HOLLOWAY AS A PHILANTHROPIST.

Evening Star, Issue 3239, 8 July 1873, Page 3

HOLLOWAY AS A PHILANTHROPIST.

Onco upon a time, as the story book say, a poor lad entered the service of an old gentleman, who, dying, bequeathed the lad a couple of recipes for the manufacture of some harmless pills and possibly soothing ointment. By dint of energetic pushing in tVvG instance, and of unlimited advertising afterwards, these medicines came into repute all over the world. The proprietor of them accumulated tens of thousands of pounds, hundreds of thousands of pouuds, and ultimately millions. He purchased the magnificent estate of Tottcnhurst Park, in Berkshire, collected a superb gallery of pictures, and lived ea nramt sehjneur. Two years ago he resolved to devote the bulk of his fortune to charitable purposes, and, concealing his name, advertised in the huglish papers for information and suggestions as to the most judicious method of expending money for a benevolent purpose. As a matter of course, an avalanche of begging letters descended upon him, but many sensible and practical communications were also received. From these he learned that one of the most pressing necessities of the United

Kingdom was a lunatic asylum for the middle classes. Accordingly he devoted LIOO.OOO to the erection of an institution of this kind upon his own estate in the immediate vicinity of the well-known Virginia Water. The structure is now approaching completion, and as the founder visited most of the asylums in Great Britain b fore deciding upon his plans, and consulted all the best authorities on the subject, jt is believed that the new establishment will be one of the most perfect of the kind in the Mother country; while it is said that many of the improvements introduced are likely to be copied by the Government in the national asylums. Numerous other schemes, each of which will involve the outlay of what most persons would regard as a princely fortune, are being unostentatiously proceeded with by the philanthropist referred to, who, having nedther wife nor child, and being sixty years of age, is preparing to divest himself of the whole of his accumulations, amounting it is said, to upwards of ten millions sterling, before death steps in and takes him from them. Hence his name will be associated with the names of the three Americana—Ezra Cornell, George Peabody, and Peter Cooper—each of whom did likewise. Most of his time is stated to be devoted to works of benevolence, and the shrewdness of his business habits enables him to baffle, in most cases, the designs of impostors. His name will be easily remembered by his countrymen, for it is the familiar one of Thomas Holloway.— Argus.