourteen years old,
when he went to Philadelphia audbecamea
clerk in u book store. Even ut. this time he
he had already begun to display all the
chief qualities of mind and heart HE
marked his character in after years. He
was a great iavorite among his bovish
friends both in Baltimore and Phi!adel-
phia. "His heart was always larger than
his means" wrote one of his boyhood
friends in after years. He had the same
industry, integrity. checrfnlness and
determination which finally put into his
hands the great wealth which lie has dis
pensed with sucL a lavish hand. II re.
Der that he wrote to me years ngo,
when we were both boys saidthc gentle
man already quoted, that he meant to
prove that a man could be liberal and
successful at the same time"
Upon reaching Philadelphia, a vigorous
LAD of IA. he knew but one family in the
city, and they, soon removing, left him
friendiess there. He found employment
in his old vocation of shop boy in a book
evening he was intrusted by his employer
with the duty of frequcliting book auc-
tons md making purchases. and by the
time he was 6 he was regularly deputed
to attend Ii book trade sales in New
York and Boston. AT the end of four
years service he hired u small room in
the old Public Ledger building with the
little capital he had saved out of his earn
ing, and went into tho book business for
himself.
Mr.. Childs as a Publisher.
His success. at first slow and after
.rard more rapid, at length enabled him
to go into the publishing business in u
Oldest way. The head Of the publishing
.rm of r. E. Peterson & Co. recognized
.he capacity of Mr. Cliilds, and although
the money capital he was able to contrib
ute was small, he took him into partner-
ship. Nearly all the ventures of the firm
were successful. They published few
books, but those they did bring out lad
n steady sale, ana in addition
to this the firm succeeded in MAX
ing a special hit about once u year. A
works of high utility. involving an outlay
such as few young publishers have evcr
been in a position to undertake. No pub
lisher's list has ever contained less of the
sensational. Among the massively use
Jul books bearing the imprint of the firm
is DIR. Allibone's Dictionary OF English
and American Authors" which is dedi-
there has been produced by one man Il
book involving Il greater amount of labor
or one containing a smaller proportion Of
errors h this colossal dictionary.
During his career as n publisher of
books Mr.. Childs never lost sight of his
%favoritc object, the control OF a great
daily newspaper. Tho time came When
he could crafty this ambition. The Pub
lie Ledger. which was founded in 1896 MS n
penny paper, u? to the beginning of the
civil war had been u very profitable VEN
turc for its proprictors, but had fallen on
evil days. The war, by doubling the cost
of material and labor. had rendered ii i'm.
possible to continue it at the original
price except at II loss. Moreover, one OF
the three original proprietors was dead,
was absorbed in the management
of another enterprise and the third was
indifferent. The paper vas being pub
lished at n weekly loss of $4,000. Under
these circumstances Mr.. Chilts, az .inst
the strong advice of his frtenGs, DO ight
the Ledger fora sum little exceeding the
amount OF its annual loss.
The Success of the Public Ledger
The purchase was completed December
a 1URf A..
doubled the price of the paper and ad-
vanced the advertising rates TO the com
p~ensating point. AT first the shock to the
establishment was severe. Both subscribe
crs and advertisers fell off. but in a few
days the tide turned. AT the end OF u
month he made n concession which re-
stored the paper to more than Its former
n%scendency by reducing the price from =
cents n day to 10 cents per week. Trifling
as this change may seem mt first 1t was
very important in determining the future
of the paper. The bulk of tile population
of Philadelphia is composed of highly re-
spected families whose means are limited
aud to whom cconomy Is a thing OF rom
science. necessity md life long habit, The
Ledger not only reached its former stand
ard of circulation and advertising patron
age, but went far beyond 1t and became
one Of the most profitable newspapers in
The country.
The Bencvolence OF Mr.. Childs.
For q long time Mr.. Childs gave his IN
meritting personal attention to the man.
agement of the Ledger in all its depart.
ments, but of recentyears he left the main
responsibility for its conduct to other
hands and devoted his time to his friends
aud his numerous schemes OF b~encvolence.
Few men either living or dead have such
q record for philanthropy as Mr.. Chiids,
whether considered from the actuai
amount of money given away or the wise
and iudicious manner in which the bency-