Death Of Wm. S. George

Win. s. Oeorge, of LuMtaft died at liis home in that city early Tuesday morning, after a protractel WniM TM BtpnbHeu, of which lie was for a nuniber of y.aieditor, ptfaMi ÜM lullowini; sketch af his life and charactcr: B was boni at Derby, Vt„ and came froni that Puntan stock whicli hM lUmped lts bBpMM H indelibly 00 tlic national eharacter. At the age of 3 ycars lire swept fnim his párente all their worldly poMHtaa, and ly!ng on a bed on the ground nev the scène of the destruction, he s;iw the lurid llames do a work of havoc and ruin wlüch canaed both parents aml childreN to stnijfgle for lo obtain tor theinselves the neoes'sities of Itfe. William tí. wm the i son, and before lie had reached tlie age ol ÍS veáis he was tighting manfully the battle of lite. He has often said Ui the writer ut tliis. " I liever knew anything aboul the sports and pleasuies of cliililhood.' Wblle his compnkmi rere engaged in out-door aporta, he was engaged in study and composition, which were the rtepplng-rtonw to that prominent position which he afterward held in the ranks of journalism. He had a thorough drill in the coinnion schools, and then .K'iit ftmr y pars in learning the printer's trade, on the White Mountaiii Jigis, at Lancaster, New Hainpshire. At 15 he wrote artlcles for the press in favor of Harrison's election. His care and skill as a compositor brought him a inan's wages at 17, and at W he reccived more than journeymen printers usnally averaged. While stiil an apprentjee - only 16 years old - he kept his eniployer's books) condensed the news of the day for the paper, and picked up local Items. In 18 W he rdited the political columns of a wUg newspapiT called the Vermont l'hoiiii-, at Brattleboro, VL, which strongly supported the election of Henry lav. aml rwwived $1 per week for his serv While a journeyman printer, foreman or proof-reader for six years in the city of Boston, until 1857, he continued to make contributions to the press, and many incisive afld ringing antislavery articles of that day were the product of his pen. In 1857 he becanie assistant editor of the New Bedford Standard, published by the late Edmund Anthony. Although hls ut -e but $6 to f 12 per week, by rigorous industry and economy lic saved enough to purchase the North Adams, Transcript The lire demon again scourged him, and the severest labor and ¦¦.!! miy were necessary to keep his paper alive; but he did good service toward the election of Lincoln, and in the redemption Of liis country and representative district from Democratie rule. In 1800 he Bold the Transcript and becanie an assistant editor of the Springfield Republican, under Samuel Bowles. The late .1. G. Holland was also a member of the -taff of the Republican at that time. Two years later, on the consolidaron of the Detroit Ailvertiser and the Detroit Tribune, Mr. (íeorge became aaslstant editor of that paper. Aftel a year's experience in editorial worK lic parchsaM ?4,ooo n.Mtii of stock in that journal, the late E. B. Ward endorsinj; his note for $3,000, and in oitolicr, 1888, he took complete control of the business and mechanical departinenis. Ño Michigan Dewspaper ever attaincd such iiiospcrity and success as did the Tribune under his management. His debts were paid in less than two years, and at the end of four years heowned an interest worth $14,000. In 1867 he sold his stock and became superintendent of an oil coinpaiiv in We Virginia. On the dcath of the late John A. Kerr the surviving partner, George Jerome, ortered him an interest in the state prlnting, and ou January 1, 1869, he assumed control of the state printing office and bindery. In 1873 he assumed editorial charge of the Lansing Republican, whlch had achieved a good reputation under able edltors, but uder bis care and skill becaras known atnong newspaper men as " the model paper of Michigan." His newspaper methods have been largely followed by many eilitors, who readily recognized thefr trae me rits, and in this way he has done more tliau any one man to elévate the neuspapcr press of the peninsular State. Resides his arduous labors as a journalist and business man heserved assecretary of an Odd Fellows' lodge, patriarch of the Sons of Temperance, a director of the Lansin; national bank, vice-president of the Lansing library and literary association, and at the time ol his death was president of the Central Michigan savings bank. He was for many years a meiuber of the Republican state central committee and ehainnaii of the Republican committee of Ingham county. In 187G he was a delégale trom the sixth district to the Cincinnati eonvention which nominated Hayes and Wheeler. He lefl the Whigs in the days of their strength and joined the Free Soil party, from nliicli he easily ehanged to the Republican ofganiiatkm. In the itreat struirgle for tieedom to the black man as well as the white, and later in the con test for national supremacy Mr. George's ready pen was most elVectually used on the side of liberty aml unión, lie believcd in the doctrine that "the one, sole, wend thing beneath the cope of heaven is man," and he was ever ready to delend the rights ol the worthy down-trodden. He was educated in the orthodox faith. but the convictions of his mature nitl placed him among the l'nitaiians and LJberallaU. He was tor teren years an attendant at Tbeodorc I'arker's churcli in Botton, and believed tbat the nearer right a man could live in this world the better ollwould he be in the world to come. As a citizen Mr. Oeorge showed great public spirit. He gave munilicentlv fol all charitable purpuses, and the needy poor nevrr appealed to him in vain. Many a young man now on the road Í0 prnsperity nissuccess to the sound and kindly :nlvice and the material asfistance which lic reccived Iroin V. 8. George. His private benefactions were many and larre, and but few, even of his most intímate (Hendí, knew of their extent. He took great interest in the cause ni education, and enperially in the ettieicncv and thorough uess of our coinmon sohools, lor he reoogntaed the fa et that in these are trained the great masses of the eommon people on whoin the wcltuie of tlie nation dependí. In fono Mr. Oeorge was of iikmIIuih helcht, ilendcr, irnewy and ai'tive. Be bad biown hair. blue eyes. nuil a Horkl complexión. He was one of the gr' bruin workers tliis country lias e-' duced, and until the last kad hr11y known sickness enoiih to dianble blm from husinesd. Alxiut four moiitht gt liU heult hcompletely failcd hiin, umi souglit tor rert : 1 1 1 1 rcmpcrntioii at tlio peasidc. He was somewuat iinproved, and caine home on December 17 with the expectation of steadily regalnlng his former strenjfth. He wil at tlie office on Wednesday ast, when lie went home nevor lo return. On his way lie .stoppcd to visit two siek employé, ainl while there was taken with a chili trom which he ncver rallied. No man of his age everlived a busier or mor.' iixful life. His family have lust a devoted husband and an affectionjite fat her, the communlty ft publ!e-lrfrited citizen, and his ü.rLt: forcé of employés a kindbearted and upright employer. A chlef ediior of tlie RepabUcan the Dewipapef lialcniity of Michigan will raouru his irreparable loss. Qe na emlnently a just man in all his (lculings with his fellowa, and was ever guitton ly tin: higliestscnse of honor. He was genial in his nature, und wlnle he telt kiiidly toward all, he had bul few friemls w 1 1 1 tboroturbly knew him, lor he made hut few cniiliilaiits. Tliose wlio knew him licM appreeialed and loved him MOSt The tempenwoe cante in tCichi{(an never hada truer Iriend or anioreealotis worker than W. greal re in life was in the Imiiie cirele, whereall his time waí -pent when notenfagM] i" the active din business. As lonjr as hi mother lived he ai lier wihtee and snppmt. To Mrs. S. L. Papineau, mother or Mrs. George, no son oould have heen more dutilul. He was firt married in 1808, arain in 1866, and the third time in 1?'. He leaves bis wite, three children, and tm ÉMMM '" le'' llighland and One at l'harlentown,