LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2044, 11 September 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

GEORGE WILLIAM CHILDS. AV EXTRAORDINARY INTERVIEW WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN, Wealth and Benevolence. [From the ‘New York] Herald.’] 1 Yes, sir, I have been uniformly successful,’ said Mr George W. Childs, as he sat back in his comfortable chair in the private office of the ‘Ledger, ‘ and my rule has ever been to mind my own business and never, under any circumstances, to interfere with what did not concern me. ’ Mr Childs is one of the features cf Philadelphia life, as his journal is of American journalism. Like it he is unique and peculiar, and strangers are taken to catch a glimpse at him, just as they are shown the Pork, the Mint and the vast Masonic Temple. The private offices of Mr Childs are odd enough to please the moat fastidious. He sits in what he calls the ‘ Queen Anne room,’ the entrance to which is past a heavy oaken door, hung on strong brass hinges. The room, originally seventeen feet by twenty feet, is reduced to seventeen feet square by the introduction of an open screen sixteen feet high, parallel with Sixth street. On the glass, fronting the street, are painted the arms of the United States, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, The wainscoting is of oak, broken by a door, a mantel and a fireplace, the latter entirely unique In finish and very costly.

INTERIOR OF THE OFFICE. Brasses of every shape and style, painted glass panels, with portraits of of Gntteabnrg, Faust, and Schaeffer, tiles of divers colors geometrically arranged, half a dozen gergeona clocks ranging in age from 70 to 400 years, copies of the hi ilton and other famous shields, statuettes of Savonarola and Pioarde di Donat!, floral patterns of different designs, deep cornices elaborately painted and gilded, heavy embossed paper imitations of Flemish leather, cracle ware vases, jars of cloisonne enamel, a colossal suit of antique French armour, ebony furniture ; an ebony cabinet, inlaid with various colored woods and enamel ; fine specimens of ceramic ware, massive malachite and lapis lazuli clocks and inkstands, and gifts of many styles and values adorn the room, making it at ones bizarre and beautiful, cosey and costly, elegant and attractive. Here Mr Childs receives callers, and here the “Telegram” correspondent found him, cheery faced, bright and affable, and as ready to talk as the most exacting might desire. In reply to a question Mr Childs said : ‘I bought the “Ledger ” in 1864. It was losing money hand over fist, but I had faith in it and secured it. The first thing I did was to double the price, then I let it be distinctly understood that I would print no questionable advertisements, ’ 1 Did you make any changes ?’ ‘Oh yea.’ One man said to me, * I hear you have bought the “ Ledger.” Do yon intend making any changes ?’ ‘Yes,’ said I, * I shall discharge you first of all, because you are a poor, miserable, drunkard, ’

He was astonished, but presently said, ‘lf you’ll give a chance I’ll never touch another drop.’

Said I, ‘ If yon mean that I’ll double your your salary.’ And I did. To-day that man owns houses and lands in tho city, and is universally respected.

A BENEVOLENT MAN. * I have always gone on the principle of helping others as 1 went along, A number of ray people are worth from 75,000d01s to 100,000. I started building associations for them and they have been of the greatest benefit,’

‘ Have you never had any enibarrasments ?’ 1 Never. I have worked hard for an end and have secured it. What could a man wish that I cannot have ? There is nothing in the gift of the people, there was nothing in the gift of General Grant, when ho was President, at home or abroad, that was not at my disposal if I had cared for it ’ ‘ You have met many distinguished people ?’ * Yes, probably more than any other American, and I know them all well.’

‘ For instance ?’ ‘ Well, among my guests, friends and correspondents were the Emperor of Brazil, the Duke of Buckingham; Lords Dnfferin, Rosebery. Houghton, Ilchestor, Caithness and Dnnraven; Sir Stafford Northcole, Lady Franklyn, Dean Stanley, Canon Kingsley, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, J. A. Fronde, Professor Tyndall, Professor Price, Goldwin Smith, Admiral Lord Clarence Paget, f-ir Philip Cunliffe Owen, Sir Herbert Sand'ord, Charles Kean, Marquis M. Rochambeau, John Walter, M P, (cf the London “Times”), Sir Charles Reed, Sir John Rose, Sir Edwin Thornton, Henry W. Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, George Bancroft, Henry Ward Beecher, Ralph Waido Emerson, Elisha K. Kane, Edmund Quincy, Chief Justice Waite, George Peabody ; Genera's Grant, Sherman, Meade and Sheridan; H. Fish, B. C. Winthrop, Henry Wilson, William M. Evarts, Alexander H. Stephens, S. J. Tilden, Charlotte Cushman, Washington Irving, W. H. Prescott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edward Everett, Thomas H. Benton, W. H. Seward, William O. Bryant, Greeley, T. Weed, Peter Cooper, G. P. K. James, George S. Hilliard, Fitz-Green Halleck, Jared Sparks, Thomas Hughes, M.P.; John L. Motley and Dr. Francis Lieber. FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT. ‘ Were you in any way instrumental in securing Fairmouat Part to the city ?’ ‘Oh, yes. The land was about to be sold, and a gentleman who was desirous that the city should have it came to consult me about it. I said, ‘lf you will furnish half tne money I will the other half, and if the city doesn’t wish it we can hold it. I mentioned it to Mr Urexel, who said he would furnish a quarter, so my friend had to find but a quarter, and I furnished the rest.’ * And how about the Centennial.’

• I was one of the first to subscribe 10,000 dola. towards it, and my services to the British Department were acknowledged in a letter from the Duke of Richmond in 1577.»

‘You say yon like to help other people, Mr Childs ?’

‘ I do, indeed ; it’s half the pleasure of life. I once loaned my name for IOO.OOOioIs. to my old friend and brother publisher,

George P. Patman, of New York. He never forgot the favor and, what’e better, he never forgot mo. If X coin money like s magician, I like to spend if like a man of heart. It afforded ms intense avi-faction t» secure that tract of laud for cur great park, o pavo 1116 infmense pleasure to push the 100 OOOdol. subscription for the family of Genera! Meade. Although, as you Jsea, I know and am known to dukes and earls, princes and millionnairea, Ism quite sure I find great satisfaction and mental comfort in providing liberally for the men in my employ, and the bootblacks and newsboys in the street.’

HIS LTBRAUV. ‘ How many valuable books have you ?’ ‘About 5000 leading standard works, on every subject, elegantly bonnd. Among my treasures are an original sermon written by the Eev. Cotton Mather and a c ipy of Leigh Hunt with an autograph inscription to Charles Dickens; Hood’s “Comic Annua!” for 1842, also from Dickens’ library with his written date of 13*0 and the fo lowing nevea before published inscription in Hood’s handwriting : “ Pshaw ! away with leaf and bsrry And the sober-sided cap ! Pring a goblet and brig'.t sherry. And a bumper fill me up. Tho’ I had a pledge to shiver. And the longest ever w.-.s. Ere his vessel leaves onr river I will drink a health to Boz ? Hera’s success to all his antics. Since it pleases it to roam And to paddle o’er Atlantics After such, a sale at home ! May he shun all rocks whatever, Andthe shallow ssnd that lark?. And his passage be as clever As the best among his works! “Thomas Hoop.” 4 Among others are poems of Fi;z Greene Halleok with autograph inscription; the original MSS. of Hawthorne’s “Consular Experiences;” an autogra*.h letter from Hawthorne, with a copy of tho “Scarlet letter;” letters and MSS. of President Pierce, William Cullen dryant, James Russell Lowell, James Fenimore Cooper, President Grant’s manuscript draft of his Centennial address and au extraordinary treasure In the original manuscript of “ Our Mutual Friend,” dated Thursday, January 4th, 1865, and signed “Charles Dickens.” There are also MSS. of Wi.lrim Godwin, Frederika Bromer and Harriet Martineau.’ AN INTERESTING COLLECTION,

* Have yon letters from any other Presidents than Pierce and Grant ?’

‘Yes; in this book is a portrait of every President from George Washington to Rutherford B. Hayes, with a characteristic autograph letter from each. Washington’s is the last he ever wrote, and is dated “Mount Vernon, Bth 'December, 1799,’six days bafore his death. In Lincoln's latter to General McClellan he“sayß, “ But yon must aot,”’ ‘What else is here of spacial interest!’ ‘Well, let me see. Here are manuscript letters and uoems from Bures, Moore, Swift, Longfellow, Bryant, Holmes. Tennyson, Pepys, Pope, Thomson and Coleridge and Schiller.

‘ I see yon are rather fond of clocks ?’ ‘ Yes, indeed ; and, by the way, I have secured a great treasure to day in a famous clock made by Eittenhonse, the celebrated scientist of Franklyn’s time. This clock is described in Eittenhouse’s memoirs, page 209, with its pedigree from date to date, and as you see all about my place here there are all kinds of clocks, forty in all. tome of them 400 years old, and all very valuable, one cf which cost 6000dola.’ * son are noted hereabouts for yonr unostentatious charity ; do you find it a good thing, a wise policy in the long run ’’ A MAN OF FRIENDS, ‘ I do, indeed. Everybody comes to me for help, and no one goes away unaided. My friend Forney will say when a friend wants money, * I haven’t got SOOdols. myself, but I’ll go down and borrow it of Childs for you. ’ Yes, I get a deal of satisfaction from charity. One of my printers came to me the other day and sa’d, ‘My daughter is to be married next week and I want to see if I can buy a Bible and have it charged to yon, the amount to he deducted from my pay per week.’ He wanted to give her a Bible worth 40d015., so I gave him a cheque for SOdols, for the girl and an order on a dry goods store for SOdols. worth of clothes for her and the Bible, and thanked him for let lug me know his daughter was to be married. Now, that didn’t ocst me much, but it pleased them, and I have just received a beautiful letter from the girl herself. Then an old acquaintance came in to see if he could borrow 200dols. to get out a book with. I didn’t want the book, but I told him he could have the money and to send the books to twenty college libraries. Here’s the list just come in. Now, here is a circular we got out and have sent to a few prominent men asking subscriptions to a monument for my old friend, Morton McMichael. They all snow that when I take hold of a thing it is certain to go through, and if there isn’t money enough subscribed I’ll make it up, and that will be the end of it. I wanted to pay for the whole of Leigh Hunt’s monument, but Mr Hall would taka bnt a subscription. X am the largest subscriber to the memorial window, in Bronham, of the poet, Tcm Moore. I give an annual dinner to the newsboys of Philadelphia, and I sent thousands of boys and girls to visit the Centennial Exhibibition. My business is very prosperous, and I like my men to share my prosperity. I am very quick to detect merit, and no man who does his duty need fear to trust me implicitly with his confidence. I givs every one a vacation of at least two weeks, paying his salary in advance, accompanied by a present, and on Christmas Day I always give thousands of dollars in money to my employes.’ ‘ How about the worn-out men ?’

WORN-OUT EMPLOYES. ‘ I take good care of them. The foreman of my composing room had been with me less than a year when ho broke down, and the doctor told him he must stop work or die. He hasn’t been near the office for years, but he draws his weekly salary with regularity and comfort. In ISSB I gave to the Philadelphia Typographical Society a printer’s cemetery—a lot with an area of about two thousand feet, sufouuded by a beautiful and substantial marble wall, with an imposing gateway of handsome marble. I also presented the society a liberal sum, the interest of which is to be devoted to the care of the grounds. I buried an old destitute printer there first of all. He was dying in the Almaboase and sent me word. Of course I attended to him, and ha rests there now.’

‘ Yon have had occasional offers of position and trust ?’

‘ I have declined more than any cne knows. Princeton College conferred the degree of Master of Arts upon me, and appreciative notices of my life ancroharacter have appeared in “Lippincott’a Biographical Dictionary,” “Johnson’s Encyclopedia,” the “ Biographie des Con empcraries,” in “Men of the Time,” in various brochures in different languages and in newspapers all over the world.’ 11l s' BIST II PLACE. ‘ Where were yon born ?’ ‘ln Baltimore, in 1529. My name is not George Washington Childs, but the same as my father’s, George William Childs.’ ' I have heard that yon were instrumental in inducing Mme. Jananschck to learn the English language, is that so 7’ ‘ Yes ; she came here with letters from influential friends of mine in Germany. When she called to see me I told her, through an interpreter, that she ought to learn our language, and then she would make a success. She did bo, and when she was here last she had 500,000u01s in United States bonds.’

‘ Do you find that your employes benefit by your thoughtfulness V ‘Oh yes I pay a number of them 5006 dels or fiOOOdola a year. Nearly every one owns his house, and they all know that their positions are assured for life. I take them as boys in the office, then clerks, then reporters, and finally editors. Cns of my chief editorial writers is the son of a car tier,’

In the brief limits of a letter it is impossible to more than outline the cherry jollinces of this peculiar man. He sits supreme in a superb establishment, enjoying an annnal imperial income, distributing benefits to thousands every year and establishing relations with many men of many minds the world aronnd. The unaffected simplicity with which Mr Childs responds to the questions of the curious and terns himself inside out for the information of private or public querists is one of the charms of his nature, and Philadelphia! has no more marked a feature, no greater curiosity than George William Childs, proprietor of the “ Public Ledger,”