The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-07
BIOGRAPHY or MIR. CHILDs.
Record OF II Noble Life spent to Al,
His Fellow Men.


His Fellow Men.
The following biographical sketch by a
member of the Ledger staff is a compre-
hensivc review of the career of the
great philanthropist:
Like Franklin, Philadelphia's greatest
printer and publisher, George William
Childs, was not q native of the city in
which his life was passed and which
he honored by making it his home Like
Franklin'S life also. his life is a record
of successful industry which raised a
poor and at one time friendless boy to
the nights of honor and affiuence of
Franklin it was said that the prophesy
was fulfilled: "Seest thou man dill
gent in his business. He shall stand be
fore kings" OF Chlds the same truth
is borne. home. but with an added honor
To his diligence IN business was added
the kndliest heart that ever beat in
human bosom, and this it was that gave
him pre-elninence in the minds of those
who knew him, over the rulers of men
and the rest of mankind. as not merely
a deservedly successful citizen. but also
as a most worthy recipient of the fayors
of Providence.
In Baltimore on May u 1920. Mr..
Childs was born and in that city ne
gained his early education. James Par
ton, the historian, says of him:
He has told his friends that i'm his
tenth year, when school was dismissed
for the summer, he took the place of
errand boy in a book store and spent
the vacation in hard work. This was
not romantic, but it was highly honor
able to a little fellow to be willing thus
to work for the treasures that boys de-
sire. At thirteen he entered the United
States navy and spent fifteen months in
the service. an experience and discipline
not without good results upon his
health and character"
PenniIess at Fourteen
Mr.. Childs came to Philadelphia from
Baltimore when but fourteen years old.
He was nearly penniIess and knew but
one family in the city. Within a few
days after his arrival this family re-
moved. and thus he was left entirely
alone and friendless. He obtained en-
ployment at once, however, as erTand
boy in book store at a weekly salary
of SO. He has recorded in his "Recol-
lections" that when first at work in
Philadelphia, l would get up very early
in the morning, go down to the store
and wash the pavement and put things
in order before breakfast, and in the
winter time would make the fire and
sweep out the store. In the same spirit,
when books were bought at night by
auction, I would early the next morning
/ have never outgrown this wholesome
habit of doing things directly and I'm or
der"
Such an errand boy was surely des.
tined to rise. and it was not long before
he was clerk and right-hand man, at
tending the evening auctions and rap
idly becoming familiar with books and
their value. Nevertheless, his salary re-
manned very small. At the end of three
years service il only amounted to So
eked out with fortunate ventures in
boOk-buying on his own account, the lad
managed to save money and adopted as
his early motto, Industry, Temperance
and Frugality."
In his seventeenth year he began at
tending the great semi-annual book sales
in New York and Boston, and here
formed many friendships among the
publishers of those cities. He mentions
especially in his 'RecollectOns'' the
Harpers, Iippincotts, Putnams. Tick
nors, Fields, Appletons, Little and
Enters Business.
At eighteen he had saved up sufficient
capital to enter into business on his
own account. and set up very modest
book store in the Ledger building, then
at the corner Of Third and Chestnut-sts.
The venture was a ve-y uncertain one.
for mis- capital was very small, he had
no outside influence and returns were
slow in coming in. Nevertheless ne be-
gan to make money almost from the
start, his acquaintance with the value
of books, publishers and authors, and
his skill in buying and selling standing
him in good stead.
In 1S49, before he had reached his
legal majority, he entered the publish
ing firm of r. Z. Peterson & Co, the
firm name being shortly afterward
changed to Childs & Peterson. Robert
Evans Peterson, who later became Mr..
Childs's father-in-law, was, like Mr.
Childs, a bookseller.
One of the first books which the firm
published was DR.. kane's Arctic Ex-
plorations," for the copyright of which
they paid the explorer $4,000 in one year.
The inception of the work was due to
Mr.. Childs, who prevailed on DIR. Kane
10 make the book a popular narrative
instead of the scientific essay he had
at first intended to print
Mr.. Childs was a master of the art
Of advertising and he contrived not only
10 advertise DR.. Kane and his book all