Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-02-09
Death of George w. Childs.

The foremost private citizen of America
passed away early Saturday morning, in
the death at his home in Philadelphia of
George William Childs, the editor and pro-
prietor of the Public Ledger of that city.
Mr.. Childs was born in Baltimore, Nd, in
1929. He enjoyed only the most limited
educational advantages, and at the age of
II became an errand boy in bookstore
The following yea he entered the United
States navy, but was released after serving
- months. He then returned to school
for short time, but at the age of IA went
to Philadelphia and again became an er-
rand boy a book store. Within four years
he had become thetrusted agent of his en-
ployer and was sent to the book trade sales
in New York and Boston, where he made
the acquaintance of leading publishers like
Harper Brothers, the Putnams, Fields,
Ticknors and Appletons, and paved the
way for later friendships with distinguish
ed authors like Longfellow, Hawthorne
and Poe. When Mr. Chids was Is years
old he had saved money enough to start a
small book store of his own in the Public
Ledger building. AT II he entered the
book publishing business. His firm pub
lished some of the standard books of the
day and was financially successful. From
an early age Mr.. Childs had an ambition
to own great newspaper, and in 1864,
with the assistance of Anthony j. Drexel,
the banker, he bought the Public Ledger
AT that time the paper was sold for a penny
and the cost of white paper was so great
that the publishers were losing $500 with
each issue. Mr.. Childs at once doubled the
price, advanced the advertising rates, and
made other radical changes in the policy of
the paper. Within a year the paper was
established on paying basis, and for many
years past it has yielded an income of $1,000
per day. As a paper adhering to the high
est principles of good journalism the Ledg-
er has been and is a model. One of Mr..
Childs first acts was to cut out of its col
umns class of Objectionable advertising
which yielded an income of $1,000 year.
Everything in the way of scandal and
sensationalsm is excluded As diligent
and enterprising newsgatherer it has no
superior, but it is cOnspicuously a newspa-
per edited and managed with conscience.
His princely income Mr.. Childs used
with combined liberality and wisdom
"HlOh "ViO uildlllHS' Ills BuIS 10 puDllC
enterprises of every deserving kind we're
numberless, but even more marked was the
private philanthropy of his daily life. His
policy toward his employees was one of al
most uneNampled generosity. He assted
many young people to gain an education.
gave helping hand to those who were
struggling in every walk of life, and more
than all gave as unstintedly of his time and
personal service as of his money. No
American ever entertained so many dis
tlngulshed guests, native and foreign. as
MIR. Childs, and none perhaps ever counted
50 many men of note among his personal
friends. His intimacy with Gen. Grant is
well known. In the list were all the lead
ing Union generals, Presidents HAYES, Ar
thur, Cleveland and Harrison, Dean Stan
ley, Charles Dickens and many men of lit
erary distinction at home and abroad
In our whole American history we
have had no better illustration of a man
rising out of the humblest walk of life to
a position of great usefulness and distinc-
ton, with no aid but that of his own in
herent qualities of business insight. up
ward looking and correct living.
Reduced to its lowest terms the story and
the secret of his life was this 1t was life
OF service, of constant and conscious eff
fort to help his fellowmen. 1t was emf
nently and distinctly a life worth living. and
this entirely apart from his success as a
business man and the wealth which he ac-
cumulated