Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-10

IpMNtDOlsE ElBlsllJE GEkls1. larly rated at SEQ, GOO. 900 and pays over $lOO. 900 taxes yearly on his real estate.
 His favOrite diversion is ill his famous steam yacht, which cost over $400, 900, and he got his title by being elected colnmodorr of the New York Yacht club. He is dcvout Episcopalian and n law yer, but does not work at it much and dCvotcs most of his activities to the So- cicty For the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, of which he has been presi- dent since lN79. He began this work as counsel for the Aid society in 1870 and was chief founder of the new society in IS9I.
 He was born in New York city on Christmas day, lS31. and few men of his age are 90 vigorous. Since he took charge of it tho society has taken over 31, ,OGO children out of tho slums or away from cruel parents and guardians and furnished them with good homes, has PrO>ccutCd about I,OO0 men and women for miStrcating children and convicted many. Little tots who could scarcely toddlc on their emaciatcd legs were taken from the streets, where their worthless parents had driven them to beg, pcdllc or sell newspapers, and thousands of these are now healthy. happy and well to do young men and women. But he has had great trouble with his agents. as every man must who undertakes any reform in the slums of New York. Again and again hc has found that they were bribcd or badly influenced in other ways Then there would be an explosion, a general recon struction and q new start.
 So far the general public was with him. but when he sought to prevent children from appearing on the stage | there WIS n great difference of opinion. He succeeded i'll securing the passage of n law prohibiting children from singing or dancing in public unless with the approval of the society. This made him a veritablo censor of the stage, and great fight there has been about it. Many a child which was to sing q song or do a little dance i'll public had to first go through q rehearsal where the commo- dorc was all the audience, and in many | cases he has put q veto on the perform anCC. The mayor has often opposed him. | and the police have been unfriendlv. but | his veto iS final. In lSSS he caused | Mayor Hewitt to revoke the license of Josef Hoffman. tine l1-ycar old pianist. and in defense of his action made sweep ! ing charges against the drama generally.
 He said that law lcgalizing child acting would be n law for the dcstruc ton of morals and incidentally added that New York city contained 9.000 sa- | looms and 2j,OOO women of absolute lives. Then there was a storm. Good | judges think. however, that he proved his case When. however, he followed this with broadside to the effect that the American people are deteriorating and that the pubic schools in cities are largely the cause of il, he once more had the good people to contend with. He stood up strenuously for his view, but explained that the trouble was that the schools were controlled by n political machine. and that the only remedy was tO go back to the time honored custom of teaching religion in them.
 The commodore is one of the central nucleus of the inner ring of the Four Hundred, which is said to contain but j families, the LivingstOns Ut the head The five requisites are descent from a famous colonial or Revolutionary fami- ly, inherited wealth, culture, intellect and an unbroken family record for hon. esty. patriotism and morality. The Ger rvs have had this record for 164 years and the Livingstons for 220 years in America and 12O years before that in Scotland. and as the commodore mar ried Livingston his beautiful daugh- ter and only child is properly ranked as q princess royal of the Four Hundred