The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-05-03
AsToR NAME AND CHURCH.


William Vincent Astor, now head
of the American branch of the Astor
family, and coming into control OF
$150,900,0OO, Is not yet of age. He
takes u keen interest, it is
said by his rector, in Christian
work and has done so for some years
Often of late years his father
Colonel John Jacob Aston, who went
down with the Titanic, attended
church on Sundays through the in
hucnce of his son Vincent. The
father was vestryman of the Church
of the Messiah, Rhinebeck-On-the'
Hudson, church which he built
almost entire. Vincents grandmoth.
or, the late Mrs. Astor, owned pew
in the ST. Thomas Episcopal church.
New York and Colonel Astor retain
ed it. He also owned pew in Trim,
ity chapel, New York.
Colonel Astor was for some years
trustee of the Cathedral of st.
John the Divine, New York, and gave
100000 toward its building fund of
S3.50O,0O0. He is now declared to
have given much more money TO
charities, even to missions. than was
generally supposed, and his fellow
vcstrymen in Rhinebeck speak i'll
much higher terms Of him socially
than have men of New York in the
late years with whom he has had
business dealings. 1t is said the
former really knew the man, the lat.
ter did not. 49,
1t is a fact not generally known
that after Cornelius Vanderbilt died,
and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
came to be head of the family,
with nearly the same amount oil
money in control as now has Vincent
Astor, some Christian men OF. New
York, ministers and laymen. sought
an interview with him, and obtained
it. They reminded young Vanderbilt
that the Vanderbilt name demanded
that reasonable number OF men,
bcrships OIL missionary, charitable
and perhaps church boards be held,
and that regular if not always large
gifts ought to be made. They remind
ed the young man also that they
spoke not so much for gifts, as they
did to be of real assistance in help
ing him to maintain the traditions
of a wealthy and honorable family
name.
Half dozen versions of what act
ually took place at the interview
have been given out. None are OF
much importance beyond the fact
that little appreciation Of the pur-
port of the visit was thought to
have been expressed by the young
man waited upon. Nothing to. speak
of came of the interview and the
offer. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Is
not known to have given much money
to charity and less to Christian
causes. if some gifts to Yale are ex-
cepted, and he has not taken time
to serve on any mission boards as
his father did. ..: .
Vincent Astor promises rather
more. The Astors are Episcopalians
for generations, although the orlgi-
nal Astor was a German, and vincent
is doubly reinforced in Christian an
cestry. and Episcopal as well, Thorough
his mother. The vikings OF Philadei'
pbia we're long active and nDcrai
Episcopalians Vincent AstOr has been
confirmed. and is reported to so,
when at home in RhinebeCk, to cele
br5tiops of the holy communion with
lxae 1,n1
church life in New York city, having
lived most of each year at Newport
or Rhinebcck, but he is said at Cam
bridge TO have entered to some eX-
tent into the life which centers III
Phillips Brooks House, the religious
Headquarters of Harvard university.
Older men will make, at the proper
time. the same offer to Astor that
they made to Vanderbilt, and with
tho same helpful intention behind H.
Mrs. Clara e. Fuller, editor of The
Little Falls Transcript, announces.
and she does so without any fear or
trembling. that henceforth the edito-
rial I'VE" will be banished from the
columns over which she presides,
and she will use the pronoun In
it's stead. Mrs. Fuller adds: I'VE,
however, sincerely believe that the
beautiful tradition thus ruthlessly
upset by our boldness will settle
back again onto it's sea legs. get its
second wind in spite of this mighty
change brought about by our as
sumption of holiness and that the