Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-17
A MAN OF VARIED INTERESTS
The Late Coleman Sellers, Jr., Souoht
Relief From Big Business In All
Phases Of the Arts and Sciences

TNdE death OF Coleman Sellers, Jr., meal
L n great deal more to Philadelphians than
merely the loss of the head of big indus.
trial plant. His business ability and his In.
dustrial power were things that could n
taken for granted; the things that really
made him an outstanding figure among thoss
who knew him best were the varied scien.
tific and artistic interests in which his active
mind found its recreation.
Mr.. Sellers was almost n perfect example
of the man who was n factor in Big Bust.
ness. but whose instincts We're anything but
those of mere money making machine.
THOUSANDS of earnest young Phiade.
l. phians knew Mr.. Sellers without really
knowing him. That is to say, his face waSa
familiar one to all who attended the meetinr
of the Franklin Institute, and no young en-.
thusiast, seeking knowledge from a seat IL
the amphithcatre, listened with more atten.
ton to the speakers than did he.
Mr.. Sellers had many interests outside Of
his business, but none of them was quite 70
keen as his interest In the Franklin In
stitute. 1t might almost be said he In
herted his position with the scientific o.
ganization, or rather, that he inherited hD
love for the sciences which it represents.
CINCE 1862 there has been at least one
~ Sellers actively identified with the man.
agement of the institute. Coleman Sellen
father was manager from 1862 to 1S66' ana
in two Of these years, from 1854 to 1900
William Sellers was president OF tne
institute.
From 1867 to 1869 the elder Coleman
Sellers was vice president. from 1871 70
1874 he was president and from 1919 10 tne
time of his death in 1908, he was again .
manager.
Coleman Sellers, Jr., became one OF tns
managers in 1906 and continued IN tnH
dency in 1912. This latter position he hau
until the time Of his death.
But 1t was not merely in these omd,i
capacities that he did his most active won
for the institute. lie was chairman Of tn'
Endowment Committee and was an lnnuen'
tial member of the Bartol Research Com.
mittee, having in charge the great ph!ar
research laboratory which the institute
to build.
TT is not an exaggeration TO say that e'''
l. those who knew Mr.. Sellers best ,.. wei.
constantly surprised at some new ev.uen.,, a.,
Of the breadth of his interest in dinerea.
phases of life One of his keenest lnteres',i
was the PENNSYLVANIA Nautical School anu
in the training which its ships have gM.u
10 future officers of our merchant marin.
Indeed, he had keen knowledge OF sup,
and ship construction, and all phases
foreign trade, though, oddly enough ne We.
not man who had travelled very ea""'
sively abroad. .,,,
Walton Clark, president Of the Frah.".
Institute and one of Mr.. Sellers closest
socatcs, yesterday paid him this trlputstt Ian,
"Thc thing that astonished me most aGv,' ;v,'
him aS | look back upon my long acqua'hh,,
ancP with him was thnt, no matter u, " .r,
company he was or what the topic oi w.
vcrsation might be, he seemed to De 'hs, Inv.
oughly informed upon it, and ! never na'.
known n case in which he had not reau ...
book which happened to come up IN u'''D'
sion.
TT Is not generally known that MI ee''''.
l. had an unusual knowledge of ART anu
connoisseur's appreciation OF paintihG. ,,.,.
a matter of fact, he came by his art Dam Dam.
ests through family connections tot al.
brandt Peale was a relative, and tne .i.s
lcrs house today contains many hne eAaAp'
of Peale's art. "a.
This appreciation was all the mo,e ,b,
markable in a man whose education was .ins .
of an engineer and whose early tra'u, ns.
was that of u worker In his father ''
chine shops.
Today's Birthdays H..
Sir Edgar Bowring. high commissions 81 a.
Newfoundland in London, born ~ ssc,