Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-02-10

attack came was spent by Mr.. Childs
preparing for the Drexel memorial serv-
ices held i'll the Drexel institute on Satur-
day, Jan. 26. Twice during the day Mr..
Childs went in person TO the institute
and in person had seen that all necessary
arrangements were 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 2lst.
4 Money Getter and "a Money Giver.
Mr.. Childs was type of American
manhood at its very best, and by his death
not only America but the English speak
ing race has lot 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
-, 1879. He attended private schools
there until he was fourteen wears old,
when he went to Philadelphia andbecame u
clerk in "A book store. Even at this time he
he had already begun to display all the
chief qualities OF mind and heart which
marked his character in after years. lie
was u great favorite among his boyish
friends both in Baltimore and Philadel-
phia. His heart was always larger than
his means, wrote one of his boyhood
friends in after years. He had the same
industry, integrity. cheerfulness and
determination which finally put into his
hands the great wealth which he has dis
pensed with such "a lavish hand. II re-
mem ber that he wrote TO me years ago,
when we were both boys said the gentle
man already quoted, that he meant to
prove that mau could be liberal and
successful at the same time"
lTpon reaching Phila1elphia "a yiporous
lad of Ia, he knew but one family in the
city, and they, soon removing, left him
fricndiess there. He found employment
in his old vocation of shop boy in n book
store. After shutting up the store in the
evening he was intrusted by his employer
with the duty of frequehting book auc-
tions and making purchases, and by the
time he was no was regularly deputed
to attend the book trade sales In New
York and Boston. At the end of four
years service he hired a small room i'm
the old Public Ledger building with the
little capital he had saved out of his earn
ihgs and went into the book business for
himself
MIR. Childs as u Publisher.
His success. at first slow and after
Yard more rapid, at length enabled him
| to go into the publishing business in a
Oldest way. The head of the publishing
.rm of X. +. Peterson Il Co. recognized
he capacity OF Mr.. Childs, 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
books, but those they did bring ont had
steady sale, and in addition
10 this the firm succeeded la max
| ing u special hit about once "a year. A
large proportion Of the books issued were
works OF high utility, involving an outlay
such as few young publishers have ever
| been in q position TO undertake. No pub
| lisher's list has ever contained less of the
sensational. Among the massively use
full books bearing the imprint of the firm
| Is "Dr. Allibone's Dictionary OF English
and American Authors" which is dedi-
Gated to Mr.. Childs. 1t is questionable il
there has been produced by one man a
book involving a greater amount of la Dor
or one containing smaller proportion of
errors than this colossal dictionary.
During his career as publisher of
books Mr.. Childs never lost sight of his
favorite object, the control OF great
daily newspaper. The time came when
he could crafty this ambition. The Pub
lie Ledger. which was founded in 1886 as a
penny paper, up to the beginning of the
civil war had been very profitable ven
ture for its proprietors, but had fallen on
evil days. The war, by doubling the cost
of material and labor, had rendered il I'm
possible to continue ii at the original
price except at "a loss. Moreover, one OF
the three original proprietors was dead,
another was absorbed in the management
| OF another enterprise and the third was
indifferent. The paper WAS being pub
lished at weekly loss OF $1,000. Under
| these circumstances Mr.. Chilfs, ag inst
the strong advice of his friends, bo ighi
| the Ledger for q sum little exceeding the
amount OF its annual loss.
! The Success of the Public Ledger.
| The purchase was completed December
| 4, 1864. A week later the new proprietor
doubled the price of the paper and adj
vanced the advertising rates to the com
| pensating point At first the shock to the
| establishment was severe. Both subscrib
ers and advertisers fell Off. but In few
days the tide turned At the end OF q
| month he made concession which re
| stored the paper to more than its former
| ascendency by reducing the price from Z
| cents day to ~ cents per week. Trifiine
as this change may seem at first It was
| very important in determining the future
of the paper The bulk Of the population
of Philadelphia is composed of highly re-
| spected families whose means are limited
| and to whom economy Is thing of con
science. necessity and life long habit. The
| Ledger not only reached It's former stand
ard Of circulation and advertising patron
L
one of the most profitable newspapers IN
the country.
The Benevoience Of Mr.. Chiids.
For long time Mr. Childs gave his un
meritting personal attention to the man
agement OF the Ledger in all Its depart
ments, but Of recent years he left the mail
| responsibility for Its conduct to othe
hands and devoted his time TO his friends
| aud his numerous schemes of benevolence
| Few men either living or dead have sucl
record for philanthropy rs Mr.. Childs
| whether considered from the aetna
amount of money given sway or the wise
and judicious manner In which the benev
olence has been dispensed. The printer
| has always boen an especial object OF Mr.
\ childs' benefcent interest, an interes
1 hich has been warmly reciprocated
His latest rift 10 the craft 10 the printers
home at Colorado Springs, recently ded.
Gated. This institution was the Joint gif
/, of Mr. Childs and the late Anthony ]
| Drcxel, his life long friend. A mere lis
NJ the nhilanfhr0nlc Riffa af Mr. Childs