Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-18
HOBBIES or THE HAVERWOODS.
He Collected Old Masters and She Shelter
ed Haif-Orphans and Cats.


Thomas a. Janvier Is a genial satirist
and his humor never cuts. How clearly
he reads human natur and how sharply
he pictures it he has shown by his Color
Studies" On a broader canvas and with
a frecr hand he tells the story Of -
Loan Of Orphans" In the MAY num-
Der Of The Century. Here are two of his
silhOucttes:
II is only just TO Mr.. HaverwOod's
memory, however. to intcrpOlate here the
statement that. while he certainly was
extremely positive in most of his opin-
ions and acts. it was only I'm the line Of
his dominant hobby that h. was an ag-
g~ressivc man. His hobby was the COM
mendable one Of desiring 10 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 IL possibly could be. But II would be
very unfair to blame him for his artistic
shortcomings. He was a product Of his
timcs-the period Immediately preCedin-
the development Of the Hudson-Rive
School. when every New Yorker who as
pircd TO high social position had to own
enough old masters. in very gorgeous
frames. 10 FIJI n picture gallery Of reason
able size. Because Of this necessity Mr..
H%averWoOd built "A more than reasonably
large picture gallery and stocked II with
magniiccntly- framed old masters. every
one of which had faded almost TO the
vanishing point and was as brown as It
bun. To accompany him to this apart
m.nt. after one of his own heavy dinners,
when he was all aRlow with the facti-
tious beneyolcnce derived from his own
Sillery. AMI there to hear him descant
upon the merits of these immortal works,
was decidedly better than going to the
play. His untimely death was n bitter
blow 10 the picture dealers. even If 1t did
result in giving his widow absolute free
dom and absolute control Of one Of the
biggest and soundest fortunes in New
York.
H.jug thus disengaged from both do
me.tic and cXtraneOus entangling alli-
ances. and having the command OF prac-
tically unlimited money. Mrs. fiaverwood
was in the position. az IL were. to take
what she wanted from the pack and to
20 il alone. And then It was. TO pursue
the smile. that she took h~alf-orphans
from the pack, and devoted herself TO the
amelioration Of their condition with all
the energy OF her very energetic body
and soul.
That this benevolent lady entertained
the most POSITIVE VIEWS iU IfSdIu W tf'
way in which "A half-orphan's condition
ought 10 be- ameliorated, 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 toward half-Orphans OF founding
an institution for their succor, in the
management Of which she united in her
own person all the functions of president
and secretary and treasurer and board of
advisory trustees. With a commendable
desire to perpetuate in connection with
so notable a charity the memory of her
lamented husband %ho, in point Of fact.
always had fought shy of charities; who,
for some unknown reason, had manifested
a peculiar ~antipathy toward half-orphans;
and whose detcstation of cats frequently
was aVOwcd in violent terms, Mrs. lia-
Vcrwood gave to her Institution the name
of John l.. Uaverwood Female Haif-Or-
phanage and Destitute Cat Home.