The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-10-12
t.t- -
His vigorous Old Arc.

that his De6t work aud greatest 0cnlov0-
ments were accomplished after he had
passed 10. He was worth about ee0, ,000,-
900 when hs had rounded the life line Of
the Scripture, and he added over $50, ,000,-
900 to It In tho next 10 years. His day
began at o'clock among tho horses ho
loved, and then until Q that active brain
and unsrring Judgment were formulating
plans covering the continent. He left
business behind in the office at Q, and nei-
ther profit nor loss could tempt him to talk
about 1t until tho next morning. At he
was spinning along behind his trotters,
eeeking tho excitement Of spurt Of speed
with u rivnl team. The rhythmic move
ments Of thesa intelligent and highly
trained thoronghbreds as they seemed 10
tread on ether and fly through tho air gave
him exquisite pleasure. As they passed
and distancod horses famed for triumphs
HIN this strikingly handsome and appar-
entity stolld old man was keenly enjoying
that victory in competition which had been
the handspring of his career Tho light
ningllke eyolutions of his mind working
in harmony with and excited to action by
both the speed and dangers Of the race
brought to perfection, before ho dropped
tho rclns upon these painting partners Of
his thoughts, many n scheme which routed
his enemies or rerolutionized Wall street.
He received daily bushel of begging
letters Tho man whose invention could
be bought and millions made with few
thousands, tho farmer whose mortgage
was past due, and who, II tho mortgage
wero lifted, could pay tho principal to his
rosoucr, though he could not meet the in
tcrest on 1t to tho mortgagee, tho woman
whose husband was straylng away, but
who could hold him to q happy home if
she could buy tho vino clad cottage
around tho corner, tho old man whose
sands of life had nearly run out, and tic
young ono who needed only little capital
to become n capitalist, tho church or col
lcgc hopclessly in debt, the girl whose fu-
ture happiness would be wrecked unless
she could have q trorsseau for marriage
and furniture for housekeeping, honest
men and women, frauds, fools and cranks
all needy and unable to breast the waves
Of adversely or mako their way In the
world--appcalcd to him. To never an
sworcd them. III should give them my
whole fortune, " he said, "Onc-half would
60 to thieves and the other half to people
whose folly and improvidence would
sauandcrit in week. leaving them worse
off than before" He possessed neither
sympathy nor sentiment, but had iormu-
lated theory Of justice and compensation
summed up IN the phrase, GIVE u man a
chance" 1t might BIO q very humble and
very hard chance, but IL the man would
stick and dig and climb ho was worth as
sisting As proof Of tho value of this prin-
ciplc in truc philanthropy he would point
to The president Of ono Of his railroads
who hn1 started as u gatcman at one OF
his ferries.
Cathodrals and grand churches did not
Impress him, His mind always reverted
to the little Moravian meeting house
where his mother worshipcd. She was the
one over fresh and tender memory, never
touched by time or lost in his years Of bit
ter strife. Every one have ever met who
had made and sustained n great succcss
asrribed it NJ to tho impelling influence
and restraining hand Of Il suntcd mother
He went one Sunday to the Church OF the
Strangers and saw congregation made
up Of tho clerks slleslncn, bookkcnpcrs
and poricrs in tho big wholesale stores Of
the ncighbnrhood-"f fellows who are help.
ing themselves" he said-and sent the
PASTOR DIR, Deems, $4,000,
The University Endowment.
Unlike most self made men, he placed
the highest yaluo upon liberal education
and cmphatica!ly lamented his own lack
of it While an uncompromising friend Of
tho Union during the civil war, he was
deeply Interested in harmonizing tho Sec
tions and developing the south when it
was over To Bishop McTyciro's plain
presentation Of the enormous benefit of q
university in the south he gave hospi-
table hearing A sound education cquips
young men for broader work and greater
usefulness. Such an institution of learn
ing was in the line Of his motto of helping
people to take care Of themselves, and he
endowed Vanderbilt university with ST.
100000 If the good bishop and his asso-
ciates, foresecing the future, had demon
strated the necessity for larger sum, they
would have received 1t. 49,
The period Of the active life of Cornelius
Vanderbilt was the era of revolution and
evolution in our national history. Tho
civil war and rapidly succeeding inven-
tons and discoveries called for men Of
great original genius and courage and
gave them uneyampled opportunities 1t
produced in war Grant and Lee; in states
manship, Lincoln; In the pulpit, Henry
Ward Bcechcr; in journalism, Horace
Greeley; in oratory, Charles Sumner and
Wendell Phillips, Alexander II. Stevens,
Henry Winter Davis and Henry W. Grady
ard in the industrial and business world
men who have left their marks upon every
state and city in the Union. Oprortuni-
ties for large enterprises and vast fortunes
were frequent in the mighty uphcaval &C.
casioncd by the destruction Of old methods
and machinery and the reduplication Of
force in the application of steam and in
vention Of power, the rapid settlement Of
states and creation of cities.
Such conditions can never occur again.
Few Of the mon who ruled like sovcreigns
In their respective spheres were worthy
types of American manhood but the COM
modore, chief OF them all, in the success
Of his undertakings and In tho continuing
victories of his campaigns was in his
public spirit, his sterling integrity, his
fidelity to his associates in tho great enter
prises he built up and his rugged patriot
Ism the best representative Of tho self
made man.