Wisdom Vault — onlinknow.co.za

Childs is familiar to the reading public. He now occupies an eminent position as the proprietor of the " Public Ledger," one of the most influential and respectable of American journals. Childs is one of those men who seem born to figure, in the pages of books upon "

Self-Help " and " The secret of his success is that which has been the secret of the success of so many self-made notabilities, — not great intellectual power, or literary gifts, or rare endow- GEORGE W. CHILDS. 307 ments, so much as force of character, independence of spirit, diligence, and integrity.

It is nearly thirty-five years ago that he set out from Baltimore, his birthplace, to seek his fortune in Philadelphia, resolute with the moral courage of a strong and active mind to search for it " in the way best calculated to find it, and to leave nothing undone on his part to deserve it."

Yet it must have appeared a very long way off, even to a boy's imagination ; for this lad of fifteen years old was absolutely friendless, and as completely without a patron as Richard Whittington when, pausing on the summit of Highgate Hill, he heard those mythic bells which called, him back to a career of honor and prosperity.

He knew, however, that an idle hand grasps nothing, not even an opportunity ; and soon after his ar- rival he gladly engaged himself as shopboy to a respectable bookseller. As soon as he had obtained a knowledge of the business, and saved up a small store of dollars, he boldly started on his own account, and this with so much success that, in his twentieth year, he received an offer, which he accepted, of a partnership in the publishing firm of Peterson & Co.

Childs & Peterson " the new firm rose rapidly into popularity. The senior partner's energy, quick perception, sound judgment, and prudent enterprise raised it out of the ruck of competition, and he made " a hit " by the publication of Dr.

Arctic Explorations." In i860 or 1861 Mr. Childs took sole charge of the business, and about four years later he became proprietor of the " Public Ledger." The welfare of those employed in the " Ledger " office is a matter of special solicitude to Mr.

Childs, and there are various philanthropic schemes in operation for their benefit. In 1870 his income was publicly estimated, with the customary frankness of Americans in these matters, at 308 SELF-HELP 160,000 dollars a year — not an unsatisfactory result of five and twenty years labor.

Childs had also gained the respect and esteem due to unblemished character and business activity ; while, by his liberality and energetic action, he had contributed to the extension of American literature. Amongst other things, we are indebted to his enterprise for the production of that great work, Allibone's "

Critical Dictionary of English Litera- ture and British and American Authors." The friendless boy of fifteen had every reason to feel that his life-work was a very satisfactory commentary on the significant text of " The London City-world has not yet put out of mind the memory of George Moore, the warehouseman of Bow Church- yard.