Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-27
EDWIN MANNING.
Tribute to Deceased Father of ottum.
wa Man.

Concerning the late Edwin Manning
whose death occurred at Keosauqua a
few days since the State Line Demo
crat, edited by George f. Smith, for
merly of Ottumwa, says:
Mr.. Manning had an iron will, great
continuity and steadfastness of pur-
pose, and untiring industry. He at an
early age determined upon certain
course, and pursued it undeyiatingly.
He went forward from first to last
along the lines he had mapped out
straight to the goal of his ambition as
a mariner keeps to his course in cross
ing the trackless ocean.
Endowed with powerful physical
organism, he preserved it by tempo
rate and rational living, SO that he was
able to accomplish, during the great
er part of his life, as much as two or
three ordinary men. This power, di-
judgment in handling the long process
sion of eyer varying and oftimes COM
plicated bushes transactions that
made up his life.
Mr.. Manning's business was eXcep-
tionally difficult and the strain upon
him always great because of its being
so varied. Until the past few years he
had always had from six to dozen
stores running at different places at
the same time; he was the owner of
bank at Charlton, at Eddyville and
at Ottumwa; in addition to this he own
ed $4,000 to $4,000 acres of land most
of which was leased, but considera-
BILE portion of it he farmed himself
with hired help We venture that no
man in the state ever had to do with
such a gang of managers, clerks, rent
ers, and hired hands, together with
| the buying and selling markets, and all
business done on credit, with thou
sands of debtors. good, bad and lndif-
ferent, as Mr.. Manning had. When it
| is known that, Notwithstanding all
| these distracting responsibilities, he
never had a stenographer or an aman-
uensis, and that he passed upon the
bills and did the correspondence, it
will be to some extent realized how
great was the burden of labor and re-
sponsibility he carried and what he
endured. Not one man in ten millions
could have carried on such business
successfully, and how few could have
stood UP under it until they arrived at
rected by an unflagging will, with an
| lHISllSCD Iudt anu
constructive yet keen and analytical
to point the way, was combination
of. endowments calculated for the
great achievements left to the credit
of Mr.. Naming as the result of his life
work
1t has been 70 years since Mr.. Man
ming first embarked in business, which
is nearly three times the average span
of business and professional life. That
from the beginning he made the most
of his opportunities is attested by the
fact that for the past 80 years or more
the commercial directories have rated
his wealth at a million and upwards
AS he was never a speculator in any
sense of the term, and did not have
the advantage of location where
there were great advances in real
estate, this vast accumulation repre-
SCENTS his great foresight and unerrine
the age of nearly 80 years!
And Mr.. Manning always had time
for reading and social enjoyment. He
was thoroughly informed on politics
and current events and the great
movements of the world and was ar
interested reader of the best dis
cussions and literature Of the maya
zines. He took his vacation every
/ year, which he usually spent in New
England. He always had time to en-
terrain callers--even casual callers al
his office, and his conversation was
always lively and pleasing. He re
sponded to social usages and was fire
/ quently guest in the homes of Oul
! people. While he was dignified, he
was wholly without oStentation. anC
his greeting was always pleasant anC
| courteous wherever one Glanced tt
meet him. He was an excellent judge
of human nature, and would favor