GEORGE PEABODY.
[Promotion of Universal Education.]
Bust of George Peabody, facing the left.
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO GEORGE PEABODY IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS BENEFICENT PROMOTION OF UNIVERSAL EDUCATION.[122]
This is not, properly speaking, a medal, but rather a medallion forming the center of a piece of gold plate, the work of Messrs. Starr and Marcus, goldsmiths, of New York. A female figure, representing Benevolence, leans over the medallion on the right, holding in her right hand a branch of laurel, while with her left she points to the bust of George Peabody. On the opposite side, under a palmetto tree, are two children, the one white, the other a negro, typical of education in the Southern States. The group is placed upon a pedestal of solid gold, in the center of which are the arms of the United States of America in enamel, resting upon two branches, one of oak, the other of laurel. To the right, BENEVOLENCE; to the left, EDUCATION. On the reverse of the pedestal, beneath the medallion, are a globe, books, a map of the United States, a square, a compass, etc., emblems of Art, Science, and Education. This piece of plate is eight inches high, six inches wide, and its depth is an inch and a half. The allegorical figures are modeled and finely chased, and the portrait in the medallion is in alto relievo.
George Peabody was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, February 18, 1795. In 1806 he began life as an apprentice to a grocer. He afterward entered into partnership with Mr. Elisha Riggs, in Baltimore, and when the latter retired from business, in 1830, he became the head of the house; in 1843 he settled in London as a banker. In 1852 he gave $200,000 for the foundation of a free library and educational institute in Danvers; and in 1857 he founded in Baltimore the Peabody Institute, to which he gave $1,000,000. He also contributed, at various times, $2,500,000, for the amelioration of the condition of the London poor. The freedom of the city of London was presented to him, and Queen Victoria offered him a baronetcy or the grand cross of the Order of the Bath, both of which honors he respectfully declined. Her Majesty then wrote him a private letter of thanks, and sent him, in March, 1866, a beautiful miniature portrait of herself. During a visit to America, in 1867, he made a gift of $2,000,000 to promote education in the Southern States, for which Congress gave him a vote of thanks and a gold medal; and on April 13, 1868, Massachusetts passed an act changing the name of his native town, Danvers, to Peabody. He returned to England, and died in London, November 4, 1869. A funeral service was performed over his body in Westminster Abbey, November 12; and in December it was, by order of Her Majesty, the Queen of Great Britain, taken on board the iron-clad turret ship-of-war Monarch, Captain Comerell, C. B., V. C. (Knight Companion of the Bath,[123] Victoria Cross), and conveyed to America under escort, by order of President Grant, of the United States screw sloop-of-war Plymouth, Commander Macomb. It was landed in Portland, Maine, January 26, 1870, and was deposited, February 8, 1870, in the memorial church erected to his mother at Peabody, amid an immense concourse of people, among whom were Prince Arthur of England, the governors of Maine and Massachusetts, and numerous deputations. The bronze statue of Mr. Peabody, by Story, erected by the citizens of London behind the Royal Exchange, was unveiled in presence of the Prince of Wales, July 23, 1869.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
Resolution of Congress Voting a Medal to George Peabody.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled: That the thanks of Congress be, and they hereby are, presented to George Peabody of Massachusetts, for his great and peculiar beneficence in giving a large sum of money, amounting to two million dollars, for the promotion of education in the more destitute portions of the Southern and Southwestern States, the benefits of which, according to his direction, are to be distributed among the entire population without any distinction, except what may be found in needs or opportunities of usefulness.
And be it further resolved, That it shall be the duty of the President to cause a gold medal to be struck, with suitable devices and inscriptions, which, together with a copy of these resolutions, shall be presented to Mr. Peabody in the name of the people of the United States.
And further, That a sufficient amount of money to carry this resolution into effect is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.
Approved March 16, 1867.
George Peabody's Gift for Southern Education.
Washington, February 7, 1867.
To
Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, of Massachusetts; Hon. Hamilton Fish, of New York; Right Rev. Charles P. McIlvaine, of Ohio; General U. S. Grant, of the United States Army; Hon. William C. Rives, of Virginia; Hon. John H. Clifford, of Massachusetts; Hon. William Aiken, of South Carolina; William M. Evarts, Esq., of New York; Hon. William A. Graham, of North Carolina; Charles Macalester, of Pennsylvania; George W. Riggs, Esq., of Washington; Samuel Wetmore, Esq., of New York; Edward A. Bradford, Esq., of Louisiana; George N. Eaton, Esq., of Maryland; and George Peabody Russell, Esq., of Massachusetts.
Gentlemen: I beg to address you on a subject which occupied my mind long before I left England, and in regard to which one, at least, of you (the Hon. Mr. Winthrop, the distinguished and valued friend to whom I am so much indebted for cordial sympathy, careful consideration, and wise counsel in this matter,) will remember that I consulted him immediately upon my arrival in May last.
I refer to the educational needs of those portions of our beloved and common country which have suffered from the destructive ravages, and the not less disastrous consequences of civil war.
With my advancing years my attachment to my native land has but become more devoted. My hope and faith in its successful and glorious future have grown brighter and stronger, and now, looking forward beyond my stay on earth, as may be permitted to one who has passed the limit of three score and ten years, I see our country united and prosperous, emerging from the clouds which still surround her, taking a higher rank among the nations, and becoming richer and more powerful than ever before.
But to make her prosperity more than superficial, her moral and intellectual development should keep pace with her material growth, and in those portions of our nation to which I have referred, the urgent and pressing physical needs of an almost impoverished people must for some years preclude them from making, by unaided effort, such advances in education, and such progress in the diffusion of knowledge among all classes, as every lover of his country must earnestly desire.
I feel most deeply, therefore, that it is the duty and privilege of the more favored and wealthy portions of our nation to assist those who are less fortunate, and, with the wish to discharge so far as I may be able my own responsibility in this matter, as well as to gratify my desire to aid those to whom I am bound by so many ties of attachment and regard, I give to you, gentlemen, most of whom have been my personal and especial friends, the sum of one million of dollars, to be by you and your successors held in trust, and the income thereof used and applied in your discretion for the promotion and encouragement of intellectual, moral, or industrial education among the young of the more destitute portions of the Southern and Southwestern States of our Union; my purpose being that the benefits intended shall be distributed among the entire population, without other distinction than their needs and the opportunities of usefulness to them.
Besides the income thus derived, I give to you permission to use from the principal sum, within the next two years, an amount not exceeding forty per cent.
In addition to this gift I place in your hands bonds of the State of Mississippi, issued to the Planter's Bank, and commonly known as Planter's Bank bonds, amounting, with interest, to about eleven hundred thousand dollars, the amount realized by you from which is to be added to and used for the purposes of this trust.
These bonds were originally issued in payment for stock in that bank held by the State, and amounted in all to only two millions of dollars. For many years the State received large dividends from that bank over and above the interest on these bonds. The State paid the interest without interruption till 1840, since which no interest has been paid, except a payment of about one hundred thousand dollars, which was found in the treasury applicable to the payment of the coupons, and paid by a mandamus of the Supreme Court. The validity of these bonds has never been questioned, and they must not be confounded with another issue of bonds made by the State to the Union Bank, the recognition of which has been a subject of controversy with a portion of the population of Mississippi.
Various acts of the Legislature, viz.: of February 28, 1842; February 23, 1844; February 16, 1846; February 28, 1846; March 4, 1848, and the highest judicial tribunal of the State have confirmed their validity, and I have no doubt that at an early date such legislation will be had as to make these bonds available in increasing the usefulness of the present trust.
Mississippi, though now depressed, is rich in agricultural resources, and cannot long disregard the moral obligation resting upon her to make provision for their payment. In confirmation of what I have said in regard to the legislative and judicial action concerning the State bonds issued to the Planter's Bank, I herewith place in your hands the documents marked A.
The details and organization of the trust I leave with you, only requesting that Mr. Winthrop may be Chairman, and Governor Fish and Bishop McIlvaine Vice-Chairmen of your body; and I give to you power to make all necessary by-laws and regulations, to obtain an act of incorporation, if any shall be found expedient, to provide for the expenses of the trustees and of any agents appointed by them; and generally, to do all such acts as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of this trust.
All vacancies occurring in your number by death, resignation, or otherwise, shall be filled by your election, as soon as conveniently may be, and having in view an equality of representation so far as regards the Northern and Southern States.
I furthermore give to you the power, in case two-thirds of the trustees shall at any time, after the lapse of 30 years, deem it expedient, to close this trust, and of the funds which at that time shall be in the hands of yourselves and your successors, to distribute not less than two-thirds among such educational or literary institutions, or for such educational purposes as they may determine, in the States for whose benefit the income is now appointed to be used. The remainder may be distributed by the trustees for educational or literary purposes wherever they may deem it expedient.
In making this gift I am aware that the fund derived from it can but aid the States which I wish to benefit in their own exertions to diffuse the blessings of education and morality. But if this endowment shall encourage those now anxious for the light of knowledge, and stimulate to new efforts the many good and noble men who cherish the high purpose of placing our great country foremost, not only in power, but in the intelligence and virtue of her citizens, it will have accomplished all that I can hope.
With reverent recognition of the need of the blessing of Almighty God upon this gift, and with the fervent prayer that, under His guidance, your counsels may be directed for the highest good of present and future generations in our beloved country,
I am, gentlemen, with great respect, your humble servant,
George Peabody.
Action of the Trustees of the Peabody Gift.
On receipt of the foregoing letter by the Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, the Trustees present in Washington were called upon by him to meet on February 8th, and the letter having been laid before them, the following resolutions, moved by Bishop McIlvaine and seconded by Gov. Aiken, were unanimously adopted:
Whereas: Our countryman and friend George Peabody has, in a letter just communicated to the undersigned, made known his determination, out of a grateful sense of the manifold goodness with which God has prospered his life, and of an earnest desire to promote the best interests of his fellow-citizens, to devote a munificent donation of property for certain most wise and beneficent uses indicated in said letter, and has requested us to take in trust the charge and management of the same, therefore,
Resolved, That the undersigned, being the Trustees assembled in Washington, deeply sensible of the honor conferred on them by a trust of such eminent importance and responsibility, and realizing their dependence upon the guidance and blessing of God to be enabled to discharge its duties with such wisdom and faithfulness as may best secure the benevolent designs of the giver, do hereby accept the office of Trustees of the same, and promise our best exertions in its behalf.
Resolved, That we hereby express to Mr. Peabody our grateful appreciation of the enlarged and unprecedented generosity which, after having bestowed upon the poor of the city of London a bounty that drew forth the admiration of Europe, and after having exceeded the same in his recent return to his native land, in benefactions to institutions of learning and education in the Middle and Eastern States of the Union, has now crowned the whole with this last deed of patriotism and loving kindness, so eminently calculated to bind together the several parts of our beloved country in the bonds of mutual well-doing and regard.
Resolved, That we express to Mr. Peabody our respectful and affectionate prayer that, in the gracious providence of our Heavenly Father, his valuable life may be long spared to witness the success of his benevolent contributions to the happiness of his fellow-citizens in all parts of his native and beloved land, and that many of those whom God has blessed with large possessions may be induced to follow his example of wise and noble employment of wealth for the good of man and the glory of God.
Robert C. Winthrop C. Macalester,
Charles P. McIlvaine George W. Riggs,
U. S. Grant, Gen. U. S. A. Samuel Wetmore,
William Aiken George N. Eaton,
William M. Evarts Geo. Peabody Russell.
The Secretary of State to George Peabody.
Department of State,
Washington, June 23, 1868.
To
Mr. George Peabody, London.
Sir: I have the pleasure to inform you that, pursuant to the resolution of Congress of March 16, 1867, the President has caused to be prepared for presentation to you, in the name of the people of the United States, a gold medal, with suitable devices and inscriptions, in acknowledgment of your munificent donation for the promotion of education in the more destitute portions of the Southern and Southwestern States. This testimonial, together with an engrossed copy of the resolution referred to, will remain in the hands of this department until you shall have communicated to it your wishes with regard to their further disposition.
I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
William H. Seward.
George Peabody to the Secretary of State.
London, Sept 18, 1868.
To the Honorable
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication, dated the 23d of June, informing me of the completion of the gold medal prepared pursuant to an act of Congress of March 16, 1867, to be presented to me in the name of the people of the United States, and asking what may be my wishes in regard to its further disposition.
I have heretofore delayed responding to your polite letter from indecision on my part respecting the place to which I should wish to have the esteemed token transmitted, whether to me here, in London, or to the institution bearing my name in South Danvers, which I intend shall be its final resting place; but knowing the uncertainty of life, particularly at my advanced age, and feeling a great desire of seeing this most valued token my countrymen have been pleased to bestow upon me, I beg leave to submit, if compatible with the rules of your department, that the medal with the accompanying documents may be sent to me here, through our legation, when I will endeavor to express myself more fully how highly I esteem the distinguished honor.
I am, with great respect, your humble servant,
George Peabody.
The Secretary of State to George Peabody.
Department of State,
Washington, October 7, 1868.
To
Mr. George Peabody, London.
Sir: Your letter of the 18th of September has been received. In compliance with the suggestion therein contained the congressional medal is herewith transmitted to Mr. B. F. Stevens, the United States despatch agent at London, with instructions to place the honorable testimonial directly into your own hands. It is hoped that it may receive no injury by the way, and that you may deem it, in design and execution, a not unworthy token of your countrymen's appreciation of your beneficence in the cause of universal education.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
William H. Seward.
George Peabody to the Secretary of State.
64 Queen Street, Cheapside,
London, E. C., January 6, 1869.
To the Honorable
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, through the United States despatch agent at London, of the case alluded to in your letter of the 7th of October, containing the gold medal, which, pursuant to the resolution of Congress, the President has caused to be prepared for me, together with an engrossed copy of the resolution referred to.
The package arrived in England in November, but owing to my absence from London it was not till the evening of Christmas day that I was enabled to examine its contents in the presence of a circle of my intimate friends.
Of the unsurpassed beauty of the medal, and the excellence of its delicate workmanship, there is but one opinion, and I heartily concur with all who have seen it in appreciating the elegance of its design and the masterly skill of its execution.
Cherishing as I do the warmest affection for my country, it is not possible for me to feel more grateful than I do for this precious memorial of its regard, coming as it does from thirty millions of American citizens, through their representatives in Congress, with the full accord and co-operation of the President.
This medal, together with the rich illuminated transcript of the Congressional resolution, I shall shortly deposit in the Peabody Institution, at the place of my birth, in apartments specially constructed for their safe-keeping, along with other public testimonials with which I have been honored. There I trust it will remain for generations, to attest the generous munificence of the American people in recognizing the efforts, however inadequate, of one of the humblest of their fellow-countrymen to promote the enlightenment and prosperity of his native land.
To you, Sir, individually, I beg to convey the assurance of my profound gratitude for the interest which you have personally manifested on the occasion, and for the cordial manner in which you have consulted my wishes in relation to the transmission of this gracious record of my country's favor.
I have the honor to be, with great respect, your humble servant,
George Peabody.
March 4, 1869—March 4, 1877.
United States of America. Liberty justice and equality "Let us have peace." ℞. On earth peace good will toward men.