Year: 1865

VbelJapuary number of the North Ameti.


eau Review contains an interesting article


on stephen Girard aud his college IN


which the following graphic account is given
OF what took place when his will was read. J.


The people Of PHILADELPHIA will be amused


TO learn how his "afeclionate relatives" re.


ceived the intelligence that he had given his


estate TO the orphans and the poor, rather


than 10 them:


Death hhyng dissolved the powerful spell


OF presence which few men had been able


to resigt, il was TO be- seen how far his will
would he oheyed, now that he was no longer


able, personally, TO enforce it, The old man


lay dead in Water street While the public!


out OF doors, were curious enough to learn


what he had done with his money, there was
n smaller number within the houaas


the kindred Of the deceased, ia who'd


this curiosity ragged like mania -
They invaded the cellars Of the house by
bringing up bottles OF the old mans choice
wine and kept up a continual carouse Sur
rounding Mr. Duane, who had been present
ut Girardls death, and remained to direct h is
funeral, they demanded TO know il there was
a will To silence lheir indecent olamor he
told them that there was, and that he was one
of theTpNecn4ors On hearing this. the de-
sire to kuowits contents amounted almost To
fury In vain the executors reminded them
that decency required that the will should not
be opened till after the funeral They even
threatened legal proceedings If the will was
not instantly produced, and at length to
avoid n public scandal, the executors con.
sented to have il read. These alIectionate
relatives being assembled in a parlOr of the
house IN which the body Of their beneiactor
lay, the will was taken from the iron safe by
one OF the eNecutors i." ''.'


lY When ha had opened it, and was nbout 10
begin 70 rrad, he Ghancad TO look over the
top OF the document at the company seated
before HIM. No artist that ever held brush
could depict the passion of curiosity, the
frenzy OF expectation, expressed in that group
OF pallld fates. Every individual among
them expected TO leave the apartment the con.
scous possessOr OF millions; for no one had
dreamed of the probability OF his leaving the
bulk OF his estate TO the public If they had
ever heard OF big saying that no one should be
gentleman upon his money, they had forgotten
or disbelieved it, The opening paragraphs
OF the will ell tended TO confirm their
hopes, since the bequests to existing in
stitutions we're Of small amount. Bnt
the reader soon reached the part Of the
will which assigned to Indies and gentlemen en-
present such triiiug sums as FIVE thousand
dollars, ten tlopsand, twenty thousand; and
he Arrived ere long at the sections which dis.
posed of millions for the benefit of great
cities aand lpoor children. Some of them
made not the slightest attempt to conceal
their disappointment and disgust Men were
there who had married with view TO share
the wealth of Girard, and had been waiting
for years for his DEATH Women were there
who had looked to that event as the beginning
of their enjoyment Of life, The imagination
of the reader must supply the details of
scene which we might think dishonored hu
man nature, il we could believe that human
nature was meant to be subjected to such q
strain.