The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-31
Character Sketch of Borden
Shows How He Rose.
Worked for S. per Week
Paid So for Board.
HE STARTED BIG FUND
YaIe's BenefactOr Left College
Owing $4,000.
IntuitiveIy He Knew When and
How to Buy.

New York May 31.-Friday morn
ing the funeral of Matthew c. D. Bor-
den at his late residence in this city
will be g brief ceremony shared in by
the family and onl-z a few of Mr.. Bor-
denis many friends and business asso-
ciates IL this city. For although IN
certain personal characteristics Mr.
Borden was a man who fixed attention
upon himself always unconsciously,
nevertheless he was unostentatious,
modest and in some respects, very
shy man. He was one of those who
are nun bered among the men of
greater affairs who combine a peculiar
persona shyness will great courage
and efficie ncy, knowing when and how
to act eth frmnes5 and often with
audacity.
1t has sometimes been said in New
York that in some 1epartme ntS of the
cotton manufacturing business Mr..
Borden was the ATTEST and most sue
cessful Of all the Americans who have
been associated with the raising or
manufacturing of cotton. He was es-
teemed in this city as a business man
of extraordinary foresight, utterly
without timidity and yet always basing
whatever action he took, especially
those which We're of magnitude, upon
the judgment which he had carefully,
although often intuitively, formed. He
was very tenacious o. friendships and
business associations. The traternal
relations which fo-. years he ma in
tanned with the lat Cornelius n. Bliss
were an intimate association between
two bust ess men of New York so
coniding and Stancl as to be rare, al
most without parallel. Mr.. Borden
was one Of the original directors of the
Lincoln National bank, and the tenac-
ity with which he maintained his bust
ness 2SSC citation caused him to re-
main as a director of this bank for
oft hi -hol a
impaired. He was tho last survivor of
the original directors. excepting that
Genera! Thomas L. James became
dent Of the bank. he being the first
and oniy president thu bank has ever
/ had.
A Test of His Quality.
Mr.. Borden was sent to Yale college
by his father in 1860 and he was
graduated with the class of 1864. His
college days have passed into some of
the fractions of Yale. college. He was
the first student at Yale to keep a
horse for riding ard another for driv-
ing. He set the fashion for clothes.
He was enc of the leaders,, at least so
far as good fellowship was concerned,
of his class. A few days after HIS
gradua ion his father said to him that
he desired to have a little consultation
with hiin and as soon as the doors
were closed upon father and son the
father asked him if he had departed
from I G.e college leaving any DEBTS
behind MIN. Young Borden made
frank acknowledgement that he was
considerably in debt. Thereupon his
father Lade him go to New Haven, get
| the bills from every one of his cred
! itors and then bring them back to the
| Fall River home. In due time young
Borden brought to his father bills
which aggregated about four thousand
dollars The father scanned each bill
! critically He sa that while many
! of them were for foolish expenditures.
telling tie story of somewhat reckless
extravaganza, yet there was not one
which reported dissipation of any kind.
And yourg Borden was able to say to
his father that while he regretted
having accumulated four thousand
dollars of debts, neverth eless he was
not ashamed to have his father know
how every penny had been expended.
BordaI was sent back to New Haven
to pay me bills and to bring home the
receipts. When this had been done,
his father told him that he had had a
play spe' and now the time had come
for him % demonstrate whether there
was real stuff in him. The young man
was sent to New York as a clerk in
commission house at salary of five
dollars week. Three dollars of that
hewas TO pay for his board, for which
arranger' had been made by his
father. The other two dollars were all
that he was to have for his personal