MR. VANDERBILT'S EXPENDITURE.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPEOTATOR."_1
SIR,—In your otherwise admirable article, in the Spectator of January 26th, entitled " Mr. Vanderbilt's Expenditure," you do, I am sure unwittingly, a grave injustice to Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt. You say :—" We have no prejudice in his favour, for he is always described as being like his father, a singularly hard man; he is accused of foolish ostentation, and he has certainly done less for great public objects than one would expect of a man with his exceptionally large resources." It is not necessary to draw any comparision between the father and son, though the large benefactions left by the will of William H. Vanderbilt will not soon be forgotten; but certainly to Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt the adjectives "hard " or "ostentatious" could never be justly applied. Uniformly modest, courteous, and gentle, absolutely free from any ostentation, as he is from any false humility, a constant and generous giver, a man of the highest character, and a public-spirited citizen, Mr. Vanderbilt has set an example which other possessors of great wealth could well afford to imitate. I cannot believe that any one who is informed can be found to gainsay any of the above, though it may appear high and unstinted praise. The Bishop of New York, so well known in this country, finds in Mr. Vanderbilt one whose influence and wealth are always at command; his wealth is a trust which he seeks to administer faithfully. These facts accentuate the point you make in your article. As one who knows Mr. Vanderbilt, I feel it only right, though it doubtless will be distasteful to him, to say thus much.—I am, Sir, &c.,
[We can judge Mr. Vanderbilt only by accounts of him in the American papers, and certainly some of these suggest ostentation as his foible.—ED. Spectator.]
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