Evening star., 1941-06-08
Capital SideIights
By Will P. Kennedy.

Tribute was paid in the House by Rep
resentative Lawrence Connery of Massa-
chusetts to former Georgetown drug
clerk of the days when that port held
prominent place in world trade. This
young man later went into business in
Baltimore, became one of the great mer-
chant princes and subsequently attained
a great fortune as railroad builder and
financier-George Peabody. Mr.. Connery
urged national recognition of this man
who was founder of modern philan-
thropy" when the l50th anniversary Of
his birth arrives in 1945. Many members
OF Congress are urging that memorial
stamp be issued. by the Post Once De-
'partment, and Mr. Connery also solicited
support of movement which William F.
Carlin of Silver Spring, Md. is sponsor
ing to commemorate Peabodys humani-
tartan benefactions.
Here are some of the salient facts that
the hurrying world of today does not stop
to remember
len leeJ lTOIu lIlc COIliU VI IlIc OI4-
known Soldier in Westminster Abbey is
slab bearing the name of George Pea
body, the only American even tempo
rarily buried there
Queen Victoria when ruler of the Brit
ish Empire offered him a baronetcy,
which he refused, preferring to remain a
plain American citizen The Queen had
!, hx-+ ct
framed elaborately for presentation to
Peabody.
His remains were brought to this coun-
try on a British warship-H. NJ S. Mon
arch-escorted by French and American
naval vessels. The funeral procession
moved from Portland, Me. to the town of
his birth, South Danvers Genamed Pea
body in his honor, Mass, with a COM
pany of British soldiers as a guard of
honor-much of the way through a
binding snowstorm.
Why these honors?
Peabody is credited with having strong
ly Influenced both Johns Hopkins and
Enoch Pratt. He made mighty contribu-
tions to education and music throughout
the entire United States. gifts to Peabody
Conservatory and Library, Baltimore; to
Yale and Harvard Universities for mu-
seums of natural history, archaeology and
ethnology: Peabody Institute and Lii
brary, at his birthplace.
Prior to the SOS when a million was
money, he gave more than S3,500000 for
promotion of education in the South
the principal beneficiary being George
Peabody College for Teachers at Nash
vile. Tenn.
He gave the city of London So 500 900
for the first large-scale slum-clearance
project in the world. He paid for the
American exhibit at the Crystal Palace
in London, in 1851, and sent ship at
his own expense to search for Sir John
Franklin, the missing Arctic explorer.
When the State of Maryland was
bankrupt in 1886 Peabody, on his own
credit, borrowed s8000,0 900 for the State
and refused a cent of commission.
Graduating classes from Peabody,
Mass, schools have but single motto.
1t was taken from Peabody's letter pre-
senting the institute to the town of his
birth, expressing his sentiment regarding
education: "A debt due from the present
to future generations"
The Grand Old Men of the House"
who Is also The Grand Old Man of
Colorado" Representative Edward T.
Taylor, achieved during the past week
another distinction. He surpassed the
longtime service record-with the late
Senator Henry M. Teller. These two.
Teller and Taylor, have consecutively
served the State of Colorado 64 years
and months, from December 4, 1876, to
June 4, 194l, from the year in which that
Centennial State was born to the pres
ent hour On June 4, each of these long
time legislators had served 80 years and
3 months. Taylor's service has been
entirely In the House, while Teller's was
in the Senate except for three years
when he was Secretary Of the Interior
under President Arthur. This record
was called to the attention Of Congress
by Representative Lewis Of Colorado.