Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1894-07-04
HOBBIES OF The AAvERwooDs.
He Collected Old Masters, and She Shelter
ed Half Orphans and Cats.


ed Half Orphans and Cats
Thomas A. Janvier is a genial sat
irist, and his humor never cuts. How
clearly he reads human nature and
how sharply he pictures it he has
shown in his Color Studies" On a
broader canvas, and with a freer
hand, he tells the story of "A Loan
of Half Orphans in The Century
Here are two of his silhouettes:
1t is only just to Mr.. Haverwood's
memory, however, to interpolate
here the statement that, while he
certainly was extremely positive in
most of his opinions and acts, it was
only in the line of his dominant hob
by that he was an aggressive man.
His hobby was the commendable one
of desiring to pose as a patron OF art,
and the pertinent fact may be added
that some of-indeed most of-the
art which he patronized was as queer
as it possibly could be. But it would
be very unfair to blame him for his
artistic shortcomings. He was a
product of his times the period i'm
mediately preceding the development
of the Hudson river school, when ev-
cry New Yorker who aspired to high
social position had to own enough
old masters in worry gorgeous frames
to fill picture gallery of reasonable
size.
Because of this necessity Mr.. HaV-
erwood built a more than reasonably
large picture gallery and stocked it
with magnifcently framed old mas
tiers, every one of which had faded
almost to the vanishing point and
was as brown as bun. To accom-
pany him to this apartment after one
of his own heavy dinners, when he
was all aglow with the Fictitious be-
nevolence derived from his own Sill
lery, and there to hear him descant
upon the merits of these immortal
works, was decidedly better than go
ing to the play. His untimely death
was a bitter blow to the picture deal
ers. even if it did result in giving his
widow absolute freedom and abso-
lutte control of one Of the biggestand
soundest fortunes in New York.
Being thus disengaged from both
domestic and extraneous entangling
alliances, and having the command
of practically unlimited money, Mrs.
Haverwood was in the position, as it
were, to take what she wanted from
the pack and to go it alone. And
then it was, to pursue the smile, that
she took half orphans from the pack
and devoted herself to the ameliora
ton Of their condition with all the
energy of her very energetic body
and soul.
That this benevolent lady enter
tanned the most positive views in re-
gard to the way in which a half or
phan's condition ought to be amel-
iorated, and that these views were
utterly unlike anybody else's views
on the same subject are inferential
truths which scarcely need to be
stated in set terms, and because this
was her attitude and also because
she was sick and tired of struggling
constantly against stupid opposition
she adopted the radical course to-
ward half orphans of founding an in
stitution for their succor in the man
agement of which she united in her
own person all the functions of pres
ident and secretary and treasurer
and board Of advisory trustees.
With commendable desire to per
petuate in connection with SO nota-
BILE charity the memory of her Ia
mented husband (who in point Of
fact, always had fought shy of chart
ties; who, for some unknown reason,
had manifested a peculiar antipathy
toward half orphans, and whose det-
estation of cats frequently was
avowed in violent terms), Mrs. Hav-
erwood gave to her institution the
name of the John L. Haverwood Fe-
male Half Orphanage and Destitute
Cat home.