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 UCSB LIBRARY

 
 MEMORIAL 
 
 MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN 
 
 'DO GOOD BY STE/i 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PRIVATELY PRINTED 
 1867.
 
 COLLINS, PRINTER, 
 705 JAYNE ST.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 A Sketch of the Life, Mechanical Enterprise, and 
 Christian Beneficence of Matthias W. Baldwin. By 
 Rev. WOLCOTT CALKINS. 
 
 His Childhood . . . . . . . 12 
 
 Apprentice and Journeyman . . . . 16 
 
 His Change of Occupation . . . . . 21 
 
 Bookbinders' Tools and Calico Machines . . 25 
 
 Stationary Steam Engines . . . . . 32 
 
 The Great Change . . . . . . 37 
 
 Locomotive Building ...... 46 
 
 Systematic Beneficence 60 
 
 The Great Financial Crisis 71 
 
 The Constitutional Convention and the Anti-Slavery 
 
 Excitement ....... 84 
 
 Locomotives for heavy freights .... 99 
 
 Church Building . . . . . . .114 
 
 His Last Years . . . . . . .140 
 
 His Sickness and Death 162 
 
 A Sermon, occasioned by the death of Mr. Baldwin, 
 preached September Qth, 1866, in St. Mark's Church, 
 Frankford, by Rev. DANIEL S. MILLER, D. D., 
 
 Rector ......... 167
 
 vi CONTENTS. 
 
 Obituary Notice of Mr. Baldwin, from the North 
 American and United States Gazette of September 
 i4th, 1866. By Hon. JOSEPH R. CHANDLER 179 
 
 Memorial of Mr. Baldwin, read before the American 
 
 Philosophical Society December yth, 1866 . . 19$ 
 
 Resolutions on the Death of Matthias W. Baldwin. 
 
 Of the Employees of the Works of M. W. Baldwin 
 
 & Co ... 219 
 
 Of the Foremen of the Works of M. W. Baldwin 
 
 & Co. . . ' . . 221 
 
 Of the Board of Inspectors of the Philadelphia 
 
 County Prison . . . . .222 
 
 Of the Board of Managers of the Franklin Institute 224 
 Of the Board of Trustees of Olivet Presbyterian 
 
 Church . . . : . .. 226 
 Of the Executive Committee of the Ministerial 
 
 Relief Fund 228 
 
 Of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society . . 229 
 
 Of the Board of Directors of Horticultural Hall . 231 
 
 Of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts . 232 
 
 Of Calvary Church Session 233 
 
 Of Calvary Church Sunday School . . .234 
 
 Of the Trustees of the Presbyterian House . . 237
 
 MEMORIAL.
 
 MEMORIAL. 
 
 IT is no part of the purpose of this volume to 
 perpetuate the painful recollections of a bereave- 
 ment already severely deplored. We may leave 
 to the unbelieving world that long bewildered 
 anguish for the departed which receives no conso- 
 lation from religion. This life is their only life; 
 as its loss is irreparable, their mourning for death 
 may well be without bounds ; as they have no 
 hope beyond the grave, time may obliterate, but 
 can never relieve their desolation. But to the 
 Christian there is not only a time to weep, but a 
 measure to tears. To restrain the first impulses of 
 grief for such a loss as we have suffered would be 
 doing violence to our nature; but to cherish these 
 feelings for the sake of that mysterious luxury 
 which despondency affords, would be a denial of 
 the sublimest truths of our religion. The same 
 graces of character which cause us to regret the 
 2
 
 10 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 death of the righteous invite us to rejoice in 
 their felicity, and hope for their resurrection 
 and life everlasting. 
 
 Nor does it enter into the design of this me- 
 morial to compose a worthy eulogy of the cha- 
 racter of our departed friend. He needs no 
 words of praise. The grateful recollections of 
 thousands whom he has benefited, and the en- 
 during monuments of his beneficence which 
 adorn the city where he spent his life, constitute 
 his best eulogy. And besides, it is in vain that 
 we attempt to honor the memory of the depart- 
 ed, if we do not calmly consider and firmly fol- 
 low the Christian graces which have adorned 
 their conversation in this world, and cheered 
 their entrance to the next with the hopes of an 
 inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth 
 not away. 
 
 But it is believed that there are materials for 
 thoughtful study in the life of a man who has 
 risen to be the head of one of the largest manu- 
 facturing establishments in the country; who is 
 indebted for his success neither to artifice nor 
 fortune, but to his own exertions alone; who 
 has never violated a principle of honor nor com- 
 promised a precept of religion in any business
 
 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. I I 
 
 transaction; who has not suffered his own preju- 
 dices nor his interests to turn him aside from 
 the path of rectitude; who has served the city 
 and the State and the Church in positions of 
 immense responsibility, and in times of perilous 
 excitement, and always in defence of right prin- 
 ciples, at personal sacrifice ; who has received 
 from the Fountain of infinite goodness a dispo- 
 sition to employ his fortune and influence in 
 works of illustrious beneficence; and who has 
 distinguished himself beyond all who have pre- 
 ceded him in his own peculiar vocation, by 
 making it his unalterable purpose to fight his 
 good fight and finish his course while living, 
 and not rely upon uncertain legacies to make 
 good the defects of a half-consecrated life. 
 
 The early struggles and unceasing labors for 
 the attainment of these high ends, are now the 
 priceless recollections of a few persons who 
 must soon join him in another world. It is the 
 design of this sketch to gather up these treasures 
 faithfully, and weave them into a narrative which 
 will be read with interest by a large circle of 
 friends, who may be safely invited to imitate 
 this beautiful life.
 
 HIS CHILDHOOD. 
 
 THE gracious providence of God has always 
 prepared those who are to serve Him in posi- 
 tions of great responsibility and peculiar difficul- 
 ties, by an early training corresponding to their 
 destiny. The birth and education of MATTHIAS 
 WILLIAM BALDWIN appear to have been adjusted 
 by Infinite Wisdom to the influence he was 
 called to exert on this community. 
 
 He was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, 
 the tenth day of December, A. D. 1795. His 
 father, William Baldwin, was a member of the 
 Presbyterian church of Elizabethtown, and 
 greatly beloved in every relation of life. He 
 supported his family comfortably by the business 
 of carriage making, and left them a considerable 
 property at his death; but this was almost en- 
 tirely lost subsequently by the bad management 
 of the executors, and the widow was left to her 
 own exertions with a family of five children, 
 Matthias, the youngest, being four years old. 
 This apparent disaster may have been the provi-
 
 HIS CHILDHOOD. 13 
 
 dential beginning of his fortunes and his cha- 
 racter. It gave him an example of thrift, 
 ingenuity, and independence, the influence of 
 which may be traced through his whole career. 
 For his mother was a remarkable woman. By 
 indefatigable industry she kept her little family 
 together, afforded them fair advantages, and 
 superintended their education herself. 
 
 In his boyhood he had little taste for reading 
 or study. He enjoyed average advantages for 
 education, but never in his youth fixed his atten- 
 tion with any great persistence or zeal upon 
 books. The bent of his mind, from his earliest 
 years, was toward mechanical contrivances. The 
 toys he usually played with were those which 
 he himself had made. If he received one as a 
 present, he would take it to pieces to learn its 
 construction. The abilities of his father, who 
 was an excellent mechanic, and the genius of 
 his mother, seem to have been combined in this 
 child, and the beginning of his brilliant career 
 in the useful arts was made in his mother's cot- 
 tage. He turned her rooms into workshops. 
 He scattered whittlings and filings everywhere. 
 While his hands were busy in assisting his mo-
 
 14 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 ther at her work, his mind was occupied in 
 inventing some labor-saving machine. 
 
 Very few incidents in his childhood are re- 
 membered by his survivors. The following is 
 recorded, not so much from anything remark- 
 able in itself, as for the interest it derives from 
 his sterling honesty through all the vicissitudes 
 of his subsequent life. His incessant labors 
 upon miniature toys and machines naturally 
 consumed a great deal of material. On return- 
 ing from school one day with a companion, 
 they passed a new building which was just re- 
 ceiving its roof. A pile of new white pine 
 shingles, made by the old process of shaving, 
 lay in their path. What a temptation to whit- 
 tling boys! Surprise at their moderation will 
 be the only emotion upon learning that they 
 each took but one. Matthias carried his directly 
 to his mother, and told her where he found it, 
 and what he was going to make of it. But she 
 soon dispelled his vision of water-wheels and 
 wind-mills, and made him reproach himself as 
 bitterly as if he had committed a really grave 
 offence. That was a sad evening in the widow's 
 home. The boy cried as if his heart would 
 break. The mother and sisters soon lost their
 
 HIS CHILDHOOD. 15 
 
 severity in judging the offender, in sympathy 
 for his distress. They had no peace till of his 
 own accord he carried the shingle back and 
 obtained forgiveness. 
 
 There is a lesson to be learned from the very 
 slight records which can be made of these youth- 
 ful days. Let boys follow the bent of their 
 minds in things indifferent ; curb them instantly 
 where a moral principle is at stake. If Mat- 
 thias' knives and gimlets and files had been 
 taken away from him, and he had been confined 
 at the indifferent schools of his native place, or 
 sent away to better ones, the world would pro- 
 bably have lost a brilliant machinist, and might 
 not have gained a distinguished scholar. But if 
 his first encroachment upon the laws of property 
 had been overlooked, he might have lost that 
 sensitiveness to honor which has since distin- 
 guished him more than all his inventions.
 
 APPRENTICE AND JOURNEYMAN. 
 
 THE time had come when his love for me- 
 chanical tools was to be put to a better use than 
 his own amusement. He could not bear to be 
 dependent upon his mother any longer than was 
 absolutely necessary, and he was determined to 
 make himself master of some mechanical art. 
 From the first the little toys of his construction 
 had been remarkable for their finish. He was 
 never content with a rough machine, which 
 would do its work awkwardly. The finest ma- 
 terials were often called into requisition, and 
 received at his hands a marvellous polish. He 
 had often inspected for hours the mechanism of 
 the watch, and the height of his ambition was 
 to understand its complicated structure. This 
 natural taste, and a favorable opening, decided 
 the nature of his first employment At the age 
 of sixteen he was apprenticed to the Woolworth 
 Brothers, in Frankford, Philadelphia County, to 
 learn the trade of a jeweller. During the five 
 years of his apprenticeship his life passed quietly,
 
 APPRENTICE AND JOURNEYMAN. IJ 
 
 without incident of any interest to the public. 
 He enjoyed a home in the family of one of his 
 employers. He was also introduced to other 
 excellent families of the place, and formed inti- 
 macies which were precious to him through 
 life. He made himself singular among the 
 young men of his acquaintance by refusing to 
 indulge in any intoxicating drinks. A dreadful 
 example of intemperance in a relative of his 
 father's seemed to be constantly before his eyes ; 
 and he commenced life with the principle which 
 he always followed, of total abstinence. His 
 remarkable taste for music was also developed 
 at this period; and his highest enjoyment was 
 the social meetings of the little Presbyterian 
 church for the practice of sacred song. 
 
 While he was thus employed his mother had 
 moved to Philadelphia, and in the early part of 
 1817 he entered the establishment of Fletcher 
 and Gardener, 130 Chestnut Street, where the 
 Western National Bank now stands. They were 
 extensive manufacturers of jewelry, and were 
 obliged to repose great confidence in their jour- 
 neymen. Mr. Baldwin soon became one of the 
 most useful men in the shop. His work was 
 not mere blind imitation. He loved to make a 
 
 3
 
 I 8 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 perfect thing. He was too conscientious to 
 venture upon hazardous experiments, yet the 
 frequent orders demanding thought, taste, and 
 invention, soon began to pass into his hands. 
 He was enthusiastic in work which others per- 
 formed as a mere routine. He thus rose rapidly 
 in the esteem of his employers, and yet never 
 lost the confidence and even affection of his fel- 
 low workmen. With them he was rather reti- 
 cent, yet always genial and cheerful. 
 
 But he was independent also, and just as de- 
 termined in what he felt to be right, as if he had 
 been the proprietor of the whole establishment. 
 Many traits of character which have since be- 
 come prominent, were noticed at this early 
 day. All his acquaintances have observed, for 
 example, his firmness of purpose, which often 
 seemed to verge rather close upon obstinacy. 
 He had a way wnich was quite provoking some- 
 times, of doing just what he thought right, 
 without appearing to listen to the very decided 
 protests of friends. It came to be pretty well 
 understood at last, that words were thrown away 
 after he had once made up his mind. This 
 disposition had some rough tests at this period. 
 He was using a tool one day which a fellow
 
 APPRENTICE AND JOURNEYMAN. 19 
 
 journeyman claimed, and was about to transfer 
 to his own bench. Baldwin looked at it care- 
 fully, and replied 
 
 "That tool is mine." 
 
 Then commenced a war of words all on one 
 side. His neighbor proved to his own satisfac- 
 tion, by a variety of arguments, that the article 
 belonged to him. Not a word from Baldwin. 
 He kept quietly on with his work. But the 
 moment an attempt was made to take the tool, 
 a contest began which effectually prevented all 
 attempts to trifle with him in the future. 
 
 He worked as a journeyman two years. His 
 wages were considered excellent then, and his 
 life was free from care, and full of bright ex- 
 pectations. He has often dwelt upon the recol- 
 lections of those early days with the liveliest 
 pleasure. His labors upon objects of exquisite 
 beauty developed his taste for art, and he always 
 took the path to and from his shop which led 
 him by the windows where the finest paintings 
 and engravings were exposed. Then he would 
 sit by his fireside in the delicious repose which 
 only hard work and a good conscience can im- 
 part, and dream of the time when his home 
 would be full of the beautiful things he loved,
 
 20 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 and he would give poor journeymen something 
 better to look at than the windows of print 
 stores. He lived to do noble things, as well as 
 dream them.
 
 HIS CHANGE OF OCCUPATION. 
 
 BY close economy, which was seconded at 
 home with interest, and by the help of some 
 capital from the same source, he was able to 
 commence the manufacture of ornamental jew- 
 elry in a small way, in 1819. His reputation as 
 an honest and ingenious workman attracted cus- 
 tom immediately, and his success was very flat- 
 tering. Opportunities for working out original 
 ideas of his own were now afforded, and eagerly 
 followed. He seemed to be just beginning to 
 realize his most ardent expectations, when, by a 
 curious revulsion known to all the trades, jewelry 
 seemed to go literally out of fashion. There 
 was no demand even for such excellent and 
 tasteful work as his. He was thus arrested at 
 the very beginning of his career in an employ- 
 ment for which he had made such laborious 
 preparations. Providence had something better 
 for him to do! 
 
 Still his apprenticeship and four years' em- 
 ployment in this trade were not lost, but proved
 
 22 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 to be the best possible preparation for his labors 
 of surpassing usefulness in after life. Their 
 influence may be traced in two remarkable traits 
 of his character as a machinist : First, the mi- 
 nute accuracy and perfect finish of all his work. 
 This was unquestionably the result of his expe- 
 riments with the finer metals at that period, and 
 the master hand he acquired with the engraver's 
 tools. In fact he produced a finish which re- 
 quired better tools than could then be purchased. 
 He has often said that his manufacturing was a 
 work of necessity. He was never engaged in a 
 business in his life which did not demand finer 
 machines than he could buy. He was never 
 content to imitate others blindly. He not only 
 made progress in every art, but paved the way 
 for his progress from the beginning. Secondly, 
 his work upon jewelry was a stimulus, and at 
 the same time a safeguard to his inventive spirit. 
 It is remarkable that a man of such marvellous 
 ingenuity wasted so little of his life on chi- 
 merical inventions. The Patent Office is full 
 of magnificent follies; the creations of fertile 
 brains, without the balance of a thorough scien- 
 tific training. Mr. Baldwin was then ignorant 
 of theoretical science; he had not pursued the
 
 HIS CHANGE OF OCCUPATION. 23 
 
 study of pure mathematics, chemistry, nor me- 
 tallurgy. But in the place of the restraint im- 
 posed by a scientific training, he had the drill 
 of a long and tedious apprenticeship, with a 
 thoroughly practical knowledge of all materials 
 employed in the arts. He was equally eminent, 
 therefore, in sagacity and courage. The inven- 
 tions which he made at this period justify this 
 estimate of him as fully as those which are bet- 
 ter known to the public. 
 
 One of them was a new process of Gold 
 Plating, which was never protected by a patent, 
 and is now very generally employed. Instead 
 of attaching the gold leaf to the baser metal, 
 he soldered a thicker piece of gold to the base, 
 and rolled the two together until they were 
 compressed to the required thinness. 
 
 His love for these pursuits, which survived 
 the impetuous spirit of youth, and supplied his 
 later years with recreations, was a motive of a 
 very high order in all his labors. Ingenuity, 
 natural genius, and original invention filled his 
 mind with that glowing enthusiasm which lifted 
 him above the routine of reluctant toil into the 
 region of adventurous exploit. He was more 
 than artisan always artist.
 
 24 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 He was thus prepared for more useful work 
 than making articles for personal adornment, 
 just when this employment ceased to be profit- 
 able. But God was not only guiding his steps, 
 but touching his conscience. The decreasing 
 demand for jewelry, his successful experiments 
 with steel, and his bold spirit of adventure, may 
 have had something to do in his change of em- 
 ployment. But we have the most unquestion- 
 able evidence that the decisive consideration 
 after all, was a scruple of conscience. One of 
 the very few revelations of his secret purposes 
 which he ever made in conversation, refers to 
 this period, and expresses in the energetic lan- 
 guage which he knew how to use, the actual 
 reasons which induced him to "put away child- 
 ish things." 
 
 " One night I sat down to think my life over," 
 he said, "and what account I should give in the 
 day of judgment, for all my labors; and I made 
 up my mind I could not bear to say I had spent 
 my time in making gewgaws!" This was many 
 years before he professed to be a Christian.
 
 BOOKBINDERS' TOOLS AND CALICO 
 PRINTING MACHINES. 
 
 THE special providence of God is a truth so 
 constantly revealed in the life of every man, 
 that an honest doubt of it would seem to be 
 impossible. The experience of all good men 
 at least goes to prove that God never suffers a 
 reasonable scruple to weigh upon the conscience 
 without providing the means to obey it instantly. 
 Mr. Baldwin's life is full of examples of this 
 kind. One of the most instructive among them 
 occurred at this time. 
 
 Just when his conscience, his tastes, and the 
 exigency of his business demanded ,a career of 
 enlarged usefulness, the way was providentially 
 opened to him. He had often met a machinist 
 by the name of David Mason. This man was 
 now engaged in wood engraving, and had formed 
 an extensive acquaintance with the book pub- 
 lishers of the city. He observed that all their 
 tools and machines for binding were imported, 
 and conceived the idea of commencing the 
 4
 
 26 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 manufacture of these articles himself. He pro- 
 posed to share the business with Mr. Baldwin. 
 They issued their circulars in the early part of 
 1825, and orders came in so rapidly that they 
 soon gave up the employment in which they 
 had each been engaged, and entered with zeal 
 upon the new business. Their establishment 
 was in a narrow street in the rear of Walnut, 
 between Fourth and Fifth. In addition to the 
 machines then in use, they manufactured hy- 
 draulic presses for binding. Through their bold 
 enterprise the book trade became completely 
 independent of the foreign market, and re- 
 ceived valuable improvements. The most in- 
 genious and beautiful designs for stamping the 
 gilt lettering upon the backs and covers of books 
 were produced from their shop. The stiff and 
 gloomy appearance of library shelves began to 
 give place to wreaths and rosettes and leaves, 
 surrounding the attractive titles. Rev. Albert 
 Barnes still retains as a precious memento of his 
 lifelong friend a little stamp, containing the 
 watchword of his studies, "BIBLE," wreathed 
 in a lacework of delicate vines. Mr. Baldwin's 
 designs were remarkably chaste and appropriate. 
 To this they soon added the manufacture of
 
 MECHANICAL TOOLS. 2J 
 
 cylinders for printing calicoes. The figures or 
 devices to be impressed upon the cloth were 
 engraved upon the surface of these rollers, in- 
 stead of plane blocks as formerly, and the whole 
 piece of muslin passed through the press in a 
 continuous motion. Various methods were tried 
 to diminish the hand labor required in the pre- 
 paration of these cylinders, such as etching and 
 punching the surface of the copper with tools 
 previously containing the proposed device. But 
 the best tool for this purpose proved to be a little 
 roller called a " mill." This was a few inches long 
 and less than an inch in diameter, and the re- 
 quired device being once engraved on its surface, 
 could be transferred to the cylinder by rolling. 
 But Mr. Baldwin was not content with this. 
 He was determined to diminish the manual 
 labor in preparing these "mills." He had pre- 
 viously experimented upon dies for bank-note 
 printing, and had succeeded in producing a fac- 
 simile of a die upon another piece of steel, by 
 pressure alone. The original die was impressed 
 upon a surface of soft steel, this was then hard- 
 ened and impressed upon another, which last 
 reproduced with mathematical precision the 
 features of the original die. This invention was
 
 28 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 certainly original with Mr. Baldwin, though 
 others may have employed it before him, and 
 we find no claim on his part to a patent, and no 
 evidence that he ever carried on the business of 
 bank-note engraving. But the application of 
 the same principle to the preparation of copper 
 cylinders for printing calico was one of his most 
 remarkable discoveries, and deserves to be ranked 
 along with stereotyping, in its kindred art. The 
 former method of making these mills was by 
 punches. The punches having on them the re- 
 quired device, were driven into the roller, and 
 the metal raised up was faced off, and the parts 
 united and trimmed with a graver; a process 
 which required so much hand work that the 
 whole figure was often cut in with a graver in 
 preference. The improvement of Mason and 
 Baldwin consisted in etching the device on the 
 steel mill. By covering the steel surface with a 
 varnish or etching ground, tracing upon this the 
 required figure, and plunging the whole into an 
 acid prepared in a peculiar manner, he succeeded 
 in etching upon soft steel as perfectly as upon 
 copper. A few touches of the graver would 
 finish the device, and no more work by hand 
 would be required for the whole copper cylin-
 
 MECHANICAL TOOLS. 29 
 
 der. For this "mill," being hardened, was 
 rolled with immense pressure upon another of 
 precisely the same dimensions, which thus pre- 
 sented the same figures in relief. This second 
 steel cylinder was then in turn hardened, and 
 rolled with the same pressure upon the surface 
 of the large printing cylinder of copper. By 
 the time the copper cylinder had made one 
 revolution, the faithful little die had made re- 
 peated indentations of the designs to be pro- 
 duced upon the fabric with surprising accuracy. 
 It then only required readjustment, and another 
 revolution would impress the same figures by 
 the side of the first. The process was continued 
 until the whole cylinder was ready for use with- 
 out a touch from the engraver's hand! The 
 dies were preserved, and the plates with all their 
 matchless perfection could be multiplied indefi- 
 nitely.* 
 
 Engraving has made such advances since that 
 day, and Mr. Baldwin's own achievements have 
 been so much more brilliant, that this success is 
 almost forgotten except by the few who remem- 
 ber the incredulity it encountered when he first 
 proposed it, and the astonishment with which 
 
 * Journal Franklin Institute, June, 1828, p. 418.
 
 30 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 its success was received. It made a complete 
 revolution in this branch of our manufacturing 
 interests, then just rising to importance. It is 
 gratifying to know, also, that it was the begin- 
 ning of his own prosperity. He often sat down 
 to his work upon the little mill, and earned 
 thirty dollars before rising from his seat. New 
 difficulties were encountered and successively 
 overcome. More colors than one were required. 
 He made cylinders for printing in three differ- 
 ent colors, mounted them in frames, and finished 
 the complete machines for this difficult process. 
 The "gewgaws" have already been supplanted 
 by works of great usefulness. He has fashioned 
 a delicate and attractive binding for the volume 
 of God's word. The millions of mothers and 
 sisters who have to struggle in the brave way 
 he had always witnessed at home, he has pro- 
 vided with cheap and elegant garments. He 
 has left the political parties to wrangle about 
 the United States Bank and the tariffs, while he 
 has been quietly arresting the exportation of 
 cotton, and increasing home manufactures. And 
 by thus following a principle of conscience, he 
 has laid the foundation for enduring prosperity, 
 and provided himself a comfortable home.
 
 MECHANICAL TOOLS. 31 
 
 He was by no means wealthy at this time, yet 
 his attention was directed to a better employ- 
 ment of his growing capital than the increase- 
 of his own comforts. A large number of ap- 
 prentices and journeymen were now employed 
 in his establishment, and he felt that they 
 needed some better means of instruction in the 
 mechanical arts than the city then afforded. 
 The result of his deliberations with many men 
 since eminent in science and industry, was the 
 formation of the "Franklin Institute," which 
 was incorporated March 30, 1824, the constitu- 
 tion having been adopted on the fifth of Feb- 
 ruary. This admirable institution has offered 
 instruction, models, drawings, and means for 
 scientific experiment to multitudes of our rising 
 mechanics; has preserved the only complete list 
 of patents in the country, and has gathered the 
 most valuable library in the city on the useful 
 arts. Mr. Baldwin was an active member and 
 liberal supporter of the institution from its 
 origin. And the complete record of his suc- 
 cessive inventions which its able journal con- 
 tains, is a just tribute to his industry and in- 
 genuity.
 
 STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES. 
 
 THE manufacture of the printing rollers in- 
 creased the business of Mason & Baldwin to 
 such an extent that the little establishment in 
 "Bank Coffee-House Alley" soon became too 
 narrow for the demands upon them, and their 
 success warranted a considerable enlargement. 
 Near the close of 1827 or early in 1828 they 
 removed to Minor Street, designing to continue 
 the same business. But the time had now come 
 for Mr. Baldwin to enter upon the great work 
 of his life. The increasing facilities of the new 
 shop made the old hand machines and foot 
 lathes intolerable. Horse power was tried and 
 proved wholly inadequate. At last a steam- 
 engine was purchased, the best which was then 
 to be obtained. But Mr. Baldwin was dis- 
 satisfied with its performance, and after a few 
 attempts to improve it, decided to manufacture 
 a new one after original drawings of his own. 
 This was a compact little engine of about five 
 horse power, upright, and occupying a space of
 
 STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES. 33 
 
 about six square feet. So perfect was the con- 
 struction of every part that it was absolutely 
 noiseless in its motion. It stood near the en- 
 trance of the shop, and the opening door en- 
 tirely hid it from view, so that visitors seeing 
 nothing and hearing nothing, inquired with 
 wonder where the power came from. The 
 boiler was beneath, near the forge of the black- 
 smith, who supplied the fuel. 
 
 This little engine is still in use, with scarcely 
 diminished powers, at the advanced age of nearly 
 forty years. It drives the machinery of the 
 whole boiler shop in the Broad Street factory. 
 A friend of Mr. Baldwin, of some antiquarian 
 tastes, visited the venerable relic since his death, 
 and asked the engineer why they did not relieve 
 it of these arduous labors in order to prolong its 
 existence. 
 
 "I used to ask Mr. Baldwin," he replied, "to 
 ease her up a little. But he said he meant to 
 do all the work he could as long as he lived, 
 and he required as much of his machines." 
 
 This engine was not only more complete in 
 finish and powerful in movement than any which 
 had preceded it in this country, but contained 
 an original invention of the greatest importance 
 
 5
 
 34 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 in marine engineering. To convert the hori- 
 zontal motion of the piston into rotary motion, 
 requires a connecting rod which can move with 
 the crank of the fly wheel. This rod is usually 
 attached to the extremity of the piston, so that 
 the revolving shaft must be removed from the 
 cylinder the whole length of both piston and 
 connecting rod. Mr. Baldwin set his cylinder 
 upright; fixed the end of the piston into a kind 
 of frame like the gate of a saw-mill, which was 
 attached to the cylinder by guides on each side, 
 and played up and down in the same space. 
 Another gate outside of this, attached to it at 
 the bottom, and vibrating freely at the top, gave 
 motion to the crank. The whole machine was 
 thus compressed into half the space usually 
 occupied. This invention, called for to econo- 
 mize room in the Minor Street shop, contains 
 in a germ the principles of the ponderous 
 engines of our steamships. 
 
 The religious public will be interested to 
 know the use to which the second engine of 
 Mr. Baldwin's construction was put. It was a 
 little five-horse machine for the American Sun- 
 day-School Union. The first Christian litera- 
 ture for the young ever printed in America by
 
 STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES. 35 
 
 steam, was probably the work of this engine. 
 He has been Superintendent of Sabbath-Schools 
 since; he has built many mission chapels; but 
 his first work for the children was furnishing 
 their beautiful books by the thousands. 
 
 The manufacture of stationary engines soon 
 became the most important business of the shop. 
 And their increased power created, a demand 
 which stimulated competition. A stranger came 
 to him one day with excellent introductions, 
 and after a moment's general conversation, made 
 known his errand. He told him candidly that 
 he was going into business in opposition to him, 
 and as the superiority of the Baldwin engines 
 consisted in the excellence of his materials, and 
 the perfect make of his boilers, he asked him 
 if he was willing to inform him where he ob- 
 tained his iron, and who made his boilers. Mr. 
 Baldwin gave him the desired information with- 
 out a moment's hesitation, with the generous 
 remark that there was room enough for them 
 both. 
 
 The business now became so large as to alarm 
 the timid and cautious Mason. He therefore 
 withdrew from the firm in a year or two after 
 the Minor Street property was purchased. But
 
 36 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin had the confidence of the hands 
 to such a degree, that every man remained with 
 him and the work went on without the slightest 
 interruption. 
 
 The review of these ten years is full of sug- 
 gestion to young men of enterprise and integrity. 
 The industrious and faithful apprentice has been 
 a journeyman, and an independent manufacturer. 
 He has invented machines which increase ten- 
 fold the capacity of labor. He has introduced 
 into this country two or three new articles of 
 manufacture which are increasing immensely its 
 material interests. He has assisted in founding 
 an institution which will develop the character 
 and make the fortune of whole generations of 
 young men yet unborn. And now he has be- 
 come one of the foremost manufacturers of sta- 
 tionary steam engines in America. All this in 
 ten years, with half of his threescore and ten 
 still to live!
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE. 
 
 WE now come to the most important event 
 in Mr. Baldwin's life. Our readers will proba- 
 bly anticipate the commencement of that mag- 
 nificent enterprise which will always link his 
 name on this side of the Atlantic with that of 
 Stephenson in English history. But the build- 
 ing of the first locomotive was not to be com- 
 pared with the event now to be described in its 
 influence upon his own character and interests, 
 much less in the good he has accomplished for 
 others. Thus far he had been governed by 
 principles of strict integrity. But a great change 
 in worldly prosperity was just before him. He 
 was soon to be tried by such success as few men 
 have endured without corruption. He was to 
 be brought into competition with men who 
 would gladly turn his principles against him, to 
 ruin the enterprise on which his reputation and 
 his success depended. He was to encounter 
 temptations to seek his own aggrandizement by 
 methods which all the world would applaud.
 
 38 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 Opportunities were now to open before him, to 
 be one of the most selfish, or else one of the 
 most disinterested men in his generation. Had 
 he character enough for this trial ? Would those 
 principles of simple justice and generosity to his 
 fellow men, carry him through this ordeal ? 
 
 How often the experiment has been made; 
 how mournful the result has too often been! 
 It is not a conjecture, but an assurance of God's 
 word, that Mr. Baldwin would have failed in 
 the immense responsibilities now to be intrusted 
 to him, if he had received them with no other 
 principles in his heart than the love of honor, 
 and the generous disposition which had animated 
 him thus far. He had not been governed by 
 religious principle. He did not live a life of 
 prayer. He did not feel his dependence upon 
 God. He had amiable impulses, but he obeyed 
 them capriciously; he did not recognize the duty 
 of living for others rather than for himself. He 
 had no knowledge of God, and therefore no 
 true knowledge of himself nor of other men. 
 The essential narrowness of his purposes he had 
 never suspected, much less the buried energies 
 of his mind, and the capability of self-sacrifice 
 which were yet to be called to life.
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE. 39 
 
 All this birthright of his soul must be given 
 to him by a painful struggle. We cannot see 
 very clearly into the shadows which now deep- 
 ened around him. He scarcely lifted the veil 
 by a single word then, nor in all his subsequent 
 life. We know the occasion. It was a quiet 
 but solemn revival of religious interest in the 
 Arch Street Church, where he worshipped. A 
 young man of spare person, ungraceful gesture, 
 but impassioned eloquence, breathing .upon his 
 crowded congregation the very spirit of his mas- 
 ter, touched his soul to its profoundest depths.* 
 
 * Thomas H. Skinner, D. D., Professor in Union Theological 
 Seminary, N. Y. The following letter will be an encouragement to 
 ministers of the Gospel to "sow by all waters:" 
 
 NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 1866. 
 REV. AND DEAR SIR: 
 
 I did not know that the late M. W. Baldwin was converted 
 under my preaching, and have no recollection of his religious expe- 
 rience, or any other acquaintance with his religious life, than what 
 is common to the public. I have long held him in peculiar esteem, 
 as a man of great excellence, and a evoted dservant of Christ, and 
 rejoice to bear through you, my MINISTRY was the means of his conver- 
 sion some forty years ago. But I do not remember that I ever had a 
 conversation with him on the subject of personal religion. His 
 death is a great affliction, which I hope will be sanctified to his 
 family and friends. He deserves a special memorial, and I am glad 
 that you are engaged in preparing one, and regret that I cannot fur- 
 nish you with the tribute you have requested of me. 
 With great regard, yours, 
 
 THOMAS H. SKINNER.
 
 40 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 He was drawn by an influence which he made 
 no attempt to resist, into a meeting for personal 
 conversation. Day after day for weeks, he 
 sought this and every means of grace. But the 
 work was too thorough to be hastened. 
 
 He did not receive much help from conver- 
 sation with Christians of experience. As he 
 expressed it himself, in the revival of 1858, 
 Christians "did not use market language with 
 him ; they did not make the gospel plain so that 
 common men could pick it up. They fired over 
 his head. They did not know how ignorant 
 sinners are." For he soon got far enough to 
 feel himself a sinner. He found that all his life 
 long, and not least in his proud self-reliance, his 
 heart was in defiant rebellion against God. He 
 began to cry for mercy. Behold, he prayeth! 
 Very soon, however, his prayers began to trouble 
 him. He felt them to be such miserable ac- 
 knowledgments of mercies; such heartless con- 
 fessions of sins; such cold supplications for 
 forgiveness, that he seemed to be mocking rather 
 than worshipping God. He went to an old 
 Christian and asked what he must do. 
 
 "Ask for grace," was the reply.
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE. 41 
 
 Again he got into trouble about temptation. 
 Again he pressed the same inquiry. 
 
 "Ask for grace," was again the answer. 
 
 Once more he became embarrassed about 
 duties, and receiving the same answer as before, 
 he lost all patience, and exclaimed: 
 
 "Why, one would think, according to you, 
 that Christian life is nothing but grace, grace, 
 grace, all the way through." 
 
 "And so IT is," he lived to say in his old age. 
 "All of grace" were almost the last words upon 
 his lips. But he was too ignorant to understand 
 it then.* 
 
 This little glimpse of his first religious expe- 
 rience, which he might not have afforded but 
 for the hope of leading others to Him who said, 
 "My grace is sufficient for thee," throws some 
 light upon the nature of his struggle. Accus- 
 tomed all his life to depend upon himself, it was 
 hard for him to "cease from his own works" 
 and "enter into rest." The spirit of childlike 
 trust, which was the most beautiful characteristic 
 of his piety in after life, was only imparted after 
 
 * Rev. George Duffield, jr., in American Presbyterian, Sept. 27, 
 1866. 
 
 6
 
 42 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 he had tried his own strength to the utmost 
 and found it perfect weakness. He seemed to 
 fall like a wayward, wearied child, into the arms 
 of forgiving love, and to breathe out at once the 
 prayer and the assurance 
 
 "Forever here my rest shall be." 
 
 Mr. Baldwin commenced his Christian life 
 with that directness and force which character- 
 ized all he ever undertook. He began in his 
 closet and very soon in his family. His first 
 prayer in the hearing of others will not soon be 
 forgotten. He did not dare to trust his own 
 words yet, and he availed himself of a simple 
 manual of family devotions. But one evening, 
 not long after, his prayer-book could not be 
 found. He looked in every room, and soon the 
 whole family joined in the search. But it was 
 lost. The children gathered round the fireside 
 with that curious awe which such a disaster was 
 calculated to inspire. Their wonder continued 
 till he had read the chapter to the close. Then 
 he kneeled down and commended them all to 
 the Heavenly Father, who knoweth what things 
 we have need of before we ask him. He never 
 used a prayer-book again.
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE. 43 
 
 Mr. Baldwin did not unite with the Church 
 for several years after his conversion. About 
 that time he became alienated from the Arch 
 Street congregation by circumstances which 
 show they little knew what a treasure they were 
 losing. He found one Sabbath in the pew 
 which he was occupying on brief rentals, a note 
 with the statement, "This pew is sold, and must 
 be vacated immediately." As no effort was 
 made to find other sittings for his family, he 
 inferred that he was not wanted there, and be- 
 gan to hear other ministers of the same denomi- 
 nation. He was led by curiosity to hear the 
 newly-elected pastor of the First Church, on 
 Washington Square. There was something in 
 the simplicity, perspicuity, and straightforward 
 earnestness of Mr.. Barnes' preaching which 
 completely captivated his heart. 
 
 In June, 1831, he was admitted to this church 
 on confession of repentance and faith in the 
 Saviour. He asked at once for labor in the 
 vineyard. His first work was in the Sabbath 
 School, where he taught successive classes, was 
 then made Superintendent, and finally had a 
 large Bible-class of young men, in the pastor's 
 study. Elders of churches are still living who
 
 44 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 were converted in that Bible-class. For thirty- 
 five years Mr. Baldwin was never absent, except 
 by necessity, from the Sabbath School. 
 
 As an officer of the church in his later years, 
 he was always remarkable for his eagerness to 
 "bring the young men out" as soon as they 
 joined the church. "I tell you," he used to say, 
 " they never will do any good if they do not 
 commence now." All this was a fruit of his 
 own experience. No young Christian ever felt 
 a greater shrinking from the duty of public 
 prayer and conference. But from his conversion 
 to his death he never paused to debate the 
 question of performing a known duty. It never 
 once occurred to him to consult his own feel- 
 ings about doing the whole work of a Christian. 
 And the prayer meeting felt the fervor of his 
 piety from the very first. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin's conversion was a marked and 
 thorough change of character. He was a whole- 
 souled Christian from the first, and blended the 
 spirit of childlike trust in God, which ever after 
 formed such a beautiful element in his piety, 
 with an immediate adjustment of his business 
 to the Gospel standard of integrity, and the 
 most aggressive labors in the cause of Christ.
 
 THE GREAT CHANGE. 45 
 
 The serenity of temper which has been so often 
 attributed to his natural disposition, he has him- 
 self repeatedly ascribed to the grace of God 
 overcoming the infirmities of an irritable nature. 
 The conscience which always seemed to choose 
 the right without thought or calculation, was 
 not an instinct, but the gift of God in answer to 
 prayer. His courage to defend righteous prin- 
 ciples far in advance of his age, and illustrate 
 them yet more conspicuously by his example, 
 and his disposition to consecrate his wealth and 
 influence to the good of others and the glory of 
 God, were the fruits of this blessed experience 
 of pure and undefiled religion. It would be an 
 insufferable offence to his memory to hold up 
 before the young his illustrious example without 
 pointing them to the Fountain of infinite grace 
 from which he derived his excellence. All the 
 great moral qualities for which his name will 
 be honored, date from about the time of his 
 serious attention to personal religion.
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 
 
 THE employment of steam for moving car- 
 riages on land had occupied the attention of 
 inventors for nearly two centuries before it was 
 successfully introduced into this country. Pre- 
 vious to 1641 Solomon de Caus conceived the 
 idea, and came from Normandy to Paris to urge 
 his design upon the king. He suffered for his 
 temerity by a long imprisonment in the Bicetre. 
 The first actual model of a steam carriage of 
 which we have any account was constructed by 
 Cugnot, and exhibited before Marshal de Saxe 
 in 1763. In 1769 a working steam carriage 
 was constructed by the same man, which is still 
 preserved in the Conservatoire des Arts et Me- 
 tiers in Paris. But Richard Trevithick, a cap- 
 tain in a Cornish tin mine, has the honor of 
 devising the first steam carriage actually used 
 on common roads, in 1802. Some ten years 
 later Mr. Blackett, of Wylan, introduced a loco- 
 motive upon a railroad constructed of wooden
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 47 
 
 rails plated with cast iron.* These rude experi- 
 ments paved the way for the successful introduc- 
 tion of steam power upon the English railways 
 by George Stephenson. The engines of this 
 remarkable inventor had been in operation more 
 than ten years before any attempt was made to 
 introduce them into this country. Still their 
 success was not assured until 1827, when the 
 exhaust steam from the cylinders was applied 
 through a blast pipe into the chimney, to in- 
 crease the draught of the furnace. This im- 
 provement increased the power of the machine 
 to such an extent as to attract the attention of 
 American railroad companies. 
 
 "The first locomotives in the United States 
 were brought over from England by Horatio 
 Allen, of New York, in the fall of 1829 or the 
 spring of 1830; and one of them was set up on 
 the Delaware and Hudson Railroad, at Carbon- 
 dale, Pa., but being found too heavy for the 
 track, its use was abandoned. The first loco- 
 motive constructed in this country was built by 
 the West Point Foundry, at New York, in 1830, 
 for the South Carolina Railroad, and named the 
 
 * Smiles' Life of Stephenson, chap. viii. Also, London Builder, 
 No. 1148.
 
 48 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 Phoenix; a second engine was built the same 
 year, by the same establishment, and for the 
 same road, and named the West Point. In the 
 spring of 1831 a third engine was built by the 
 same establishment, for the Mohawk and Hud- 
 son Railroad from Albany to Schenectady, and 
 called the De Witt Clinton. This was the first 
 .locomotive run in the State of New York."* 
 
 In the fall of 1830, it was announced that the 
 Camden and Amboy Railroad Company had 
 imported a locomotive, which was jealously 
 guarded from public inspection, in a storehouse 
 near Philadelphia. Mr. Baldwin repaired to 
 the spot at once with a friend, and by various 
 devices overcame the scruples of the man in 
 charge of the wonderful curiosity. He care- 
 fully observed the various parts of the machine, 
 made a few furtive measurements, and at last 
 crept under the ponderous boiler. Here he 
 remained in absorbing study for nearly half an 
 hour. As he emerged from his retreat his face 
 was glowing with enthusiasm, and he exclaimed: 
 
 "I can make it!" 
 
 His companion was Franklin Peale, Esq., 
 manager of the Philadelphia Museum, who had 
 
 * Journal Franklin Institute, May, 1858, p. 309.
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 49 
 
 felt so much confidence in his skill that he had 
 given him previously an order for a working 
 model. With no other assistance than this 
 hurried inspection, and such drawings as the 
 scientific journals of the day were publishing, 
 he constructed a beautiful miniature locomotive, 
 after the plan of Ericsson, since rendered famous 
 by the Monitors. It was placed on a circular 
 track in the Museum, April 25th, 1831, and 
 attracted crowds of visitors. 
 
 His success with this model directed his atten- 
 tion to the bold undertaking of introducing 
 upon American railroads a better locomotive 
 than the few rude and unmanageable machines 
 which were thus far employed. Early in 1832 
 he received an order from the Philadelphia and 
 Germantown Railroad Company for one small 
 locomotive. He abandoned the single upright 
 cylinder of the Ericsson model, and introduced 
 several other improvements which have proved 
 of permanent value. His drawings were quite 
 as original as if he had never seen a machine of 
 the kind. His principal attention was directed 
 to the apparatus for generating and economizing 
 steam. 
 
 The whole work on this memorable pioneer 
 
 7
 
 50 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 among American locomotives occupied about 
 six months. It was driven forward under a 
 pressure of difficulties which would have dis- 
 heartened a less determined man. Not the least 
 of these was the lack of any place to do the 
 heavy forging. The only blacksmith shop in 
 the factory was in the cellar, and all the un- 
 wieldy work on the engine had to be done in 
 other establishments. While this experiment 
 was still in progress, he had contracted for a 
 more commodious building in Lodge Alley, be- 
 tween Seventh and Eighth Streets, with a con- 
 siderable front on Market Street. He contrived 
 to move into the new place without losing a 
 day on his favorite work, and here the running 
 gears were attached and everything made ready 
 for the grand trial, which took place Nov. 23d, 
 1832. 
 
 The United States Gazette of the next day 
 contains the following editorial notice: 
 
 "A most gratifying experiment was made 
 yesterday afternoon, on the Philadelphia, Ger- 
 mantown, and Norristown Railroad. The beau- 
 tiful locomotive engine and tender, built by M. 
 W. Baldwin, of this city, whose reputation as 
 an ingenious machinist is well known, were for
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 51 
 
 the first time placed on the road. The engine 
 travelled about six miles, working with perfect 
 accuracy and ease in all its parts, and with great 
 velocity." 
 
 A more extended notice appears in the Chro- 
 nicle of the same date : 
 
 "It gives us pleasure to state that the loco- 
 motive engine built by our townsman, M. W. 
 Baldwin, has been proved highly successful. In 
 the presence of several gentlemen of science 
 and information on such subjects, the engine 
 was yesterday placed upon the road for the first 
 time. All her parts had been previously highly 
 finished and fitted together in Mr. Baldwin's 
 factory. She was taken apart on Tuesday, and 
 removed to the Company's depot, and yesterday 
 morning she was completely together, ready for 
 travel. After the regular passenger cars had 
 arrived from Germantown in the afternoon, the 
 tracks being clear, preparation was made for 
 her starting. The placing fire in the furnace 
 and raising steam occupied twenty minutes. 
 The engine (with her tender) moved from the 
 depot in beautiful style, working with great 
 ease and uniformity. She proceeded about half 
 a mile beyond the Union Tavern, at the town-
 
 52 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 ship line, and returned immediately, a distance 
 of six miles, at a speed of about twenty-eight 
 miles to the hour; her speed having been slack- 
 ened at all the road crossings, and it being after 
 dark, but a portion of her power was used. It 
 is needless to say that the spectators were delight- 
 ed. From this experiment there is every reason 
 to believe this engine will draw thirty tons gross, 
 at an average speed of forty miles an hour, on a 
 level road. The principal superiority of the en- 
 gine over any of the English ones known, con- 
 sists in the light weight which is but between 
 four and five tons her small bulk, and the sim- 
 plicity of her working machinery. We rejoice 
 at the result of this experiment, as it conclusively 
 shows that Philadelphia, always famous for the 
 skill of her mechanics, is enabled to produce 
 steam engines for railroads combining so many 
 superior qualities as to warrant the belief that 
 her mechanics will hereafter supply nearly all the 
 public works of this description in the country." 
 
 The following advertisement, which appeared 
 in Poulson's American Daily Advertiser, Nov. 26, 
 1832, will be read with no little amusement: 
 
 "NOTICE. The locomotive engine (built by 
 M. W. Baldwin, of this city) will depart daily
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 53 
 
 when the weather is fair, with a train of passenger 
 cars. On rainy days horses will be attached!" 
 
 But the triumph of that day was not to be 
 unchallenged. No engineers in the country were 
 prepared to run the new machine. There was 
 only one man in the shop besides Mr. Baldwin 
 who understood her construction well enough to 
 make a successful trip with her. He was taken 
 sick at the beginning of her career. Others 
 were tried, and soon lost all patience with the 
 intricate work. Day after day the President of 
 the road, who insisted from the first that there 
 were radical defects in the machine, threatened 
 to condemn the work, and throw it back on 
 Mr. Baldwin's hands. At last Mr. Pettit reco- 
 vered, overhauled the abused machinery, and 
 kept his place at the helm until she made regu- 
 lar trips, and gave fair satisfaction to her builder 
 and purchasers. 
 
 The most contradictory statements are upon 
 record in regard to the Ironsides. The papers 
 of the day declare that she made a mile in fifty- 
 seven seconds, a rate of over seventy miles an 
 hour! Living witnesses insist that this is true, 
 while others declare that the run was less than a 
 mile, and occupied nearly two minutes. The
 
 54 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 truth probably lies between the two extremes. 
 She was undoubtedly an imperfect machine, 
 requiring important alterations and improve- 
 ments, but still an honor to any machinist as a 
 first experiment, and better adapted to her de- 
 sign than any other American locomotive of 
 that date. 
 
 One of the very few moments of despondency 
 in his whole life was occasioned by the ungra- 
 cious reception awarded to this machine. In 
 the spring of 1833, when he finally received 
 three thousand five hundred dollars for his work 
 ($coo less than the contract), he remarked to 
 
 \ TT J 1 * 
 
 one of his apprentices with much decision: 
 "that is our last locomotive." The remark was 
 recalled to mind when the same apprentice, 
 now an officer in the factory, happened to no- 
 tice the No. 1500 on the engine erected at the 
 time of Mr. Baldwin's death. 
 
 But other inventors were already in the field. 
 A receipt on the books of the same Company 
 shows that another engine, manufactured at the 
 West Point Foundry, was purchased in April, 
 1833. And a ver y flattering notice of a loco- 
 motive named "Pennsylvania," constructed by 
 Col. Long, of the U. S. Army, appears in the
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 55 
 
 Daily Chronicle of June yth, 1833. The 'Jour- 
 nal of the Franklin Institute of the same year 
 describes this machine as running on the Ger- 
 mantown Road at that time. 
 
 Whether this competition, or Mr. Baldwin's 
 principles on Temperance and other reforms 
 were prejudicial to his interests, cannot be now 
 ascertained. But it is certain that he was eager 
 for another trial long before he received his 
 next order. Almost two years had intervened. 
 Valuable improvements had been continually 
 occurring to him. He was so impatient to set 
 them in motion that he would have taken orders 
 at almost any pecuniary loss. He would always 
 insist upon working out his ideas at any cost. 
 His next engine was in every respect a great 
 improvement upon the Ironsides, and his reputa- 
 tion in this business was soon firmly established. 
 
 Very gradually the locomotive business began 
 to assume the first importance in the shop, and 
 to make even the immense building in Lodge 
 Alley too contracted. Besides, it was almost 
 impossible to remove the structure from the 
 shop when completed. 
 
 In 1835, after some nine or ten locomotives 
 had been completed here, the final move was
 
 56 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 made to Broad and Hamilton Streets. The new 
 works were erected with a view to throwing 
 the whole strength of the establishment into 
 this one article of manufacture as speedily as 
 possible. 
 
 This remarkable confidence, when there were 
 few railroads and fewer locomotives in the coun- 
 try, was justified by the result. He continued 
 to make stationary engines for several years in 
 the new shop; and in 1837 he received the 
 contract for the ponderous machinery of the 
 city ice boat, which, amid difficulties of every 
 kind, he finished so stanchly that they have 
 worn out one hulk, and are just going, almost 
 without repair, into another. But after this he 
 began to decline all work, except upon his 
 favorite locomotives. 
 
 The following are the principal improvements 
 of Mr. Baldwin up to the year 1835. Some of 
 them have not proved of permanent value, but 
 they deserve to be placed on record, as suggest- 
 ive experiments, and steps in the progress which 
 placed him finally at the head of this magnifi- 
 cent enterprise in this country. 
 
 First: The guides of the piston were made 
 hollow, and the cavities were used for the
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 57 
 
 chambers of the force-pumps which supply 
 water to the boiler ; thus giving additional 
 strength to the guides without much increase 
 to their weight, and dispensing entirely with 
 the frame and fixture of the ordinary force- 
 pump. The facilities for removing and cleansing 
 the valves, and preventing the danger of explo- 
 sion, were also greatly increased. 
 
 Second : The motion of the steam-valves was 
 reversed; the eccentrics were firmly secured to 
 the axle, and less liable to get loose and out of 
 repair. The treadle and its appendages, and no 
 less than four rock-shafts, with the complicated 
 head-gear of the English method, were entirely 
 dispensed with. The rock-shafts which were 
 retained and the eccentric banks were placed 
 immediately under the eye and within the reach 
 of the engineer. 
 
 Third : Instead of fixing the ends of the axle 
 into the centres of the driving-wheels, he dis- 
 pensed with one of the arms in each crank, and 
 attached the wheel to the wrists of the crank, 
 with its centre adjusted to the centre of the 
 axle. The power of the engine was thus applied 
 directly to the wheel, without the intervention 
 of an arm of the crank, thus diminishing the
 
 58 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 strain upon the axle, and lessening its liability 
 to be broken, as also obviating the tendency of 
 the driving-wheels to twist upon the axle and 
 become loose; a very general and troublesome 
 defect in previous engines. The distance be- 
 tween the two cranks was also thus increased 
 about ten inches, which admitted of a corre- 
 sponding enlargement of the boiler, and of a 
 more advantageous disposition of the weight of 
 the fire-place, by bringing it about fourteen 
 inches nearer to the axle. This improvement 
 has never been abandoned in engines which 
 attach the connecting-rod to the inside of the 
 wheel, and paved the way for the still greater 
 enlargement of the boiler, and safety of the 
 machinery, by the external attachment. 
 
 Fourth. The steam-pipe was introduced into 
 the boiler through the opening by which it 
 usually communicates between the dome and the 
 cylinders. A twofold benefit resulted: (i.) The 
 pipe could be made without a joint in the boiler. 
 (2.) The "man-hole" in the boiler could be 
 dispensed with ; since the juncture between the 
 dome and the boiler, as well as all other steam 
 joints, being accurately fitted by grinding and 
 formed without cement or packing, the dome
 
 LOCOMOTIVE BUILDING. 59 
 
 could be easily taken off and replaced, and its 
 aperture used for occasional access to the inside 
 of the boiler. 
 
 Fifth. In the construction of the driving- 
 wheels, the hubs and spokes were of iron, cast 
 in one piece; felloes of hard wood were framed 
 into the ends of the spokes, and the whole was 
 firmly bound together by a stout tire of wrought 
 iron, with a flange on its inner edge; thus by a 
 judicious combination of iron and wood, the 
 strength and firmness of the former were com- 
 bined with the elasticity of the latter.* 
 
 * Journal of the Franklin Institute, April, 1835, p. 245.
 
 SYSTEMATIC BENEFICENCE. 
 
 MR. BALDWIN began his work upon locomo- 
 tives about the time of uniting with the Chris- 
 tian Church. The increasing wealth and influ- 
 ence which the successive improvements we have 
 now described afforded him, were religiously 
 consecrated to the service of his Master. It has 
 often been conjectured that his readiness to give 
 industrious young men a hand to help them to 
 independence, and his splendid works of charity, 
 were in consequence of a disposition naturally 
 generous. Worldly men would be reluctant to 
 attribute to religion the whole of that beautiful 
 life which they so greatly admired. But he has 
 explicitly and repeatedly stated that the great 
 work of systematic beneficence which he carried 
 on through life, was all the result of God's grace 
 in his heart. " I feel more thankful for the dis- 
 position to give largely, than for the ability to 
 give largely," he often said; "for I know that 
 immense wealth can be acquired a great deal 
 easier than the heart to use it well. My money
 
 SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE. 6 1 
 
 without a new heart would have been a curse to 
 me." 
 
 It is also deeply affecting to know that the 
 fountain of this grace was opened in his heart 
 by a great sorrow. This is one of the very few 
 incidents of a purely domestic character which 
 delicacy to the living does not forbid to be re- 
 corded. In February, 1833, the little home in 
 Tenth Street was gladdened by the birth of a 
 bright healthy boy. Other sons were born and 
 died in early infancy. But this seemed to be 
 the child of promise. He passed the perils of 
 his first year without an hour's sickness. And 
 his opening character seemed to be as perfect as 
 his constitution. He was one of those absolutely 
 faultless children who always make loving hearts 
 vacillate so painfully between anxiety and fasci- 
 nation. He was the pride and joy of his father. 
 And he seemed associated in some way with his 
 growing experience of Christ's love. He would 
 often climb upon his lap in the morning, as he 
 was reading the newspaper, and snatch it away 
 indignantly and murmur 
 
 "No, no, papa! Bible first! Bible first, papa!" 
 
 The good man would press the precious child 
 
 to his heart with tears and thanksgivings for a
 
 62 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 little Samuel who seemed to hear the voice of 
 God more clearly than himself. 
 
 For two sweet years, the happiest of his life, 
 this new affection grew into his most sacred pur- 
 poses. But one night in February, 1835, the child 
 seemed restless ; gasped for breath ; the moisture 
 dried upon his forehead ; too soon it was evident 
 that he was suffering with a severe attack of the 
 croup. The father bent over him in speechless 
 agony, and when he closed his eyes forever, the 
 light of his own life seemed to go out too. 
 There was silence and darkness in that home. 
 Hampden was identified with everything. La- 
 bor, pleasure, and even religion, that last solace 
 in sorrow, were all associated with the loved and 
 lost. Day after day the Bible which he loved 
 to hear papa read was opened, but tears hid the 
 words of heavenly wisdom. He kneeled down, 
 but missing the little head on which his hands 
 used to rest, sobs choked his utterance. Every 
 mention of the beloved name made him live 
 over again all this anguish. At last they tacitly 
 agreed to be silent. Not a word was ever 
 breathed again in his presence of this over- 
 whelming bereavement. 
 
 But the trial of his faith was precious. From
 
 SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE. 63 
 
 this experience of sorrow he came forth to his 
 work for the Master with a consecration of heart 
 he had never felt before. And the offering he 
 made in memory of Hampden was one of the 
 most beautiful charities of his life. Back of 
 his house was a little alley occupied by colored 
 families. Their children were growing up in 
 ignorance. He gathered them into a little 
 school, hired the rooms himself, and for years 
 supported the teachers. The privileges which 
 his son would never need were given to the 
 poor and the neglected. He took heed all his 
 life not to despise the little ones. 
 
 This school was only the beginning of Mr. 
 Baldwin's labors for this proscribed race. And 
 about the year 1835 an opportunity occurred for 
 enlisting the co-operation of others, and greatly 
 enlarging his usefulness. A colored man by the 
 name of Pompey Hunt was exerting a marked 
 influence on the people of his own color by the 
 natural eloquence peculiar to his race. He had 
 attracted the attention of several members of 
 Mr. Barnes' church, and at last they met to de- 
 vise means of raising the sum of two hundred 
 dollars a year to support Pompey and enable 
 him to give his whole time to Gospel labor.
 
 64 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 They debated for an hour. The general tone 
 was despondent. At last Mr. Baldwin took the 
 floor: 
 
 "Brethren, we have talked long enough. It 
 is time something was done. We need not ex- 
 pect others to give unless we set them the ex- 
 ample. I have laid aside twenty -five dollars for 
 a new suit of clothes; but I can wear my old 
 ones one winter longer. Put my name down 
 for twenty-five." 
 
 This example of self-denial changed the spirit 
 of the meeting in an instant. The paper went 
 round again, and four hundred dollars were raised 
 on the spot, and two city missionaries were em- 
 ployed instead of one. 
 
 This was the origin of the "Young Men's 
 Missionary Association of the First Church." 
 They engaged at once in. the distribution of 
 tracts, and the support of zealous laborers among 
 the neglected population of the city. Mr. Bald- 
 win is justly regarded as the Father of the Asso- 
 ciation, and its life and spirit from the beginning 
 were owing to his own self-denying labors. He 
 would never suffer an opportunity for doing good 
 to be neglected for want of funds. " The Lord 
 has opened the door. We must enter in. He
 
 SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE. 65 
 
 will provide the means." Often he has given 
 his note of hand for hundreds of dollars, when 
 he could not contribute the cash. His friends 
 remonstrated with him for this improvidence. 
 But he always replied: "Nobody hesitates to 
 sign promises to pay in the future, in order to 
 get capital for business. Are we to trust the 
 Lord to take care of our affairs, and not his 
 own ?" It was simple faith in God's promises 
 which sustained him in this magnificent work 
 of beneficence from the beginning. "Trust in 
 the Lord and do good, and verily thou shalt be 
 fed," he always felt to be a covenant with one 
 who could not fail. 
 
 No member of that association will ever for- 
 get the feeling of admiration which thrilled 
 their hearts when they received an unexpected 
 contribution which had a peculiar history. It 
 seems that after the crisis of 1837 business began 
 to increase again, and the old liabilities were all 
 fully redeemed, except one note which could 
 not be found. After searching in every direc- 
 tion for it, Mr. Baldwin brought the amount, 
 with interest calculated to the last cent, and 
 paid it into the treasury of the Missionary Asso- 
 ciation, simply remarking that the money did 
 9
 
 66 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 not belong to him, and as the rightful owner 
 could not be found, he inferred that " the Lord 
 had need of it." 
 
 The influence of the few simple words Mr. 
 Baldwin would say on such occasions, and of 
 his consistent example, was incalculable on the 
 whole church. The habit of giving largely and 
 systematically had not yet been formed in any 
 of the churches. The most plain and earnest 
 preaching upon this duty was comparatively 
 fruitless, without a conspicuous example to en- 
 force the Gospel truth. The example came in 
 this instance from a comparatively poor man, 
 who began his Christian life by following lite- 
 rally the commands of the Bible. This natu- 
 rally excited jealousies, many misjudged his mo- 
 tives in surpassing so largely the contributions 
 of those who were reputed rich. But they 
 lived to believe him conscientious and perfectly 
 unostentatious in this work. And his "zeal 
 provoked many." His splendid munificence in 
 after years did not exert such a marked influence 
 on others as the constant self-denial of these 
 years of comparative poverty. It is estimated 
 by those who were intimately connected with 
 him in this Association, that while he was living
 
 SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE. 67 
 
 in the little Tenth Street house, which could 
 have been rented for two or three hundred dol- 
 lars, he was giving away ten thousand dollars a 
 year! His benevolence then was actually a pre- 
 judice to his interest, when he needed financial 
 assistance. Many refused to honor the drafts of 
 a man who would make donations by promissory 
 notes. But it is refreshing to record the fact 
 that some of the banks of the city, and one in 
 particular, took a more Christian view of the 
 matter. 
 
 "You refuse to help him," said one president 
 to another, "because he does not know what to 
 do with his money. We will stand by him 
 because he is determined to do good with his 
 money. His collaterals are God's promises /" 
 
 The systematic plans of beneficence organized 
 in this Association by Mr. Baldwin have been 
 described more fully than his private charities 
 because they are matters of public history, and 
 illustrate his wisdom as well as his goodness of 
 heart. But it must not be understood that these 
 efforts were suffered to interfere with the daily 
 appeals for the relief of suffering. This is a 
 chapter in his life which can never be written. 
 His most intimate friends know nothing of the
 
 68 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 immense sums which he has given away for this 
 purpose in the course of his life. Indeed his own 
 left hand never knew what his right hand was 
 doing. He never could keep any money in his 
 pocket. On arriving at his office in the morn- 
 ing, the first business was often to dispatch a 
 clerk to pay the little debts he had contracted 
 on the way up. 
 
 "Why, Mr. Baldwin!" he would exclaim, 
 " why do you always run round the city without 
 any money in your pocket?" 
 
 "Well, you see, I met my pastor on Chest- 
 nut Street with a Western Home Missionary, 
 who wanted to get a little money to buy books 
 for his library. I gave him all I had, only $50; 
 little enough, I 'm sure. Then I had a contract 
 
 to sign at 's, and no money to secure it. 
 
 You must hand him $c. I had to take a hack 
 
 TT J 
 
 to the prison and back ; the driver is waiting for 
 his pay. And on the way back we passed a lit- 
 tle girl bare-footed this cold weather. You 
 must pay for the shoes and stockings I bought 
 her at 's. What a blessing that my cre- 
 dit is good ! They all seem willing to trust me, 
 though I don't know them." 
 
 There was no such thing as keeping his bank
 
 SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE. 69 
 
 books in order. After everything had been 
 nicely balanced, donation checks from every 
 direction would begin to come in, which he 
 had forgotten. One day a gentleman came into 
 the Sabbath School of which Mr. Baldwin was 
 Superintendent, and approached him with an air 
 of familiarity, and asked the privilege of solicit- 
 ing contributions for an object which he had 
 much at heart. 
 
 "Who is that man?" asked Mr. Baldwin of 
 his pastor as soon as he could see him alone. 
 
 "Why, don't you know him? He says you 
 gave him $100 yesterday!'* 
 
 "Ah, well ! no wonder I had forgotten him ; 
 there were a dozen of them at the office yester- 
 day." 
 
 These private appeals became so numerous 
 that he was obliged to protect fcis repose at 
 home by making the rule that all applications 
 for charity must be made at his place of busi- 
 ness. Still, the rule could bend sometimes, as 
 one example out of many will show. He was 
 awakened one cold winter night by violent ring- 
 ing at the door. As soon as he ascertained the 
 cause he dressed himself, and giving the shiver- 
 ing man who was waiting a warm overcoat,
 
 /O LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 went with him, carrying great baskets filled 
 with food and clothing. He found a family in 
 the neighborhood freezing and starving. He 
 made them comfortable, furnished the father 
 employment, and gave thanks to God that his 
 fellow - creatures were not suffered to perish 
 within sight of his own door. 
 
 Partly to prevent the distraction of his mind 
 from the more systematic plans of beneficence 
 he had in hand, and partly to discriminate wisely 
 between imposition and worthy objects of cha- 
 rity, so as to assure the relief of real suffering, 
 he engaged an excellent lady of the Society of 
 Friends to visit for him and distribute alms to 
 the deserving. A volume could be filled with 
 her recollections of his generosity.
 
 THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. 
 
 THE locomotive works on Broad Street had 
 been erected at a time of great apparent pros- 
 perity in the financial community. Money 
 could be had on reasonable terms ; universal 
 confidence prevailed ; prices were remunerative, 
 and industry was greatly stimulated throughout 
 the country. The new establishment began its 
 career with the most flattering prospects. But 
 very soon these sanguine expectations were dis- 
 appointed. The immense investments and the 
 future enterprise of the business seemed to be 
 lost beyond recovery. To enable the present 
 generation to understand the causes of this dis- 
 aster, and to appreciate Mr. Baldwin's character 
 when subjected to this trial, a brief retrospect 
 will be necessary. 
 
 In the early part of 1832, the bill to recharter 
 the United States Bank was vetoed by President 
 Jackson. The merits of the question were 
 fairly tried before the people at the Presidential 
 election in the fall, and the President was sus-
 
 72 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 tained and re-elected for a second term. Sept. 
 1 8th, 1833, he laid before his cabinet the deci- 
 sion at which he had arrived, and in which the 
 people had sustained him, as he believed, to re- 
 move the public deposits from this Bank. " It 
 is not easy for one who was not a living witness 
 of the fact, to realize the anxiety and alarm 
 which this threat excited in Philadelphia. It 
 was known to all that the average amount of 
 these deposits, always considerable, had contri- 
 buted to the Bank's loans and accommodations 
 in proportion to its amount, no less than its 
 capital ; and that if the Bank was suddenly called 
 upon to return this money to the Government, 
 it must at once require repayment of much 
 which it had previously lent. This must com- 
 pel forced sales of property at reduced prices, 
 ruinous rates of interest, and all the mischiefs 
 of a deficient circulation. These evils, indu- 
 bitably great, were naturally exaggerated until 
 the whole mercantile community, and all who 
 sympathized with them, without distinction of 
 party, were thrown into as great a panic as sud- 
 den pecuniary distress could produce."* The 
 most excited public meetings ever held in the 
 
 * Tucker's Hist. U. S., iv. 1 56.
 
 THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. 73 
 
 city now assembled to denounce the measure. 
 Two Secretaries of the Treasury surrendered 
 their office rather than carry out the will of the 
 President ; so that the actual removal of the 
 deposits from Philadelphia, and their distribu- 
 tion among the State Banks of the country, did 
 not take place till November, 1833. The Bank 
 immediately demanded the balances due it from 
 the State banks, refused discounts to individuals, 
 and called for repayments, total or partial, from 
 all who had been formerly accommodated. 
 
 The distress in all the commercial towns from 
 the scarcity of money continued throughout 
 this and the following year. But early in 1835, 
 the Bank of the United States and its branches, 
 finding themselves in an easy condition in con- 
 sequence of the large importations of specie 
 which it had been the policy of the Government 
 to encourage, by way of making bank paper 
 less necessary, their accommodations were pro- 
 portionally large; and thus the measures taken 
 to lessen the amount of bank paper in circula- 
 tion, served actually to increase it. Money be- 
 ing thus abundant, a spirit of speculation began 
 to make its appearance in the larger cities, and 
 went on increasing in them until it extended to 
 10
 
 74 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 the smaller towns, and finally to every part of 
 the country. The minds of the people seemed 
 to be in a state of intoxication from greediness 
 of gain. This extravagance continued to grow 
 until the following year, the local banks in 
 every part of the country expanding their issues 
 so as to keep the money market easy, until the 
 prices of all articles of manufacture and import- 
 ation were enormously increased. The tide 
 began to turn in 1836, when the prices thus 
 artificially raised by borrowed capital began to 
 fall yet more suddenly than they had ever risen, 
 and thousands who had indulged in dreams of 
 ideal wealth encountered disappointment and 
 ruin.* 
 
 The cause of this sudden and unexpected 
 check to bank issues and bank credits, and the 
 consequent scarcity of money, was generally 
 attributed to a circular from the Treasury De- 
 partment prohibiting land offices from receiving 
 anything but specie in payment for public lands 
 after August, 1836.! In a few months the gold 
 and silver seemed to be flowing to the West, 
 from the commercial centres of trade. Early 
 in April, 1837, the difficulties had augmented 
 
 * Tucker's United States, iv. 230 -j- Idem, 269.
 
 THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. 75 
 
 in every city of the Union, and in New York 
 there were strong indications that a crisis was at 
 hand; and by the close of May every bank in 
 the United States south of Boston, whatever 
 was its character or resources, had stopped pay- 
 ment. 
 
 That this circular was the immediate occasion 
 of the distress is undoubtedly true. But it must 
 have occurred, though somewhat later, as a 
 legitimate result of the excessive issues of the 
 banks; of their increased means of lending 
 based upon the deposits of the Government and 
 the influx of specie induced by Jackson; of the 
 wild spirit of speculation which had thereupon 
 ensued; and of the corresponding increase in 
 the expensiveness of living and of the consump- 
 tion of foreign luxuries. 
 
 It would have been idle, of course, for Mr. 
 Baldwin to attempt to meet his liabilities at 
 such a time. The suspension of specie pay- 
 ments by the Philadelphia banks on the nth of 
 May was followed by the failure of a number 
 of the most responsible firms in the city. Con- 
 sternation prevailed everywhere. The orders 
 which had been received at the works were 
 countermanded ; payments were stopped on
 
 j6 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 work which had been sent out; the most dis- 
 heartening letters came pouring in from debtors 
 in every parfof the country. In a short time 
 he was absolutely helpless. 
 
 He called a meeting of his creditors as soon 
 as he ascertained that suspension was inevitable. 
 They came together in alarm and suspicion, 
 each bringing his legal adviser, as was then the 
 custom. What was their amazement to see 
 Mr. Baldwin enter the room with a young clerk 
 bringing the papers from the office. He laid 
 before them, in the most lucid manner, an exact 
 statement of his assets and liabilities. He nei- 
 ther concealed nor exaggerated. With valuations 
 as they stood before the crash, he proved that 
 he could make them good. At present, he 
 candidly admitted that a forced sale would not 
 pay them twenty-five cents on the dollar. 
 " But the property belongs to you/' he added. 
 " My factory and my house, and everything in 
 them and about them are yours. I release to 
 you, and, if you desire, will make over to you 
 at once, everything I possess on earth. Make 
 an inventory of all my effects, consider them 
 yours ; then make up your mind what you will 
 do with them. If you cannot come to a satis-
 
 THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. JJ 
 
 factory conclusion, I have something to propose 
 for our mutual advantage." 
 
 What could the lawyers do with such a man ? 
 They were prepared for subterfuge; but such 
 straight-forward talk took away their occupa- 
 tion. The creditors began to think they might 
 have left their legal gentlemen at home. The 
 inventory was speedily made. Nothing was kept 
 back. All the family treasures were brought 
 out of their cherished retreats to have the auc- 
 tioneer's price set upon them. It was a sad 
 time in the Tenth Street house. But they were 
 all sustained by the spirit of stern integrity 
 which animated the principal sufferer. When 
 the work, with all its harrowing details, was 
 completed, the results were found to be as he 
 had predicted. A peremptory sale would ruin 
 him, and pay them a pittance of their just claims. 
 
 "Now," said he, "you are prepared for my 
 proposition: Let me go on with the business, 
 and^I will pay you every dollar, with interest, 
 in three years! I don't ask for an abatement of 
 one cent. Give me an extension of three years, 
 and you shall be fully reimbursed. I have no 
 right to do this without your consent, for the 
 property is yours. But say the word, and if my
 
 78 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 life is spared, every paper you hold against me 
 shall be redeemed." 
 
 They took him at his word. Then came 
 such a struggle as few men have been called 
 upon to endure. The gravest difficulty was one 
 which appealed to his feeling of humanity; the 
 want of ready money to pay his workmen. He 
 could obtain acceptances of his note for mate- 
 rials; but money could not be had in the mar- 
 ket. He was obliged to resort to the expedient 
 which had already begun to flood the city with 
 private and depreciated currency. A few days 
 after the suspension, the "blue ink" notes of 
 twenty-five and fifty cents began to be issued. 
 "Loan Companies," many of them voluntary 
 and unchartered, were printing and distributing 
 promises to pay in sums as low as six and a 
 quarter cents. Private companies were obliged 
 to make the same shifts. Mr. Baldwin would 
 not consent to imitate the measures which in 
 too many instances were fraudulent. He ar- 
 ranged with dealers in provisions, coal, and the 
 most necessary articles of domestic life, to re- 
 ceive small orders from his office, and take his 
 note for the sum when it had accumulated. 
 For a long time these orders formed the only
 
 THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. 79 
 
 money his men could use. But he animated 
 them all with his own confidence. When they 
 saw that he asked no sacrifice of them which 
 his own family did not cheerfully share, they 
 endured their privations with an alacrity, and 
 worked with an energy which was perfectly 
 inspiring. Some of those who had saved their 
 earnings in the "poor man's bank," the old 
 cupboard at home, were able to let their wages 
 accumulate now, and receive his note for large 
 sums. Few of them ever tried to dispose of 
 this paper. They had confidence that it would 
 be as good as gold in time. One old man, now 
 in the establishment, remembers this to his cost. 
 He had let his earnings accumulate until he 
 found himself holding Mr. Baldwin's notes to 
 the amount of four hundred dollars. He hap- 
 pened to want the money when it could not be 
 had at head-quarters, and nobody would buy it 
 without a shave of some twenty per cent. At 
 last he was foolish enough to invest in a land 
 speculation. He lost every cent of it, and had 
 the chagrin into the bargain to see it paid at 
 the counter afterwards, with full interest. 
 
 The success of these manly endeavors was 
 surprising. And a gradual relief to the finan-
 
 8o LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 cial pressure came to his assistance more speedily 
 than could have been expected. In August, 
 1838, many of the banks resumed payment, and 
 Mr. Baldwin began to call in some of the claims 
 against him. But one constitutional defect in 
 his character had betrayed him into imprudence 
 in this difficulty. He was always too fond of a 
 favorite idea, and so eager to realize it that his 
 determination verged upon obstinacy. He had 
 hastily promised to pay all in three years, and 
 toward the close of the specified period he be- 
 gan to cripple his business to fulfil the letter of 
 his engagement. Another disaster in the finan- 
 cial world added to his embarrassments. The 
 resumption of specie payments by the city banks 
 was found to be premature, as many of them 
 had feared, and another suspension followed in 
 October, 1839, occasioned by the sudden failure 
 of the Bank of the United States. With great 
 reluctance, and with a humiliation which he 
 bitterly felt, he was obliged to acknowledge 
 himself in difficulty again, and ask for another 
 extension. It was readily granted, and by 1841 
 or '2 he cancelled every obligation. It was a 
 magnificent triumph! 
 
 It was probably in one of these embarrass-
 
 THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. 8 I 
 
 ments that a capitalist in New Jersey offered 
 him money on condition that a son of his should 
 be received as a partner. He agreed, and for a 
 time all went prosperously; but before long his 
 difficulties were as great as ever. His partner's 
 father sent for him, and proposed that a judg- 
 ment should be confessed by the firm in his 
 favor, under which a sheriff's sale would take 
 place, and he become the purchaser. Mr. Bald- 
 win rose in great indignation, and exclaimed : 
 
 " Mr. , if this is all you have to say to 
 
 me, you might have saved your breath. You 
 shall never have the slightest advantage over my 
 smallest creditor on account of your connection 
 with the firm!" 
 
 It would be an indignity offered to the me- 
 mory of this noble man, to claim that all this 
 was anything more than strict honesty. But 
 there have been times when honesty was more 
 heroic than magnanimity would be now. The 
 crisis of 1837 was one of those times. The 
 most honorable merchants, and even presidents 
 of the banks, were repeatedly indicted for em- 
 bezzlements. In fact the grand jury were pub- 
 licly charged with sitting as a secret inquisition, 
 and bringing in indictments against the best 
 ii
 
 82 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 citizens, without any previous examination. The 
 consternation was so universal that men of un- 
 tarnished reputation ceased to be surprised to 
 find themselves accused of crime. Neighbors 
 used to meet one another on the street, and ac- 
 tually burst into tears, exclaiming : " How hard 
 it is to be an honest man in these times!" 
 
 How was he enabled to achieve such a tri- 
 umph in those straitened times? By diligence, 
 by the fascination of his courage animating all 
 his associates, by carrying those burdens of his 
 business always to the Throne of Grace, and re- 
 ceiving there a refreshment of spirit which filled 
 the darkest day with the repose of unfaltering 
 faith in God, and, above all, by another principle 
 of his religion by never arresting his charities 
 during his financial embarrassments. Would to 
 God that every Christian man of business could 
 feel the force of his example in this respect! 
 He believed that his charities in times of diffi- 
 culty were his best investments. Notes for 
 thousands of dollars had been repeatedly given 
 away, when he had no money for donations. 
 "Shall we trust God for our affairs, and not for 
 His own?" he would ask, when charged with 
 imprudence. " How can I expect life and pros-
 
 THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. 83 
 
 perity to meet my present liabilities, if I handle 
 this immense capital, and suffer none of its in- 
 come to flow into the Lord's treasury?" 
 
 "How rich he would have been if he had not 
 given so much away!" you will hear on every 
 man's lips. False! He might have died in 
 poverty! It was his liberality united with his 
 unwearied enterprise which secured his fortune. 
 The testimony of God, which he always pre- 
 ferred to the wisdom of the world, is vindicated 
 in this return to his bosom of the good measure, 
 pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8, AND 
 THE ANTI-SLAVERY EXCITEMENT. 
 
 WHILE thus perplexed with his own financial 
 embarrassments, Mr. Baldwin was called to new 
 duties in the service of his country. He was 
 elected to the Convention called to meet in Har- 
 risburg on May 2d, 1837, to amend the State 
 Constitution. He tried in vain to decline this 
 honor. His financial troubles, the contract to 
 furnish the engines for the ice boat, and his yet 
 incomplete experiments with the locomotives 
 for heavy draft, rendered his personal attention 
 to business imperative, in his own opinion. But 
 his fellow- citizens felt they could not dispense 
 with his practical wisdom, and firm adherence 
 to principle, on this important occasion. With 
 great reluctance he laid aside his own interests 
 to sit among the councillors of the common- 
 wealth. 
 
 The two great questions which engaged the 
 attention of this Convention concerned the judi- 
 ciary and the right of suffrage.
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8. 85 
 
 By the Constitution of 1790 the judges of the 
 Supreme Court and of the several Courts of 
 Common Pleas were appointed by the Governor, 
 and held their office during good behavior, sub- 
 ject to removal for any reasonable cause, on the 
 address of two-thirds of each branch of the 
 legislature. A so-called " reform" was introduced 
 by this Convention, providing that these judges 
 should be appointed by the Governor, by and 
 with the advice of the Senate, and should hold 
 their office for limited terms, not exceeding fif- 
 teen years in the case of the judges of the Su- 
 preme Court.* 
 
 This supposed reform prepared the way for 
 more radical changes in 1850, by which the 
 judges of the Supreme Court were elected by 
 the qualified electors of the commonwealth at 
 large, and all other judges by electors of the 
 respective districts over which they were to pre- 
 side or act as judges. f 
 
 A large majority of the Convention favored 
 the proposed changes. But there was a deter- 
 mined minority, who steadily resisted these en- 
 
 * Proceedings and Debates of the Convention, xin. 241. 
 f Purdon's Digest, p. 18.
 
 86 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 croachments on what they believed to be the 
 integrity of the judiciary. We find Mr. Bald- 
 win's name always with these conservatives. He 
 voted against every amendment to the fifth ar- 
 ticle of the old Constitution.* 
 
 The other question has since acquired a na- 
 tional importance, and is destined to rise above 
 every other in the politics of the country; but 
 it is one surrounded with the gravest difficulties, 
 which have thus far baffled many of the most 
 eminent statesmen of this nation and of England. 
 Shall there be any limit to the exercise of the 
 right of suffrage in a free government? If so, 
 shall this limit be based upon property, or intel- 
 ligence, or both ? And is this a question of po- 
 litical privileges exclusively, or do moral prin- 
 ciples enter into it founded upon the natural 
 rights of man? These are among the mo- 
 mentous problems of modern reform agitating 
 every constitutional government on earth. We 
 shall be interested to know how they were met 
 thirty years ago by an intelligent mechanic, 
 without legal erudition, but with a conscience 
 impervious to error and acutely sensitive to the 
 truth. 
 
 * XIII. 48.
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8. 87 
 
 The Constitution of 1790 provided that: 
 " Every freeman of the age of twenty-one years, 
 having resided in the State two years next before 
 an election, and within that time paid a State or 
 county tax, shall enjoy the right of an elector."* 
 
 The first motion to modify this article was 
 made by Mr. Steriger, of Montgomery County, 
 June i pth, 1837. He proposed to substitute for 
 "freeman" the words "free male white citizen."^ 
 Finding that this was about to provoke a discus- 
 sion too violent for this early period in the ses- 
 sion, the friends of the amendment suffered the 
 debate to be diverted to other subjects. But Mr. 
 Martin, of Philadelphia, a few days later, en- 
 deavored to secure the same principle by means 
 of the following proviso: "Provided that the 
 rights of electors shall in no case extend to 
 others than free white male citizens.''^ In the 
 course of the debate upon this amendment the 
 assertion was repeatedly made that negroes never 
 did vote under the old constitution, "public 
 opinion rising above law, and driving them from 
 the polls with violence." But this statement 
 was met with the most conclusive evidence that 
 
 * Art. in., Sec. ist. | Vol. n. 472. J Vol. in. 82.
 
 88 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 in many parts of the State the franchise was 
 peacefully exercised by colored men, some of 
 them among the most intelligent and wealthy 
 citizens of their districts. But all modifications 
 of this nature were finally excluded from the 
 report of the Committee of the Whole, not so 
 much on the merits of the question as from the 
 desire to avoid, at this early day, the agitation 
 of the subject. 
 
 The question came up for final decision, Jan. 
 1 7th, 1838, when the second reading of the 
 Third Article, as reported by the Committee 
 of the Whole, was ordered; Mr. Martin again 
 moved the insertion of the word "white" before 
 "freeman." 
 
 The debate which ensued was continued in- 
 cessantly and with great excitement, covering 
 the whole question of American slavery, the pro- 
 scription of a race, and the rights of manhood, 
 until the vote was reached, on Saturday, January 
 2oth. The amendment was sustained by a vote 
 of 77 to 45. Among the forty-five men who 
 had the courage and the conscience to vote for 
 impartial suffrage, thirty years ago, we find 
 M. W. Baldwin * 
 
 * X. 106.
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8. 89 
 
 One more attempt was made to save the State 
 from this disgrace. It was an amendment by 
 Mr. Dunlap, of Franklin, to the effect that "any 
 citizen excluded by the word 'white' may ac- 
 quire the right of suffrage whenever he shall be 
 possessed of a freehold worth two hundred dol- 
 lars, and shall have paid a tax on the same; and 
 that no male person of full age, not entitled to 
 the rights of suffrage, shall be subject to direct 
 taxation."* It was urged that a property quali- 
 fication of this kind would protect the State from 
 the dangers which had been described of vagrant 
 and idle negroes controlling the elections; and 
 the injustice of taxation without representation 
 was forcibly represented. But this amendment 
 was lost by a vote of 40 to 84, Mr. Baldwin 
 voting in the affirmative. 
 
 Once more the effort was made, on motion of 
 Mr. Merrill, of Union, to grant the right of suf- 
 frage to free citizens of color "who could read 
 and understand common books, and were also 
 subject to taxation. "f It was insisted that both 
 property and intelligence were safeguards which 
 could not fail to protect this right from abuse. 
 A final appeal was made to save the Keystone 
 
 * x. no. f x - Iz6 - 
 
 12
 
 90 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 State from this grave injustice. But in vain. At 
 every vote the friends of impartial justice were 
 falling away. This amendment was lost, 26 to 
 91, Mr. Baldwin still voting in the affirmative. 
 
 On the final question to agree to the report of 
 the Committee of the Whole, which was reached 
 January 22, 1838, Mr. Baldwin voted in the 
 negative. Thus, during the whole of this ex- 
 citing question, occupying the minds of the Con- 
 vention during many days of a protracted session, 
 his votes were invariably with that unpopular, 
 conservative party, who believed that all men 
 were born free and equal. Yet he lived to be 
 denounced as a radical for holding the same 
 views ! 
 
 It was conscience, and religious principle, and 
 faith in God, which sustained him in this strug- 
 gle. His closet, the family altar, and his pastor's 
 study, witnessed the fervor of his prayer for Di- 
 vine guidance as the day of trial approached. 
 
 The friends of Mr. Baldwin will not need to 
 be told that he was not a talking member of this 
 Convention. While his own convictions of duty 
 were decided, he had no confidence in his ability 
 to make them felt by public speech. He threw 
 the whole weight of his influence in favor of
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8. 91 
 
 preserving the integrity of the laws, and the im- 
 partial rights of manhood. But it was by per- 
 sonal conversation, and consistent voting, that he 
 made this influence felt. During the two pro- 
 tracted sessions of the Convention, he rose to his 
 feet but once in the public debate. It was at the 
 first meeting after the removal from Harrisburg 
 to Philadelphia, on Tuesday, November 28th, 
 1837. The question before the house was a reso- 
 lution of Mr. Denny, of Alleghany, that "the 
 clergy of the city be invited to open the sessions 
 of the Convention with prayer." Considerable 
 opposition was at once developed. Many who 
 were in favor of religious exercises, among others, 
 Thaddeus Stevens, who "thought prayer very 
 much needed," objected on the ground that 
 members had been reluctant to pay any remune- 
 ration for similar services in Harrisburg. 
 
 The debate soon turned upon the question of 
 compensation, when Mr. Baldwin took the floor. 
 He said he felt authorized to say that the gen- 
 tlemen who tendered their services here did not 
 expect to receive any compensation. Indeed, he 
 believed it was the intention of those gentlemen 
 to disclaim compensation if it was tendered to 
 them. He did not believe they would receive it.
 
 92 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 He hoped, therefore, that this consideration 
 would not be thrown in the way as an obstacle 
 against the proposition to open the session with 
 prayer. He must confess that he felt some sur- 
 prise at the fears which had been expressed by 
 some gentlemen, in relation to the conscientious 
 scruples of certain members of this body on reli- 
 gious matters; for, when the question of consci- 
 entious scruples was fairly before them^in another 
 and not less imposing form, some of them did 
 not manifest quite so sensitive a disposition. All 
 that was contemplated by this resolution was, 
 that we might each morning ask the blessing of 
 Almighty God on the labors of the Convention. 
 He could not conceive what reasonable objection 
 could be made to this proposition by any gen- 
 tleman, however sensitive might be his feelings, 
 or however peculiar the religious doctrines which 
 he held.* 
 
 These few remarks were subsequently referred 
 to by almost every gentleman on the floor, and 
 the motion was carried in the affirmative. The 
 allusion to the "conscientious scruples" of men 
 who had not hesitated to disfranchise their fel- 
 low-citizens on account of the color of their 
 
 * Proceedings and Debates of Convention, vi. 7.
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8. 93 
 
 skin was, perhaps, the nearest approach to sar- 
 casm which Mr. Baldwin ever made on any 
 public occasion. 
 
 It will be impossible to appreciate the courage 
 of Mr. Baldwin, and the "conservative" minority 
 with whom he voted, without reference to the 
 then existing state of public opinion which ren- 
 dered their action so unpopular. The whole 
 country was in abject submission to the slave 
 power. The expression of anti-slavery senti- 
 ments was everywhere suppressed by violence. 
 " The right of free discussion," wrote John 
 Quincy Adams,* "upon slavery, and an indefinite 
 extent of topics connected with it, is banished 
 from one-half the States of this Union. It is 
 suspended in both houses of Congress opened 
 and closed at the pleasure of the slave represen- 
 tatives; opened for the promulgation of nulli- 
 fication sophistry; closed against the question 
 WHAT IS SLAVERY? at the sound of which 
 the walls of the capitol stagger like a drunken 
 man. For this suppression of the freedom of 
 speech, the freedom of the press, and of the 
 right of petition, the people of the FREE States 
 are responsible, and the people of Pennsylvania 
 
 * History of Pennsylvania Hall, Phila., 1838, p. n.
 
 94 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 most of all. Of this responsibility, I say it with 
 a pang sharper than language can express, the 
 City of Philadelphia must take to herself the 
 largest share. Her citizens have grown exceed- 
 ingly averse to hearing any comment upon the 
 self-evident truths which emanated from her 
 Independence Hall. If a man makes any prac- 
 tical use of his freedom of speech among them, 
 they cry out, 'He's a fanatic, an incendiary, an 
 abolitionist; he is attacking the rights of the 
 South/" 
 
 A single example will set forth the extent to 
 which this pro-slavery violence was carried in 
 Philadelphia. The occasion which called forth 
 this indignant letter of Adams' was the dedica- 
 tion of an imposing edifice erected on the corner 
 of "Delaware Sixth and Haines Streets," for free 
 discussion upon Liberty and the Rights of Man. 
 The opening exercises were continued for several 
 days, and the tone of the meeting soon gave un- 
 mistakable evidence that free speech in this city 
 was too great a luxury not to be highly relished. 
 
 By evening of the second day large crowds 
 'had begun to collect around the building, and a 
 few stones were thrown at the windows. The 
 morning of the third day was devoted to free
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8. 95 
 
 discussion on Slavery and its Remedies. The ex- 
 citement was intense, but upon the announce- 
 ment that several ladies would make addresses in 
 the evening, the evidences of an approaching 
 tumult became unmistakable. The hall was 
 thronged long before the hour for the exercises 
 to begin. Volleys of stones were thrown against 
 the windows, and disorganizers within made re- 
 peated efforts to frighten the audience. Mean- 
 time placards had been posted all over the city, 
 calling upon all citizens who desired to preserve the 
 Constitution of the United States to interfere forcibly 
 and demand the immediate dispersion of the Convention. 
 The evidence was afterwards collected, which 
 proved beyond doubt that the destruction of the 
 hall had been resolved upon, before it was com- 
 pleted. The disturbances on Wednesday evening 
 had been so violent that, on Thursday morning, 
 the managers informed the Mayor that they an- 
 ticipated the attacks of a mob, and demanded his 
 protection of life and property ; at the same time, 
 in accordance with their well-known principles 
 as Friends, they resolved to make no resistance, 
 if violence should be offered. The Mayor made 
 no reply to their communication, and left the 
 hall to the incendiaries during the whole day,
 
 96 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 without taking any measures to preserve order. 
 About sunset he informed the President of the 
 Board of Managers that he would disperse the 
 mob, if he could have possession of the building. 
 The keys were at once delivered to him. He 
 then addressed the mob, informing them that 
 there would be no meeting there on that evening, 
 that the military would not be called out, that 
 he relied upon his fellow-citizens now before 
 him as his police, and requested them to abide 
 by the laws and keep order. The mob then gave 
 three cheers for John Swift, the Mayor, and com- 
 menced the attack. They forced open the doors, 
 and, carrying papers and window blinds forward, 
 made a bonfire on the Speaker's stand. In a few 
 hours the magnificent building was entirely con- 
 sumed. It was estimated that 1 5,000 spectators 
 witnessed this scene. The firemen were busy 
 protecting neighboring buildings. But no hand 
 was raised to save the Hall.* The unresisted 
 and infuriated mob then set fire to an orphan 
 asylum for colored children, on Thirteenth 
 Street, a charitable institution, having no con- 
 nection with the Anti-Slavery Society; and, on 
 Saturday evening, attacked the Bethel Church 
 
 * Tucker's History of the U. S., iv. 336.
 
 THE CONVENTION OF 1837-8. 97 
 
 for colored people, on Sixth Street, and threat- 
 ened the private dwellings of several citizens, 
 and the office of the Public Ledger, which, 
 though not an abolition paper, had been an ad- 
 vocate of free discussion, and had expressed itself 
 in manly terms of disapprobation of the burning 
 of the hall. 
 
 This was the time, be it remembered, when 
 Mr. Baldwin voted incessantly for negro suffrage, 
 in the city of Philadelphia. "Public opinion," 
 said Mayor Swift, "makes mobs. Ninety-nine 
 citizens out of a hundred, in Philadelphia, are 
 against the abolitionists." Our war has since re- 
 versed this public opinion: ninety-nine out of 
 a hundred have become abolitionists. But many 
 of the best of these men still believe it to be im- 
 prudent to urge the impartial exercise of the 
 right of suffrage. But, in Philadelphia, at the 
 very time when the prejudice 'against the negro 
 restrained the citizens and the civil authorities 
 from interfering to prevent a most flagrant out- 
 rage upon public order, when threats of violence 
 were openly made to intimidate the Convention, 
 when he was ostracized by reason of these prin- 
 ciples from the best society of the city his enter- 
 prise was enriching, when his name was sent
 
 9o LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 South in "black lists," designed to divert his 
 profitable trade in that section to rival establish- 
 ments, and when the mob were threatening the 
 property of every abolitionist with the incen- 
 diary's torch, Mr. Baldwin stood unmoved to 
 defend the right of the colored citizen, duly 
 qualified, to the elective franchise!
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT, 
 SHARP CURVES, AND ASCENDING 
 GRADES. 
 
 IT would be natural to suppose that, while 
 such exciting questions were enlisting so much 
 of his attention, and while he was struggling to 
 pay his oppressive debts, he would confine his 
 manufacturing labors to the inventions which 
 had already proved to be serviceable and remu- 
 nerative. But the fact is precisely the reverse. 
 During these years of perplexity and disaster, 
 from 1837 to 1842, he was carrying on the most 
 hazardous experiments of his whole career; and 
 it was his inventive genius which finally rescued 
 him from financial embarrassment. He at last 
 perfected improvements in locomotives which 
 not only increased immensely their power, but 
 laid the foundation of his own fortune. 
 
 One of the gravest difficulties in the con- 
 struction of locomotives for the transportation 
 of heavy freight trains, is to secure sufficient 
 adhesion to the track to prevent the driving
 
 100 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 wheels from slipping. This difficulty was ima- 
 gined at first to be insurmountable by a smooth 
 driving wheel. Hence Trevethick's first engine 
 was constructed with wheels, the periphery of 
 which was made rough by the projection of bolts 
 or cross-grooves, so that their "grip" or "bite" 
 to the track might be secured. The jolts which 
 resulted from their rapid motion over the cast- 
 iron plates of the Merthyr-Tydvil road were 
 among the principal causes of Trevethick's fail- 
 ure. The next attempt to secure adhesion 
 was made by Mr. Blenkinsop, of Leeds, in 
 1811, who laid a racked or toothed rail on one 
 side of the road, into which a toothed driving 
 wheel on his locomotive worked, as pinions 
 work into a rack.* One year later, the Messrs. 
 Chapman, of Newcastle, endeavored to overcome 
 the same fictitious difficulty by passing a chain 
 once round a grooved barrel-wheel under the 
 centre of the engine, so that when the wheel 
 turned, the locomotive, as it were, dragged itself 
 along the railway by means of this immense 
 chain, stretching for miles along the track. 
 These grotesque experiments were not aban- 
 doned until, in 1813, Mr. Brusston, of Derby- 
 
 * Annals of Leeds, vol. n. p. 222.
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT. IOI 
 
 shire, mounted a steam engine on legs, working 
 alternately like those of a horse, which fortu- 
 nately blew up at one of its first trials, killed only 
 a few of the bystanders, and prevented worse 
 mischief for the future. 
 
 In 1813 an experiment was tried to secure ad- 
 hesion to the smooth rail, by Mr. Wm. Hedley, 
 of Wylam. His first engine constructed on this 
 principle was a perfect success, and has been at 
 work, near Newcastle, as late as 1863. Mr. 
 Stephenson relied upon the weight of his engines 
 to secure^ adhesion up to the maximum of their 
 power. It was thus supposed that this early 
 difficulty was purely fictitious. 
 
 But the perfection of Mr. Baldwin's ground 
 joints for steam pipes, the substitution of wire 
 for hemp and other fibrous materials in packing, 
 the increased size of his boilers, together with 
 the admirable finish of all the parts, gave a tre- 
 mendous power to his engines, and enabled them 
 to surpass the maximum of adhesion which their 
 immense weight imparted. There was also a 
 limit to the weight which could be thrown upon 
 two, or even four driving wheels. The rails 
 might be crushed by receiving nearly the whole 
 weight of the machine upon a limited section.
 
 102 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 The problem was to distribute the weight over 
 all the wheels, fore and aft, and yet make them 
 all draw. This occasioned no difficulty so long 
 as the road was straight, as the wheels could be 
 made of a uniform size, and simply coupled. Six 
 or eight wheel locomotives were manufactured 
 by Mr. Stephenson, and succeeded in rounding 
 curves of large radius by having flanges only on 
 the four external wheels. But the wheels with- 
 out flanges were almost wrenched from the track 
 in rounding the curves, losing much of their ad- 
 hesion when it was most needed, and endanger- 
 ing the machinery. Besides, the very roads 
 which transported the heaviest freights of coal, 
 and encountered the worst ascending grades, 
 were also obliged to turn the shortest curves. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin's struggle with these difficulties 
 brought out some of the grandest traits of his 
 character. He seemed to grasp all the conditions 
 of the problem at once, and yet to concentrate 
 his thoughts as if but one obstacle were in his 
 way. Strange as it may seem, also, the state of 
 his health, which would have defeated all exer- 
 tion in many men, was made to assist him. He 
 could not sleep, and he employed the night in 
 busy invention. While his exhausted body was
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT. 103 
 
 in an attitude of repose, he made the darkness lu- 
 minous with imaginary "wheels within wheels." 
 The first result of these incessant contrivances 
 was his six-wheeled gear locomotive, patented 
 December 31, 1841. In this ingenious machine 
 the four wheels of the truck were placed for- 
 ward, in the usual way, and the pistons had out- 
 side connections with the two driving wheels 
 behind the fire-box. The truck was permitted 
 to vibrate freely, and accommodate itself to the 
 curves and undulations of the road. The axles 
 of the truck wheels were thus thrown incessantly 
 into positions not parallel to the axle of the 
 drivers. But between the two axles of the truck 
 was placed a revolving shaft, held firmly in a 
 position parallel to the driving axle, and at right- 
 angles to the axis of the boiler, by stays con- 
 nected with the frame of the locomotive. On 
 the middle of this shaft, which was made to re- 
 volve by a crank and a rod connecting with the 
 drivers, a cog-wheel was fixed, having chilled 
 cogs, slightly rounded on the face, which, by 
 means of two intervening wheels, gave motion 
 to others on the axis of the truck. The four 
 truck wheels were made of any desirable size, 
 as the gearing was proportioned so as to make
 
 104 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 thern travel at the rate of the larger wheels.* 
 The results obtained by this engine, we learn 
 from the Report of G. A. Nicholls, Superin- 
 tendent of Transportation on the Philadelphia 
 Reading and Pottsville R. R. :f a train of 117 
 loaded cars, weighing in the aggregate 590 tons, 
 was hauled fifty-four miles in five hours and 
 twenty-two minutes, being at the rate of over 
 ten miles per hour the whole way. The train 
 was more than a quarter of a mile in length, and 
 was transported in the ordinary freight business, 
 without any previous preparation of the engine, 
 cars, or fuel, for the performance. The engine 
 was closely watched at all the starts of the train, 
 and not the least slipping of her wheels could 
 be perceived. She worked remarkably well 
 throughout the trip, turning curves of 819 feet 
 radius, with ease to her machinery, and no per- 
 ceptible increase of friction in her gearing. The 
 engine afterwards backed with ease round a curve 
 of 75 feet radius. This train was unprecedented 
 in length and weight in Europe and America. 
 
 But so much power was lost by friction, and 
 the danger of breaking and derangement was so 
 
 * Journal of Franklin Institute, March, 1842, p. 178. 
 f U. S. Gazette, Feb. 14, 1842.
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT. 105 
 
 great, in this complicated machinery, that Mr. 
 Baldwin regarded what others praised so highly, 
 as a practical failure. Without a disheartened 
 feeling for a single moment, he returned to his 
 absorbing studies. Every day he would bring 
 new contrivances to his draughtsmen, and take 
 home, at night, the difficulties which they en- 
 countered in the construction. He came back 
 at last to the Stephenson model of making all 
 the wheels of a uniform size, and uniting them 
 by connecting rods. The improvement which 
 he resolved to work out, was to avoid the rigidity 
 of this machine. The arrangement which at 
 last proved to be successful, occurred to him 
 suddenly in the depths of the night. He sprang 
 out of bed, made a few rough drawings, and 
 waited with burning impatience for the morn- 
 ing. On repairing to the works, he found the 
 Sheriff's bills of sale posted all over the premises, 
 and the men standing about in the greatest con- 
 sternation. The financial crisis had occurred on 
 the very day of his greatest invention. He 
 stretched out his right hand, containing his roll 
 of rude drawings, and said in a tone of triumph : 
 " I have something here which will defy the 
 Sheriff." 
 
 1.4
 
 106 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 Before leaving the office to propose the settle- 
 ment with his creditors which we have already 
 described, he placed his sketches, with full ex- 
 planations, in the hands of the draughtsmen. 
 They shared his ardor at first, and the enthusiasm 
 of the inventor spread like a contagion among 
 the dispirited workmen. But obstacles were 
 encountered in the construction of the model, 
 which discouraged all but himself. "It must 
 work ; it shall work," was his uncompromising 
 reply to their objections. And after a delay of 
 more than a year it did work. He produced a 
 "Flexible Truck Locomotive," which was the 
 best machine ever invented for the transportation 
 of burdens on roads of heavy grades and short 
 curvature. 
 
 It will be impossible to render a description 
 of the details of this invention intelligible with- 
 out illustrations. But its general principle can 
 be readily comprehended. In a locomotive of 
 two driving wheels, there are only two points of 
 contact with the rail which must maintain a 
 constant relative distance from the cylinders ; 
 because the truck forward is permitted to vibrate 
 freely around the single pivot on which that part 
 of the frame of the locomotive rests. But when
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT. 107 
 
 the three or four wheels on each sicie are bound 
 together by an inflexible connecting-rod, as in 
 the rigid engines, a crowding and slipping mo- 
 tion around the curves results, at a great loss of 
 power and peril of the machinery. Mr. Bald- 
 win's improvement consists in attaching the four 
 wheels forward to a flexible truck, instead of the 
 rigid frame of the locomotive. In the ordinary 
 truck, the two axles with the lateral beams of 
 the frames form the figure of a rectangle. The 
 flexible truck is so constructed that this figure 
 may be changed to a parallelogram of various 
 angles, like a parallel ruler. The frame of the 
 locomotive rests upon two pivots instead of one, 
 inserted in the side beams of this truck. 
 
 The action of the locomotive in rounding a 
 curve will now be readily understood. The 
 wheels are all of a uniform size, and are united 
 by connecting rods. The pistons move the 
 driving-wheels in the rear in the usual way, and 
 they move the truck wheels forward. So long 
 as the track is straight, the axles of all the wheels 
 maintain a position at right angles tq the axis of 
 the boiler. But as soon as the truck wheels en- 
 counter a curve, those on the inside track begin 
 to move in advance of the corresponding ones
 
 108 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 on the outside. The frame of the truck is thus 
 changed from a rectangle to a parallelogram, 
 the angles of which continue to change round 
 the whole curve. To accommodate these varia- 
 tions, the following parts of the machine are 
 made flexible : 
 
 First. The frame of the truck is constructed 
 with joints at the four angles, like those of the 
 parallel ruler. 
 
 Second. The wrought iron beams forming 
 the sides of this truck contain cylindrical boxes 
 in each end for the journal bearings of the axles. 
 These boxes vibrate readily in their sockets and 
 adapt themselves to the oblique motion of the 
 axles. 
 
 Third. In the frame of the locomotive two 
 spherical pins are fixed, as pivots, which rest in 
 sockets on the centres of the two lateral beams. 
 Each beam is thus allowed to vibrate on this 
 point; the spherical joint accommodating irreg- 
 ularities of elevation as well as curvature. 
 
 Fourth. The connecting rods have universal 
 joints at the points of contact with the wheels. 
 While the relative distance between each driving 
 wheel and its corresponding truck wheel at the 
 extreme front is thus constant, the several sec-
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT. 109 
 
 tions of the connecting rod are not held rigidly 
 in a straight line. 
 
 To avoid the resistance of the tender, the 
 water is carried in a tank placed on the boiler, 
 and the fuel is stored in two boxes on each side 
 of the foot-board, lengthened for this purpose. 
 Thus the entire weight of the locomotive with 
 its supplies, amounting in some instances to thirty 
 tons, is economized to secure adhesion, the labor 
 is impartially distributed among all the wheels, 
 while all irregularities of the track are accom- 
 modated as readily as by locomotives of two 
 driving wheels. 
 
 The patent for the Flexible Truck Locomo- 
 tive was secured in August, 1842,* and its per- 
 formances have since led to the construction of 
 roads in this and other countries over heights 
 before deemed inaccessible. Mr. Charles Ellet, 
 Jr., in his description of the "Mountain Top 
 Track" across the Blue Ridge in Virginia, which 
 exceeded in difficulty of construction the famous 
 Austrian Road over the Lemmercing Pass, does 
 not hesitate to ascribe to this locomotive in 
 climbing steep grades, unrivalled pre-eminence. 
 
 * Journal of Franklin Institute, August, 1848, p. 93.
 
 1 1 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 The maximum grade on this road is 296 feet 
 per mile, and it has curvatures of 234 feet radius. 
 He says: 
 
 "This road was opened to the public in the 
 spring of 1854, and it has now, in the autumn 
 of 1856, been in constant use for a period of 
 more than z\ years. In all that time the admi- 
 rable engines relied on to perform the extraor- 
 dinary duties imposed upon them in the passage 
 of this summit, have failed but once to make 
 their regular trips. The mountain has been 
 covered with deep snows for weeks in succession, 
 and the cuts have been frequently filled for long 
 periods many feet in depth with drifted snow ; 
 the ground has been covered with sleet and ice, 
 and every impediment due to bad weather and 
 inclement seasons has been encountered and suc- 
 cessfully surmounted in working the track. 
 
 " During the last severe winter, when the tra- 
 vel upon all the railways of Virginia and the 
 northern and western States was interrupted, 
 and, on many lines, for days in succession, the 
 engines upon this mountain track, with the ex- 
 ception of the single day already specified, moved 
 regularly forward and did their appointed work. 
 In fact, during the space of 22 years that the
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT. 1 1 I 
 
 road has been in use, they have only failed to 
 take the mail through in this single instance, 
 when the train was caught in a snow-drift near 
 the summit of the mountain. 
 
 "These results are due, in a great degree, to 
 the admirable adaptation of the engines em- 
 ployed to the service to be performed. The 
 regular daily service of each of the engines is 
 to make four trips of eight miles over the moun- 
 tain, drawing one eight-wheel baggage car to- 
 gether with two eight-wheel passenger cars, in 
 each direction. 
 
 "In conveying freight, the regular train on 
 the mountain is three of the eight-wheel house 
 cars fully loaded, or four of them when empty 
 or partly loaded. 
 
 "These three cars, when full, weigh with 
 their loads from 40 to 43 tons. Sometimes, 
 though rarely, when the business has been un- 
 usually heavy, the loads have exceeded 50 tons. 
 
 "With such trains the engines are stopped on 
 the track, ascending or descending, and are 
 started again, on the steepest grades, at the dis- 
 cretion of the engineer. 
 
 "The ordinary speed of the engines, when 
 loaded, is jl miles an hour on the ascending
 
 I I 2 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 grades, and from 52 to 6 miles an hour on, the 
 descent. 
 
 " Greater speed and larger loads might doubt- 
 less be permitted with success; but the policy 
 has been to work the track with perfect safety, 
 to risk nothing, and to obtain and hold the 
 public confidence. 
 
 - "The locomotives mainly relied on for this 
 severe duty were designed and constructed by 
 the firm of M. W. Baldwin & Company, of 
 Philadelphia. The slight modifications intro- 
 duced at the instance of the writer to adapt them 
 better to the particular service to be performed 
 in crossing the Blue Ridge, did not touch the 
 working proportions or principle of the engines, 
 the merits of which are due to the patentee, M. 
 W. Baldwin, Esq." 
 
 This magnificent locomotive continues to be 
 without a rival in its peculiar and most difficult 
 field. It is hurrying the produce of the West 
 over the precipitous Alleghanies, scaling the 
 mountain heights of Brazil, and flying with the 
 wings of the morning across the western prai- 
 ries, impatient for hardy enterprise to open the 
 way for new triumphs over those rocky and 
 snow-crested barriers which have too long se-
 
 LOCOMOTIVES FOR HEAVY FREIGHT. 1 1 3 
 
 vered us from the golden plains on the Pacific; 
 animated, as it were, in all these incredible con- 
 quests of nature, with the determined spirit and 
 unfaltering faith of its great inventor. 
 
 We cannot close this sketch of Mr. Baldwin's 
 mechanical career without again calling atten- 
 tion to those sterling elements of his character 
 which it has brought into exercise : his high 
 genius, his ready adaptation to new pursuits, 
 his buoyant hope and unfaltering faith in the 
 midst of discouragement, his persistence in un- 
 tried fields of labor, his inexhaustible patience 
 in a chosen purpose, and, above all, his wise 
 foresight have enabled him always to lead pub- 
 lic enterprise in this country, made him promi- 
 nent in every occupation he has undertaken, and 
 constituted him a public benefactor merely by 
 the new industry he has stimulated, and the en- 
 couraging example he has set before every young 
 man who engages in honorable labor with high 
 aspirations.
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 
 
 LONG after Mr. Baldwin's fame as a locomo- 
 tive builder shall have been consigned to the 
 comparative oblivion of technical history, his 
 name will be remembered with gratitude by 
 thousands. He was emphatically the church 
 builder of Philadelphia. 
 
 This work began little by little in the Mis- 
 sionary Association. Their Mission Sabbath 
 Schools would bring families within the means 
 of grace who never entered a Christian church. 
 Prayer meetings and informal addresses on the 
 Sabbath would call for more permanent labors. 
 A minister of the gospel would be engaged and 
 a congregation gathered; then a church would 
 be provided. The Western Presbyterian Church, 
 corner of Seventeenth and Filbert Streets, grew 
 out of the labors of this Association, and the 
 first large contribution Mr. Baldwin ever made 
 in this favorite work of beneficence was to 
 save the Cedar Street Presbyterian Church from 
 sheriff's sale.
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 1 1 5 
 
 CALVARY CHURCH. 
 
 But the beginning of this great work of 
 Church extension will always be dated from a 
 more important enterprise. In the fall of 1850 
 Mr. Barnes met Mr. Baldwin and another mem- 
 ber of his church, at one of his pastoral visits, 
 and the conversation turning upon the migration 
 of families west of Broad Street, they decided 
 to call a meeting to consider the needs of this 
 growing neighborhood. Dr. Brainard soon en- 
 tered into the plan with his accustomed zeal. 
 The meetings continued to adjourn from week 
 to week, until more than a dozen of the most 
 substantial and earnest Christian men from the 
 congregations of the First, Pine Street, and Clin- 
 ton Street churches were interested in the deli- 
 berations. Forty successive meetings in all were 
 held. They were of one mind, but, unfortu- 
 nately, the subscriptions could not be brought 
 up to anything like the required sum. At last 
 Dr. Brainard made one of his characteristic 
 speeches. Only a month or two before his 
 death he happened to relate the circumstance to 
 a friend, so that this little model of persuasive
 
 I 
 Il6 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 eloquence can be preserved almost in his exact 
 words: "I made up my mind," said he, "that 
 Brother Barnes and I were dealing a little too 
 tenderly with our rich friends. I was not afraid 
 of them, and thinking the time had now come 
 for pretty plain talk, I said to them : 
 
 "Brethren, the Lord has denied to you the 
 privilege of exercising many of the most pre- 
 cious graces of the Christian character, which 
 in his infinite mercy he has vouchsafed to the 
 rest of us. You never knew what 4t is to repose 
 absolute unassisted faith in God for the things 
 of this world. You never had to go to sleep at 
 night without knowing where your breakfast 
 was to come from. You never had a sick child 
 wasting away for want of costly luxuries. You 
 never had to deny yourselves the gratification of 
 the impulses of pity when a sufferer came to 
 your door. You never had to endure the hu- 
 miliation of being dunned for an honest debt 
 without knowing whether you could ever pay it. 
 All these unspeakable advantages in developing 
 Christian character an inscrutable Providence 
 has taken from you and bestowed upon us poor 
 men. The one solitary grace of the Christian 
 life which has been denied to us and given to
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. II J 
 
 you, is the grace of liberality, and if you dorit 
 exercise that, the Lord have mercy on your souls /" 
 
 Every one who ever heard Dr. Brainard talk 
 when he meant it, can see the upturned face, 
 sparkling eye, and compressed lip with which 
 these pungent words came out. As he reached 
 this part of the narrative to his friend on that 
 memorable ride in the summer of 1866, he 
 reined in his horse and broke out in the heartiest 
 tone : " My confidence in human nature was not 
 misplaced. At first I was almost frightened at 
 my boldness ; but soon I saw one of those amused 
 and genial smiles begin to creep over Baldwin's 
 face. Somebody caught the twinkle of his eye, 
 and in half a minute the whole company broke 
 into inextinguishable laughter. In two or three 
 weeks we had some $75,000 on the paper." 
 
 Mr. Baldwin's portion of this subscription, 
 $10,000, was the smallest part of his offering in 
 the good work. He was indefatigable in his 
 personal attention to the work of selecting the 
 ground, drawing the plans, and securing the 
 prompt execution of the contract. The corner 
 stone was laid on the fourth day of July, 1851, 
 and Nov. 6th, 1853, one f t ^ le mos t beautiful 
 and imposing church edifices in the city was
 
 I I 8 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 dedicated to the service of Almighty God. Four 
 days later the church was organized, with Mr. 
 Baldwin and Mr. Thomas Fleming as ruling 
 Elders, and Mr. John A. Brown as President of 
 the Board of Trustees; all from the First Pres- 
 byterian Church. 
 
 It was the intention of Mr. Baldwin and some 
 of the largest contributors to this fund, that it 
 should be considered a bonafide offering to the 
 Lord, without any reserve of personal property 
 in the building; that no part of their subscrip- 
 tions should ever be paid back from the sale of 
 pews, but that all moneys derived from this 
 source should constitute a perpetual fund for 
 erecting new churches in the city of Philadel- 
 phia as they were needed. It is impossible to 
 conceive a more magnificent plan of church 
 extension. Each church could be built with 
 cash payments, and could repay the advances 
 made in its own time of prosperity, thus enabling 
 others in turn to continue the good work. But 
 unfortunately this feature of the new enterprise 
 was not carried out, and the fund from the sale 
 of pews was distributed among the original sub- 
 scribers. 
 
 But although the plan failed, the spirit of
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 119 
 
 church extension was infused into the Calvary 
 congregation from the beginning. The work 
 was stimulated by the vigorous appeals of the 
 Pastor. New Sabbath Schools and new congre- 
 gations began to be gathered at once. The 
 munificence of many members of this branch 
 of the church began to be directed to this one 
 means of doing good above all others. Fore- 
 most among these eager church builders was 
 Mr. Baldwin. 
 
 OLIVET CHURCH. 
 
 The first enterprise* of this kind was a Sab- 
 bath School, organized in 1855, in the north- 
 western part of the city by a few members of 
 Calvary Church. In a few weeks it overflowed 
 the small premises at first provided. 
 
 In this extremity the Missionary Association 
 of Calvary Church, who had pledged themselves 
 to the support of the school, called upon the 
 Pastor, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Baldwin, to visit 
 the neighborhood and judge of the demands for 
 enlargement. They took a grand survey of the 
 
 * This part of our narrative was kindly furnished by Rev. W. W. 
 Taylor, Pastor of Olivet Church.
 
 I 20 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 whole ground. They discussed the expediency 
 of taking down partitions. and making the house 
 then occupied serviceable. This was abandoned 
 at once as inadequate. At last they ascended an 
 eminence on the corner of Twenty-second and 
 Mount Vernon Streets, whence at that day they 
 could look eastward for half a mile over unoc- 
 cupied ground, and every mind was at work 
 thinking and planning. Evidently a new build- 
 ing must be erected. But the sum demanded 
 would be large; and without a liberal offer to 
 begin with, the Association would not dare to 
 move. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin was one of the most remarkable 
 men who ever lived, to foresee the demands of 
 the future. The same spirit which anticipated 
 the application of steam to railroads, grasped 
 now, at one glance of the eye, the more urgent 
 demands of this growing part of the city for 
 gospel work. Throwing his hand in the direc- 
 tion of Spring Garden and Twenty-fourth Street, 
 he exclaimed: "I have a lot over there worth 
 six thousand dollars; you may have it." 
 
 The offer was so generous and unexpected 
 that it was not at once appreciated, the brethren 
 of the Association supposing he meant to let
 
 CHURCH' BUILDING. 121 
 
 them build on it, subject to ground rent: thus 
 the exploration was brought to a close with no 
 definite results. Not long after he inquired, 
 with considerable surprise, "What are you wait- 
 ing for ? Why don't you build on my lot ?" 
 producing a plot he had made of its situation 
 and dimensions. Encouraged now with the 
 assurance of this liberal gift out and out, they 
 began to get plans for building, and, with Mr. 
 Baldwin's cordial consent, disposed of the land 
 to pay for the erection of the new chapel. 
 Very soon the welcome intelligence was received 
 that Mr. Brown had pledged an equal amount 
 for the purchase of the place of good omen, 
 where the survey of the ground had first been 
 made. On a portion of this lot of 140 feet 
 front on Twenty-second Street, occupying the 
 whole block between Mount Vernon and Wal- 
 lace Streets, with 100 feet depth, a beautiful 
 and commodious chapel was built. Here the 
 Sabbath School was gathered, and within a year 
 a church with sixteen members and two ruling 
 elders was organized, under the name of the 
 Olivet Presbyterian Church. 
 
 In 1 86 1 Rev. W. W. Taylor was called to 
 this church, and under his efficient labors the 
 16
 
 122 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 congregation again increased beyond its accom- 
 modations. Besides, buildings were going up 
 all around the little chapel, which demanded 
 that a more beautiful edifice should be reared to 
 the honor of God's name. Again, therefore, 
 the faithful Pastor and his people, rich in faith, 
 but not yet in substance, applied to their gene- 
 rous friends. But this was in 1863; and the 
 uncertainties of the great war operated against 
 their claims on the mind of one of them, while 
 the other had previously pledged all his avail- 
 able means to another church. No entreaty 
 could induce Mr. Baldwin to make any pledges 
 for the distant future. " One thing at a time," 
 he would say to the good brethren, with such 
 kindness that they did not despair. 
 
 Early in 1864 Mr. Taylor made another visit 
 to that consecrated office where more business 
 for the next world than for this was transacted. 
 The works and gifts of this good man were 
 conducted on principles of wise Christian calcu- 
 lation; nor was one word of argument or per- 
 suasion needed when he saw clearly the point of 
 duty and wisdom. He had just paid the last 
 bills of his recent engagement; but so far was 
 he from feeling that his work was done and he
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 123 
 
 might now rest from care, his hands had only 
 grown fuller and his heart larger for new libe- 
 rality. 
 
 He therefore asked for a frank and full state- 
 ment of their necessities. Mr. Taylor had not 
 proceeded far when he was interrupted with the 
 welcome question : 
 
 "Well, what kind of a church do you want?" 
 
 The reply was that $25,000 would furnish 
 them with all that they needed, but a building 
 less sightly and commodious than that sum 
 would procure ought not to be erected. 
 
 "But where in the world do you expect to 
 get that much money?" 
 
 "I don't know," was the reply, "unless you 
 give it." 
 
 "And what reason have you to suppose that I 
 will?" 
 
 "We have the impression that you have in- 
 vested too much money in our work already to 
 see your stock depreciate on your hands." 
 
 Mr. Baldwin loved nothing so much as out- 
 spoken frankness, without flattery or manage- 
 ment. With a hearty smile he gave the hard 
 working pastor his hand, and said : 
 
 "Go ahead and select your model."
 
 124 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 No firmer promise than these words implied 
 was needed: that very day the delightful work 
 of prospecting and planning was commenced, 
 and on May 3Oth, 1864, the corner-stone of 
 the present imposing edifice was laid. It was 
 dedicated to the service of Almighty God on 
 the last Sabbath of October, 1865, Mr. Bald- 
 win's donation of $20,000 having been promptly 
 paid. 
 
 And now another visit was made to the con- 
 secrated office. The Pastor and a committee of 
 the Board of Trustees made a formal call to ex- 
 press their sense of obligation for his large gen- 
 erosity. Their sentiments and feelings were 
 conveyed to him in simple words, entirely free 
 from that fulsome eulogy which he could never 
 endure. They seized upon the strong point 
 which they knew he would appreciate, that 
 they had needed his help, and that he had be- 
 stowed his substance wisely, where firm founda- 
 tions had been laid for continuous good, and 
 fountains of religious blessings opened that 
 would continue to flow when many generations 
 had passed away. They thanked him for his 
 benefactions, and gave him their best wishes for 
 his welfare, and the assurance of their prayers
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 125 
 
 that God would reward him with grace and 
 peace. 
 
 His reply to this affecting address was full of 
 noble words, characteristic of his simple and 
 devoted spirit: God had given him property to 
 be used for his glory; it was nothing but his 
 duty to give it away. He was moved and grati- 
 fied by the testimony they gave him of their 
 esteem ; and he felt stimulated by what had 
 passed to go on repeating what he had already 
 done as long as God should spare his life. Thus 
 ended their memorable interview with the good 
 man who has gone before, whom they hope to 
 meet where they who sow and they who reap 
 shall rejoice together. 
 
 This narrative has been given here, although 
 two other churches had been previously erected 
 chiefly through Mr. Baldwin's munificence, be- 
 cause Olivet was the first daughter of Calvary. 
 But she has a sister only two years younger, 
 whose history is quite as intimately associated 
 with Mr. Baldwin's life.
 
 126 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 TABOR CHURCH. 
 
 On March 8th, 1857,* a Sunday School was 
 opened under the direction of the Philadelphia 
 Sunday School Association, in a small house on 
 Monroe Street, between Seventeenth and Eigh- 
 teenth. At that time it was estimated that 
 more than thirty thousand children were desti- 
 tute of religious instruction, and although there 
 was a large population in this section, there was 
 no Sunday School south of Lombard Street and 
 west of Broad. This school, at its commence- 
 ment, numbered twenty-three scholars and four 
 teachers. The next Sunday, March 1 5th, classes 
 were formed, and the school was called "Ta- 
 bor." The next month the Missionary Asso- 
 ciation of Calvary Church, encouraged by the 
 success which had crowned their efforts in the 
 northern part of the city, which had resulted in 
 the establishment of Olivet Church in a little 
 over a year from the opening of the Mission 
 Sunday School, took this school under its charge. 
 
 * From the Historical Sketch, prepared by Rev. Llewellyn Pratt, 
 and read at the dedication of Tabor Church. See American Pres- 
 byterian, Dec. 22, 1864.
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. I 2/ 
 
 Anticipating its growth, the Association began 
 at once to make arrangements to provide it with 
 a suitable building. Before these could be per- 
 fected, however, the school had outgrown its 
 two small rooms in Monroe Street, and was 
 compelled, in May, to remove to larger ones at 
 the corner of Seventeenth and Catharine Streets. 
 Here, in a few weeks, the number of scholars 
 increased to eighty-one. 
 
 At the close of July, 1857, a lot at the corner 
 of Seventeenth and Fitzwater Streets having 
 been given for that purpose by John A. Brown, 
 Esq., ground was broken for the erection of a 
 chapel 33 by 70 feet, and in about three months 
 the building was completed at a cost, including 
 the lot, of about seven thousand five hundred 
 dollars. This neat and commodious chapel was 
 dedicated on Nov. i6th, 1857, and the Sabbath 
 School, numbering now one hundred and forty- 
 five scholars, was removed to the first story, 
 which alone was yet furnished. At once the 
 growth was greatly stimulated, so that, before 
 the end of the first year, three hundred and 
 twenty-four scholars overflowed into the other 
 story and took possession of the whole house. 
 The school would never stay where it was put.
 
 I 28 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 The Missionary Association could hardly keep 
 pace with it, but was hurried on from one 
 scheme of preparation to larger ones. It seemed 
 as if those twenty-three scholars would become 
 a host, all clamoring for room. 
 
 But the Association, under the lead of Mr. 
 Pratt, its zealous Chairman, was not satisfied 
 with the Sabbath School work. The chapel 
 was soon opened for preaching on Sunday even- 
 ings, and for other religious services during the 
 week, and it was at once proved that a congre- 
 gation could be easily and speedily gathered, for 
 the most part from those who had no regular 
 place of worship. Provision was therefore made 
 for the support of an Evangelist, who should 
 preach regularly in the chapel and visit from 
 house to house, for the spiritual good of the 
 families in this neighborhood. By the good 
 providence of God, the Association was led to 
 procure the services of Rev. George Van Deurs, 
 a native of Denmark, and a recent graduate of 
 Auburn Seminary. He commenced preaching 
 about the middle of July, 1858, and through his 
 unwearied and faithful labors a large congrega- 
 tion was soon brought together, and the reform- 
 ing work of the Holy Spirit was begun in this
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 129 
 
 section of the city. The converts were at first 
 received into Calvary Church, at its successive 
 communions; but as their number increased the 
 session of Calvary Church would meet at the 
 Chapel to receive them, and also to celebrate 
 the communion there. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin's interest in the enterprise began 
 with Mr. Van Deurs' labors. It was his motion 
 in the Association that an evangelist be em- 
 ployed ; and as a " motion " from him was always 
 more than a form of words, they had no fear 
 that the funds would be raised. But the meet- 
 ings of session in the Chapel secured an invest- 
 ment from him of more value than his generous 
 donations his heart was immediately interested 
 in the spiritual good of these multitudes. 
 Through wet and cold he would always find his 
 way down to engage in the holy duties of his 
 office to "try the spirits whether they be of 
 Christ." Many of them had been brought up 
 in great ignorance of religious truth, and spirit- 
 ual doubts and troubles were often encountered. 
 Nothing could exceed the tenderness with which 
 this good man would lead these .lambs of the 
 fold. He never confused them with the per- 
 plexities of theology. He was not shocked to
 
 I 30 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 find his questions answered very wildly some- 
 times. He knew the difference between faith 
 and opinion, and no soul who could say 
 
 " I 'm a poor sinner, nothing at all ; 
 Jesus Christ is all in all," 
 
 failed to receive his welcome and his blessing. 
 To the last day of their lives these little ones in 
 Jesus' fold will remember the first time they 
 received the bread and wine from this venerable 
 servant of the Lord. 
 
 There were thus admitted to this branch of 
 Calvary Church, from December, 1858, to April, 
 1863, two hundred and forty-three persons, all 
 but seven on confession of faith. These acces- 
 sions were made regularly at every communion ; 
 never less than three, in May, 1860, and in 
 February, 1861, thirty-five; an average on each 
 communion of thirteen. The time had now 
 come for the final stage in this important enter- 
 prise. On April 23d, 1863, a commission from 
 the Third Presbytery of Philadelphia, consisting 
 of Rev. Drs. Jenkins and Patton, Rev. George 
 Van Deurs, and Elder M. W. Baldwin, organized 
 the "Tabor Presbyterian Church in the City of 
 Philadelphia," with two hundred and thirteen 
 members, two ruling elders, and three deacons.
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 131 
 
 The influence of this step was at once felt, and 
 soon Sabbath school and congregation were again 
 clamoring for more room. The Association for 
 once became alarmed at the irrepressible growth 
 of their original twenty-three children. The 
 clouds of war were dark over the land, and how 
 could they make suitable provision for this vigor- 
 ous church? We may imagine their relief to 
 learn that the work of church building was for 
 once taken out of their hands. Mr. Baldwin 
 had often helped build churches; the time had 
 come when he could build a church alone ! 
 Without waiting for one word of solicitation ; 
 without even consulting any one ; in fact, against 
 the remonstrance of some of his more cautious 
 friends, he procured a large lot on the corner 
 of Eighteenth and Christian Streets, and con- 
 tracted for the erection of the church. July 2d, 
 1863, the corner-stone was laid by Miss Cecilia 
 Baldwin, and appropriate addresses were made 
 by Mr. Barnes, Dr. Brainard, Dr. March, and 
 Mr. Culver. That day will be remembered by 
 those who participated in the ceremonies as one 
 of the dark days of the republic. It was the 
 day before the battle of Gettysburg, when our 
 own State was polluted by. the touch of rebels ; 
 when rumors of disasters filled the air and made
 
 132 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 the heart sick; when hastening fugitives were 
 coming to tell exaggerated and alarming tales 
 of the near approach of the country's enemies. 
 It will be remembered how difficult it was then 
 to speak with hopefulness of the work under- 
 taken; and doubt was even expressed whether 
 the building thus commenced would soon be 
 completed. This expression was on every one's 
 tongue: but "the building of the walls of Jeru- 
 salem was ever in troublous times." With 
 heavy hearts they deposited their relics in the 
 stone, not the least precious of which was a 
 striking portrait of the munificent builder of the 
 proposed structure, and laid it to its long rest. 
 
 How changed the scene when, on the evening 
 of Thursday, December I5th, 1864, this beau- 
 tiful church was dedicated ! The clouds had 
 broken and drifted away. Though war was still 
 raging in the land, this city had been undis- 
 turbed, and the building had reached completion 
 without the slightest interruption. The style 
 of Tabor Church is the early English, beautiful 
 in design, harmonious in its proportions, and 
 well adapted to all the purposes of public wor- 
 ship. It is on the cruciform or transept plan, 
 with an elegant tower on one front angle, sur- 
 mounted with a spire. The front measures 51.6
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 133 
 
 feet, the depth is 90.8 ; the transverse dimension 
 through the transept is 78.6. The ceiling is a 
 pointed arch, and decorated with moulded ribs. 
 The height to the spring of the arch is 16 feet; 
 to the apex 35 feet. It is built entirely of solid 
 brown freestone, and is capable of seating 800 
 persons. The whole expense of $22,000 was 
 paid by Mr. Baldwin. 
 
 The increase of this church has been such a 
 remarkable illustration of the blessing of God 
 upon this munificent gift, and upon faithful 
 preaching, and the most indefatigable personal 
 visitation by the pastor which any city has ever 
 enjoyed, that we give a summary of the acces- 
 sions to Tabor Church up to the present time : 
 
 In 1865 . . 81 
 In 1866 . . 84 
 In 1867 . . 85 
 
 Total number 563 
 
 In 1859 . . 61 
 
 In 1860 . . 89 
 
 In 1861 . . 47 
 
 In 1862 . . 27 
 
 In 1863 . . 53 
 
 In 1864 . . 36 
 
 No wonder that Mr. Baldwin exclaimed, on 
 the occasion of the anniversary of the Sabbath 
 School in May, 1865, when for the first and last 
 time he entered the new church, "This is the 
 best investment I ever made in my life!"
 
 134 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 NORTH BROAD STREET CHURCH. 
 
 Meantime another church enterprise had been 
 originated by Mr. Baldwin, and had proved to 
 be in many respects the most successful effort of 
 the Presbyterian denomination in the city. Its 
 history is a marvellous illustration of that wise 
 foresight in spiritual matters which we have so 
 often remarked. 
 
 In 1835, when the Broad Street works were 
 erected, they were in the suburbs of the city ; 
 but the employment furnished by this and many 
 similar enterprises which began to spring up on 
 every side, stimulated the building of residences, 
 until this outpost became the centre of the city. 
 Mr. Baldwin had long been deliberating upon 
 the best means of providing the Gospel for this 
 field, so intimately associated with his severest 
 struggles and greatest prosperity, when he made 
 the acquaintance -of Rev. E. E. Adams, who 
 came to solicit contributions for the American 
 Chapel in Paris. 
 
 One morning, in the spring of 1857, they 
 met providentially on Chestnut Street. 
 
 "You are the very man I am looking for,"
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 135 
 
 said Mr. Baldwin, taking Mr. Adams' arm. "I 
 am told that you are willing to undertake a new 
 church enterprise in this city." 
 
 "Yes, sir," was the reply. "On certain con- 
 ditions I would not object." 
 
 "And what are the conditions?" 
 
 "That it shall not be a mission church, nor a 
 church for the rich exclusively; that all classes 
 in the neighborhood shall be gathered in; and 
 that my own support be pledged for two years, 
 while I am doing the preliminary work of col- 
 lecting a self-supporting congregation and erect- 
 ing a house of worship." 
 
 "Very well; I thoroughly approve of your 
 principles, and I desire to see them carried out 
 in a new church near my factory. I will secure 
 a hall, fit it up in an attractive way, pay your 
 salary for two years, and give a lot on Broad 
 Street for the church edifice." 
 
 The work began at once. The whole neigh- 
 borhood was canvassed by the indefatigable pas- 
 tor, and his genuine eloquence soon attracted a 
 large congregation. Earnest workers were en- 
 listed in the Sabbath school. Nearly every Pres- 
 byterian church in the city, and many others of 
 kindred denominations, dismissed faithful mem-
 
 136 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 bers to the new field. Their interest thus be- 
 came enlisted in the new enterprise, and Mr. 
 Baldwin was soon sustained by the advice, en- 
 couragement, and sympathy of a large body of 
 Christian pastors. But advice always implies 
 the liberty of criticizing ; and it was soon very 
 evident that his choice of a pastor was not en- 
 tirely satisfactory to all. So long as he could 
 keep this quiet opposition from the knowledge 
 of the pastor, he gave it no attention. But he 
 soon found that it was exerting a depressing in- 
 fluence upon Mr. Adams, who, in fact, expressed 
 the determination to retire from the field. No- 
 thing could exceed the bright and genial spirit 
 with which he endeavored to dispel this gather- 
 ing despondency. 
 
 "Come, now," said he at last, "you and I have 
 made one bargain, let us make another : you leave 
 these good brethren to me for six months; go 
 on with your work that long without a thought 
 of their antagonism ; then if they do not sing 
 your praises as loud as any man, I will let you go." 
 
 His prediction was fulfilled. Perhaps the re- 
 freshment of such sympathy as this contributed 
 more than anything else to the elasticity of mind 
 and fervency of spirit in the new pastor which
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. I 37 
 
 soon secured universal approbation. A band of 
 united Christian men soon gathered round him, 
 with wealth, and liberality, and devotion to the 
 good work ; and the ground for the new build- 
 ing, on the corner of Broad and Green Streets, 
 was soon broken. Meantime the outbreak of 
 the Rebellion had created a panic in financial 
 circles, and they began to fear that Mr. Bald- 
 win's large subscription was in peril. A timid 
 deputation called one day at the office, and made 
 known their anxiety to one of the clerks. 
 
 "Is Mr. Baldwin's signature on your paper?" 
 he asked. 
 
 They displayed the well-known autograph. 
 
 "Make your contracts, then, without hesita- 
 tion. That promise is as good as gold here, 
 whenever you choose to apply." 
 
 The solid stone edifice, beautiful in propor- 
 tion and commanding in position, rose rapidly 
 to completion. On its dedication it was filled 
 by an intelligent congregation. And Mr. Bald- 
 win lived to see this church attain a member- 
 ship of 450, with Sabbath Schools of 400 
 members, and contributions to various benevo- 
 lent objects amounting, in one year, to more 
 than $50,000! 
 18
 
 138 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 HERMON CHURCH. 
 
 It was a favorite idea with this good man to 
 name the several churches which his munifi- 
 cence assisted to establish, after the sacred local- 
 ities of the Bible. He proposed to give the 
 name of "Carmel" to the North Broad Street 
 Church, and failing to gain the consent of other 
 contributors, afterwards suggested this name for 
 the beautiful chapel on the corner of Broad and 
 Oxford Streets, to which he contributed about 
 eight thousand dollars. His last church edifice 
 he named "Hermon." This he intended as a 
 grateful offering to the town of Frankford, in 
 remembrance of the happy days of his appren- 
 ticeship. It proved to be his last consecration 
 of wealth to the glory of God. 
 
 In April, 1862, he purchased a lot on the 
 corner of Main and Harrison Streets, about half 
 a mile north of any evangelical church. Leav- 
 ing about 100 feet square for the erection of a 
 church when it should be needed, he com- 
 menced the chapel in 1865, and lived to see it 
 nearly completed. It is one of the most beau- 
 tiful models to be found in the suburbs of the
 
 CHURCH BUILDING. 139 
 
 city, built of the gray stone to be found in the 
 immediate neighborhood. A few weeks pre- 
 vious to his death, feeling that he might not 
 live to sign the title papers, he directed the 
 grounds and chapel to be conveyed to the Trus- 
 tees of the Presbyterian House, for the use of 
 the congregation to be organized in this part of 
 Frankford. Thus the last charity of his life 
 was another characteristic anticipation of the 
 future! Surely his works do follow him.
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 
 
 NOTHING now remains of our task but the 
 grateful record of his declining years. They 
 were overshadowed with continual suffering ; 
 but his hopes and purposes were ripening on 
 every side. He was assured of success in busi- 
 ness, beyond the reach of any calamities which 
 could be foreseen. He was surrounded with 
 the comforts and luxuries of his well-earned 
 affluence. He had never suffered himself to 
 withdraw capital from the business which was 
 supporting so many families, and from the innu- 
 merable charities in which he was engaged, in 
 order to increase his own comforts. But when 
 these higher interests were secured, he felt justi- 
 fied in realizing his cherished dreams of a home 
 in the country, where his rural and artistic tastes 
 could be indulged. The site which he selected 
 was most unpropitious; but it had an irresistible 
 fascination for him. It was on the bank of the 
 Delaware, a little above Frankford, where he 
 had passed the years of his apprenticeship. Here
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 141 
 
 he had taken his evening walks, when his labors 
 were over, and looked out with wonder and 
 hope upon his opening life. He had stood upon 
 a little eminence overlooking marshy grounds 
 and the broad river beyond, and dreamed of a 
 life which should not be flooded with sins, nor 
 suffered to lie waste like this desolation. And 
 now, as a type of the success he had achieved, 
 he resolved to redeem this waste land, and turn 
 it into a beautiful garden. He excluded the 
 river by a solid embankment; he drained the 
 inclosure into two picturesque ponds, ornament- 
 ed with miniature castles for the shelter of rare 
 aquatic fowls. The flooding of these ponds by 
 the tides was made to pump the water for the 
 premises by an ingenious contrivance. The 
 whole farm was laid out into a landscape of the 
 most exquisite design : wild land was subdued ; 
 land was made where it was needed; luxuriant 
 soil was supplied; the richest fruits and flowers 
 were produced in profusion ; an immense green- 
 house kept the vegetation of the tropics in pe- 
 rennial bloom. 
 
 The mansion, which stands in the centre, was 
 worthy of the place and the man. It is so sym- 
 metrical, and combines in itself such a variety
 
 142 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 of designs, that its magnitude has no appearance 
 of ostentation : an air of simplicity and comfort 
 pervades the whole cluster of buildings within 
 the inclosure. And even the cottages of the 
 neighbors, which also belong to him, have been 
 built after a common design, so as to secure at 
 once variety and symmetry, so far as the eye can 
 reach. 
 
 In this beautiful home, within a few minutes' 
 ride of the city, he passed the summer months 
 of his declining years. But these were not 
 years of dignified repose. He was incessant in 
 his application to business. He was at his post 
 in the office, and unwearied in the inspection of 
 every part of his extensive works. And nearly 
 the whole of the work of church-building which 
 has been recorded in this narrative, was carried 
 on during these years of comparative rest. 
 
 A short time before the crisis of 1857, Mr. 
 Baldwin had some thoughts of retiring from 
 business. The crash came before he could 
 complete his arrangements. The same attempt 
 was renewed once afterwards, at a time of great 
 prosperity; but difficulties arose before it could 
 be carried out. He alluded to these facts after- 
 wards, when asked why he continued his labors
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 143 
 
 when his age and infirm health would justify 
 his retirement. "God has rebuked me," he 
 said, "every time I have thought of repose. I 
 believe he expects me to die in the harness." 
 He did not struggle against the designs of Pro- 
 vidence. He was a hard-working man to the 
 last. 
 
 To his last days his most agreeable recreation 
 from the excessive cares of business and charity 
 was the exercise of ingenuity. He retained in 
 the office the little vice and lathe, and all the 
 tools employed in the jewelry business. He 
 repaired the jewelry of his family with his own 
 hands; and the machinery of a watch, taken 
 apart and carefully assorted, was found in his 
 drawer after death; showing how his last hours 
 at the bench had been employed. He was 
 always intent upon improving this indispensable 
 article. He carried for many years a watch to 
 which he had added a self-winding adjustment, 
 and also a repeating apparatus of most ingenious 
 construction. He was urged by those who were 
 experienced in this trade, to secure a patent. 
 But he exhibited his invention freely to the 
 Swiss manufacturers, by whom it was greatly 
 admired, and told them they were welcome to
 
 144 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 adopt any features of it which would be valuable. 
 He had been well paid for his exertion in the 
 recreation it had afforded him. 
 
 This favorite employment of spare hours ar- 
 rested the attention of all who were ever admit- 
 ted to his private office. "Whenever I called 
 there," says Rev. E. E. Adams, D. D., "I found 
 him in his little corner engaged in making some 
 article of fancy or of utility a spring, a wheel, 
 a ring, repairing a knife, or a watch, or working 
 out some delicate invention. On one occasion 
 he was busily engaged in repairing, for a lady 
 friend, a splendid inlaid table. Having a beau- 
 tiful cane, the silver ring of which was worn 
 out, I asked if he would like another job. He 
 took the cane with a smile, and in a few min- 
 utes completed a new ring. This, to me, is a 
 precious memento of his friendship and of his 
 charming simplicity." The closing words of 
 this communication from Dr. Adams have a 
 touching interest from subsequent events; they 
 show how early Mr. Baldwin began to fear that 
 disease would silence that voice which had ga- 
 thered by its own fascination the great congre- 
 gation on Broad Street, and had influenced for 
 good the whole community. " During the
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 145 
 
 spring of 1866, he manifested great solicitude 
 for my health, and insisted on taking me often 
 to his own physician, in whose skill he had 
 great confidence. It was a great grief to me 
 that I did not earlier learn of his last illness, and 
 have an interview with him once again before 
 the silver cord was loosed and the golden bowl 
 was broken. And now that he is no more 
 among us, save by his hallowed influence, I 
 miss, in common with others, the manly piety, 
 the noble benevolence, and the burning patriot- 
 ism which, as a halo of glory, crowned his life." 
 In the summer of 1860 he indulged himself 
 in the only extensive tour of pleasure he ever 
 enjoyed. He travelled over Great Britain and 
 the continent of Europe. His interest was na- 
 turally excited by the improvements in ma- 
 chinery, and the application of science to the 
 pursuits of industry. Still, he purposely forgot 
 business as much as possible, and devoted most 
 of his time and thoughts to the study of the 
 rich treasures of art in the old country. His 
 early tastes had now matured, and he added 
 many gems to his extensive collection of rare 
 paintings. But these fascinating pursuits were 
 interrupted once by an alarming attack of the
 
 146 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 disease from which he had been long suffering. 
 It was doubtful whether he would ever return. 
 But his own serenity was undisturbed. His only 
 anxiety was for those who would be mourners 
 in a strange land. 
 
 He returned home to find his country agitated 
 by the most intense political excitement which 
 he had witnessed during the whole of his event- 
 ful life. He was just commencing business for 
 himself when the Missouri Compromise intro- 
 duced the question of American Slavery as the 
 controlling element of party organizations. He 
 finished his first locomotive when Disunion was 
 first threatened by the acts of nullification in 
 South Carolina. He was called from his busiest 
 labors upon the improved draft engines, to vote 
 upon the same question in the Constitutional 
 Convention of his State. During these forty 
 years, when so many of our best and wisest men 
 were groping after correct opinions, Mr. Bald- 
 win had never had occasion to change his own. 
 It is no depreciation of those who have given 
 earnest heed to the solemn lessons of this dread- 
 ful conflict, to award higher praise to those who 
 were right from the beginning. The conserva- 
 tives of 1837, the abolitionists of the last half
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 147 
 
 century, the radicals of to-day, have held their 
 ground unmoved by prejudice and denunciation; 
 they have been the moral instructors of this na- 
 tion. God has vindicated their wisdom. Mr. 
 Baldwin was never a loud talker concerning 
 these or any other sentiments. We have seen 
 how he made them speak in his actions. No 
 considerations of popularity nor of his own inte- 
 rest could move him from the manly assertion 
 of his moral convictions. The fact is well 
 known that a rival company issued secret circu- 
 lars, and sent them all over the South, at the 
 time when the prejudice against abolitionists 
 was at its height, denouncing him as one of the 
 most radical of them. Much of his business 
 was then at the South, where his machines were 
 always highly esteemed. His correspondents 
 wrote in the greatest alarm, to ask if the asser- 
 tions of this "black list" were true. His reply 
 was full of dignity and firmness. He denied 
 the right of any man to question him on politi- 
 cal opinions in business transactions. "If I do 
 not fulfil my contracts, or if my work is not 
 satisfactory, your complaints are pertinent." But 
 rather than suffer his silence to be construed into 
 indifference to what he believed to be a moral
 
 148 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 wrong, he gave them the most frank and cour- 
 teous statement of his views. His own interests 
 never exerted the slightest influence upon his 
 conscience. Yet in this instance honesty proved 
 to be the best policy. The falling off of his 
 southern orders began just in time to save him 
 from ruin by rebel repudiation. His enemies 
 fell into the pit they digged for him. 
 
 But the Rebellion of 1861 afforded him the 
 opportunity for a still more emphatic expression 
 of his life-long convictions. He received let- 
 ters from a relative at the South, in violent de- 
 nunciation of the principles which had just been 
 affirmed at the polls. He replied at length, re- 
 peating the opinions he had always held, and in 
 the most spirited language, predicting their ulti- 
 mate triumph. These letters, the only ones he 
 ever wrote in his life, of any public interest, are 
 probably destroyed. They would be a treasure 
 indeed! His zeal for the good cause, which 
 was now in peril, sometimes overcame his con- 
 stitutional reluctance to appear in prominent 
 public positions. He 'consented to preside at 
 patriotic meetings. As chairman of the public 
 assembly which welcomed the brave colored 
 sailor, Robert Small, who carried the little
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 149 
 
 steamer Planter out of Charleston harbor during 
 the war, he introduced him as "one worthy to 
 be an admiral." It will be remembered that 
 the city of Philadelphia, so justly praised for its 
 patriotism and hospitality to the soldiers, suffered 
 the ineffaceable shame of excluding this noble 
 seaman from its public conveyances, on account 
 of the color of his skin. Mr. Baldwin gladly 
 accepted the invitation of his fellow-citizens to 
 preside over another meeting called to protest 
 against an outrage of this kind, and to assert the 
 right of all men to the enjoyment of those pub- 
 lic conveniences for which they are taxed. And 
 he lived to see the principles he then defended, 
 nobly enunciated by the President Judge of the 
 Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia.* 
 
 But this sense of justice, and unconscious su- 
 periority to the prejudices of his time, were not 
 the fruits of any excitements growing out of 
 the war. In this, as in everything else, he never 
 followed, but always led public opinion. A fact 
 in proof of this is well remembered by many 
 of the older employees in the factory. Many 
 
 * A few months after his death the right to equal privileges in 
 public conveyances was secured by an enactment of the Legislature 
 of Pennsylvania.
 
 150 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 years ago a colored man applied for work, and 
 was employed at once in the boiler shop. The 
 foreman in this department was one of the most 
 valuable men in the whole works, and the posi- 
 tion had always been a difficult one to fill. As 
 soon as he saw the new recruit in his place he 
 made a violent protest, and insisted upon his 
 discharge. 
 
 " Certainly," was Mr. Baldwin's reply, " if he 
 is not a good hand he shall be discharged on 
 the spot." 
 
 The discontented man had too much justice 
 to deny that he understood his business and 
 worked faithfully. 
 
 "What, then, is your objection to him?" 
 "He is a nigger, and he must leave, or I will." 
 " Pack up, then, and be off with you." 
 There was no appeal from this decision. The 
 foreman marched, and the negro kept his place 
 till he died. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin loved the soldiers who were de- 
 fending at once his country and his principles. 
 He always had a friendly word for the brave 
 men, and every effort for their comfort and spi- 
 ritual good received his warmest sympathy and 
 generous assistance. Besides the daily opportu-
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 151 
 
 nities for private relief of suffering incident to 
 the war, the books at the office show that im- 
 mense sums were given away by the firm of M. 
 W. Baldwin & Co. to the United States Sanitary 
 and the Christian Commissions, and other or- 
 ganizations for the relief of the suffering soldiers 
 of our grand armies and their families. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin took an early and especial part 
 in the Sanitary Commission, an organization 
 which accomplished more for the physical relief 
 of the wounded soldiers in the late war than 
 had ever before been accomplished in the his- 
 tory of warfare. He attended the first meeting 
 of the Commission in Philadelphia on Novem- 
 ber 7th, 1 86 1, and was an efficient member of 
 the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia 
 Associates from November nth, 1861, the date 
 of its formation, until his death, his attendance 
 being regular, and his interest in the work of 
 the Commission very marked. 
 
 In February, 1865, the Pastor of Calvary 
 Church expressed, at a meeting of Session, the 
 conviction that he ought to leave his work for 
 a time, to preach to the soldiers, and labor with 
 the Christian Commission for their comfort. 
 Anticipating some reluctance on the part of the
 
 152 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 Session to suffer their work to be interrupted, 
 he was about to enlarge upon the needs of the 
 army, and the revivals of religion in their en- 
 campments, when Mr. Baldwin broke in : 
 
 "I move that the leave of absence be granted 
 at once. Our pastors can do us more good in 
 the field than at home." 
 
 He went; and came back, as thousands of 
 other ministers came all over the land, to tell 
 the wonderful story of God's blessing in the 
 field, and to appeal for more money to help on 
 the good work. As this meeting was in the 
 evening, when Mr. Baldwin would be unable to 
 be present, he took occasion to say to him in 
 the afternoon : 
 
 "I am going to beg for the Christian Com- 
 mission this evening. You will not be there; 
 but you know the story as well as I can tell it. 
 I wish you would let me count in your contri- 
 bution with the rest." 
 
 " I 'm sorry to say this will be impossible," he 
 replied; "for this is one of the objects to which 
 my partner and I contribute from the Company 
 funds, and he is absent. Tell Stuart to send 
 round in a few days. However," he added, 
 after a moment's reflection, "here is a trifle
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 153 
 
 from my own pocket to put into the box to- 
 night." 
 
 The trifle was One Thousand Dollars! 
 
 His love for the soldier made him very cha- 
 ritable in judging his faults. It is well known 
 that he held for years the office of Inspector of 
 the City Prison. The inspectors had the dis- 
 cretionary power of discharging persons under 
 arrest for vagrancy, drunkenness, and petty of- 
 fences. He was always inclined to the side of 
 leniency, if justice were not to be sacrificed in 
 the exercise of this power; but especially when 
 he saw the bronzed face of a veteran in the 
 motley throng, his sympathy was immediately 
 excited. 
 
 " See that fine fellow ! He 's a soldier ! There 
 are some of the buttons on his coat yet. My 
 dear boy," he would add, with a hand upon his 
 shoulder, "you'll keep clear of the sharpies and 
 the rum shops if we '11 let you off this time, 
 won't you?" 
 
 The simplicity of his tastes and generous im- 
 pulses of his heart always restrained him from 
 display in his domestic arrangements. After 
 his business assumed the grand proportions of 
 the Broad Street factory, he was often urged by 
 
 20
 
 154 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 his friends to sell the Tenth Street house and 
 begin to live in the style of a man of fortune. 
 He resisted, and after the embarrassments of 
 1837, he met one of them with a smile of tri- 
 umph, exclaiming: "How should I feel now, 
 selling my fine house, if I had taken your ad- 
 vice!" This caution in increasing personal ex- 
 penses should be considered by those who blamed 
 him for his indiscriminate charities. He regard- 
 ed the slightest debt, incurred for his own grati- 
 fication, as an' unwarrantable risk. But a note 
 of hand for thousands in the cause of beneficence 
 was only trusting God's promises. Nothing ever 
 distressed him so much as to be obliged to cur- 
 tail his charities. Even the comfortable house 
 on Spruce Street, which he purchased after his 
 fortune was made, had none of the ostentation 
 of affluence. And at last, in 1864, he made his 
 final move. He was then abundantly able to 
 build a marble monument to perpetuate his 
 name in one of the aristocratic precincts of the 
 city. But, to the surprise of every one, he pur- 
 chased a substantial old-fashioned brick building 
 in the busiest part of Chestnut Street. 
 
 " Why should I banish myself from my fellow 
 creatures?" he said. "I have tried to live for
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 155 
 
 their good, and should I run away from them 
 in my old age? I want to see the world, and 
 have them see the things I enjoy, if it will afford 
 them any pleasure or instruction." 
 
 This was the secret of his selection, as he 
 confessed in private conversation afterwards. 
 
 "When I was a journeyman I used to enjoy 
 looking at the prints and paintings exposed for 
 sale. I think I acquired my first taste for art in 
 this way. And sometimes, when I saw the top 
 of a green-house over a high garden wall, I used 
 to wonder why men wanted to hide the beauti- 
 ful things which God made to be seen. I made 
 up my mind then, that if I ever possessed any 
 treasures of art or nature, I would give the jour- 
 neymen a chance to enjoy them too!'* 
 
 The time had come at last to realize his 
 dream! He carried his rare paintings to the 
 grand old house where all the world could find 
 them easily. No one ever asked to "see the 
 pictures" and was refused. He threw his mag- 
 nificent parlors open every winter, to soirees of 
 music, where the gems of the old masters were 
 rendered. 
 
 "What a multitude of friends you are enter- 
 taining this evening!" a neighbor would say to 
 him on such occasions.
 
 156 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 "Yes; I never saw. one in a dozen before, to 
 my knowledge; but if they love to hear the 
 symphonies of Beethoven played like that, they 
 are all friends of mine." 
 
 But the crowning feature of the Chestnut 
 Street house was a conservatory of rare flowers 
 and tropical plants, which he fitted into the 
 space between his house and the granite front 
 of the Sunday School Union Depository. Here, 
 on cold winter days, pine apples and oranges 
 were ripening, and the richest flowers were in 
 full bloom. The vapors were kept carefully 
 wiped from the glass, and the plants were all 
 arranged so as to be seen to the best advantage 
 from the sidewalk. The first "opening" of 
 this unique device caused a "sensation on Chest- 
 nut Street;" and scarcely a day passed without a 
 crowd collected here from morning till night. 
 The servants were annoyed a little by answering 
 the bell for those who wanted to buy. But they 
 were consoled when they saw how much hap- 
 pier their kind employer was, than any of the 
 multitude on whom he conferred this pleasure. 
 It was more blessed to give than to receive. 
 The thankful looks from that endless procession, 
 the letters of thanks which everybody wrote or 
 desired to write, in return for this unique work
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 157 
 
 of beneficence, were among the sweetest joys of 
 his declining years. 
 
 But he was not satisfied with furnishing ra- 
 tional enjoyment to the masses. He longed to 
 have them all experience the blessings of the 
 Christian life. His religious zeal had never 
 been obtrusive, but always earnest and aggres- 
 sive. And toward the close of life he became 
 more and more anxious to see souls coming to 
 the Saviour. He had never lost the revival spirit 
 of Dr. Skinner. The religious awakening of 
 1858 called forth his unwearied exertions and 
 unfaltering faith. Again in the spring of 1865 
 he rejoiced to see lost sinners finding refuge in 
 redeeming love. The sudden closing of the 
 Rebellion, and the bereavement of a whole peo- 
 ple mourning for their father, seemed to hush 
 the nation with a stillness of religious awe and 
 expectation. Great revivals of religion followed 
 almost immediately in many parts of the coun- 
 try, and Philadelphia shared the blessing in some 
 measure. From the very first Mr. Baldwin was 
 outspoken in his approval of any measures which 
 the Spirit of God undoubtedly owned and blessed. 
 In this, as in everything else, he proved himself 
 superior to prejudice. It is well known that he
 
 158 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 always approved of a more elaborate and artistic 
 style of music than Christians generally find 
 conducive to the devotional spirit. He did not 
 believe in congregational singing in the Sabbath 
 services. "I want the organ, and the most cul- 
 tivated voices that can be obtained, to bear my 
 soul to heaven, so that I cannot sing if I should 
 desire." No one who enjoyed Mr. Baldwin's 
 confidence could doubt that this style of music, 
 which so often dissipates devotional feeling, was 
 a means of grace to him. But the moment he 
 saw that simpler melodies were winning souls 
 to Christ, he forgot his own tastes, and joined 
 with all his heart in singing "Come to Jesus." 
 "There is neither poetry nor music in these 
 songs," he used to say; "but what of that? the 
 Holy Spirit is in them, and God has chosen the 
 foolish things of this world to confound the 
 wise." He never could bear to be asked whe- 
 ther he liked the manner of any zealous brother 
 who was doing good. "Who am I to like or 
 dislike? He is casting out devils in the name 
 of Jesus. Woe is me if I forbid him because 
 he follows not after me !" 
 
 He had long been prevented by his feeble 
 health from attending the evening prayer meet-
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 159 
 
 ings of his church. But now a daily morning 
 prayer meeting was appointed, and for more 
 than two months he was always in his place, 
 urging the impenitent to seek salvation with- 
 out delay. One of the most remarkable fea- 
 tures of this work of grace was the eagerness of 
 inquirers to converse personally with Christians. 
 He often remained an hour after the meeting 
 to tell the story of the cross in simple and sub- 
 dued tones, to burdened hearts. As Supeuin- 
 tendent of the Sabbath School, his whole soul 
 was drawn out in prayer for the children. And 
 when a large number of them came to be re- 
 ceived into the church, he welcomed them 
 heartily. He did not share the fears of many 
 good men, that young children would be inca- 
 pable of comprehending and fulfilling the cove- 
 nant of the church. "Jesus says, Suffer little 
 children to come unto me, for theirs is the king- 
 dom of heaven. The church of Christ belongs 
 to the children." The feelings of his heart hit 
 upon the correct meaning of this text, which so 
 many learned men, like our translators, have 
 missed. And he always manifested the tenderest 
 interest, as an officer of the church, to cherish 
 and encourage the piety of these lambs of the 
 flock.
 
 160 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 Thus his last days passed away in works of 
 surpassing usefulness, in unexampled benevo- 
 lence, and in unwearied labors in spiritual reli- 
 gion. He was a member of the Third Presby- 
 tery of Philadelphia in April, 1866, and repeated 
 the testimony he had so often borne, in favor of 
 a larger liberality, and a more spiritual mind, in 
 the labors of the gospel. These were his last 
 words to the Church of Christ : long may they 
 be remembered! 
 
 His health was now rapidly failing. About 
 this time the previous summer he had felt him- 
 self to be very near the grave. When he reco- 
 vered, he expressed very freely, in conversation, 
 the impressions he then experienced. He felt 
 a natural shock at the near contemplation of 
 death, but soon recovered the joys of full assur- 
 ance. He had no desire to live. "The good 
 works in which I am engaged must be carried 
 on without my help very soon. The friends 
 who love me cannot expect to retain me with 
 them very long. Why should I desire to have 
 my sufferings continued? If the will of God be 
 so, it is better to depart and be with Christ." 
 Yet he cheerfully accepted the duties of pro- 
 longed life. He went back to the "consecrated 
 office" again. There he listened patiently to the
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. l6l 
 
 many appeals for charities every day. He was 
 always in his place on the Sabbath, in the Sab- 
 bath School and in the Session. He increased 
 largely his contribution to every benevolent ob- 
 ject. One of his last acts was to double his 
 annual donation to the American Board of Com- 
 missioners for Foreign Missions. 
 
 But one day in June, 1866, he was observed 
 to approach the office with a very feeble step. 
 He tried to pursue his favorite employment, but 
 he would drop the tools with a gesture of pain. 
 The calls for donations seemed to be the only 
 diversion which could make him forget his in- 
 tense suffering. Early in the afternoon he left 
 the scene of his labors and his success never to 
 return. He went back to die in his home at 
 Wissinoming. 
 
 21
 
 HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 
 
 THE summer passed in almost constant suffer- 
 ing of body, but in the peace of mind which 
 passeth all understanding. On two occasions he 
 enjoyed the pleasure of a visit from his lifelong 
 friend, Rev. Mr. Barnes. In the grateful recol- 
 lections of the past they almost forgot the ap- 
 proach of the king of terrors. It was only at 
 the close of the final interview that Mr. Barnes 
 lost his accustomed serenity, and threw his arms 
 around his beloved friend, crying : 
 
 " O my brother, my brother, I cannot spare 
 you yet!" 
 
 He came to console the afflicted; but he re- 
 ceived consolation from the dying. 
 
 At six' o'clock precisely, on the afternoon of 
 Friday, September 7, 1866, just as the busy-hum 
 of labor in his great manufactory ceased, he 
 quietly sank to rest. There was a sublimity in 
 the last scene which cannot be described. Sur- 
 rounded with a profusion of everything which 
 made life desirable, he was surrendering life
 
 HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 163 
 
 without regret. The breath of summer came 
 into his beautiful mansion, freighted with the 
 perfume of the rare flowers his hand had 
 planted, and the songs of the birds his forest of 
 beauty had invited. From the window he could 
 look over the broad acres which had been re- 
 deemed from desolation, so suggestive of the 
 multitudes who had been raised from misery by 
 his beneficence. 
 
 But when these recollections of a well-spent 
 life were suggested as a ground of consolation 
 in the present trial, his face would brighten with 
 a far more precious recollection. "All of grace ! 
 all of grace! God has given me great opportu- 
 nities for doing good. But the disposition to do 
 good was something still better. This I owe to 
 the grace of God, in Jesus Christ my Saviour." 
 
 There was no transport in the last hour. He 
 had never been subject to the vicissitudes of ex- 
 cited feeling. Habitual calmness and repose 
 reigned supreme in his spirit throughout his 
 eventful life. His last struggle was equally free 
 from the extremes of pain and of rapture. In 
 perfect peace, and undisturbed confidence in the 
 mercy of God, he fell asleep in Jesus. 
 
 No words can express the grief and conster-
 
 164 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 nation which the announcement of this event 
 caused throughout the community. That he 
 was a great sufferer was well known. But he 
 had engaged in such extensive works of benefi- 
 cence since his infirmities had confined him to 
 the house for the greater part of every summer, 
 that more enlarged plans of usefulness than ever 
 before, had been undertaken in confident reli- 
 ance upon his support. And now in a moment 
 this "pillar in the Temple of God" had fallen! 
 In the first tumult of distress for our own irre- 
 parable loss, we may be forgiven for not reflect- 
 ing that the pillar was not fallen, only transferred 
 to a fairer temple on high, whence he should 
 go no more out; on him was now written the 
 name of God, and the name of the city of God, 
 of the New Jerusalem which cometh down from 
 heaven, even Jesus' own new name. For, alas! 
 we had no ear then to hear what the Spirit said 
 to the churches! 
 
 Farewell, brave, beautiful life ! It was like a 
 clear and bounteous river, which, encountering 
 obstacles in its course, finds new and enlarged 
 channels, and supplies nourishment to broad 
 wastes of land, while it loses nothing of the 
 purity and the abundance of its own waters.
 
 HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH. 165 
 
 But, alas! it has disappeared out of our sight, 
 like the streams of the East which suddenly 
 sink into the sands of the desert. A desert, in- 
 deed, will this life appear to multitudes without 
 the bounties of his hand and the priceless sym- 
 pathy of his loving heart. 
 
 Can we suffer so much good to perish out of 
 this world utterly ? Shall all the virtues of the 
 Christian life form the subject of his epitaph 
 and the magnificence of his tomb? Shall the 
 affection which followed him all his life strive 
 in vain bewilderment to be his companion in 
 death ? Shall our grateful hearts be his mauso- 
 leums? 
 
 Oh, not in dead hearts must such a name be 
 cherished! Let life, and courage, and hope, and 
 faith be the offerings we bring to his memory. 
 Let us turn from the oppressive contemplation 
 of the dead to adoring trust in Him who was 
 dead and is alive, and behold He liveth for ever- 
 more, that from the fountain of His everlasting 
 grace we may receive those virtues which we 
 have now admired, and enter into that inherit- 
 ance which made the day of our mourning the 
 day of his glory and triumph !
 
 THE DEATH OF GOD'S PEOPLE 
 
 NO LOSS 
 TO GOD'S CHURCH.
 
 A SERMON, 
 
 OCCASIONED BY THE 
 
 DEATH OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN, 
 
 AT HIS RESIDENCE NEAR FRANKFORD, 
 SEPTEMBER 7, 1866. 
 
 PREACHED IN ST. MARK'S CHURCH, FRANKFORD, SEPTEMBER 9, 1866, 
 BY THE RECTOR, REV. D. S. MILLER, D. D. 
 
 " Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children 
 of men." PSALM xn. I. 
 
 THESE words of the Psalmist have found an 
 echo in the hearts of God's people, in all their 
 generations to this day, whenever it has pleased 
 Him to take his eminent servants to Himself. 
 The Church in the midst of the evil world, is 
 forced against the higher spiritual judgment of 
 the believer to depend more upon human in- 
 strumentalities than becomes the calling unto 
 God through Jesus Christ, and lives too much 
 by sight and not by faith. But God has done 
 all his great work for his people and his service 
 by the men he has sent upon his Missions; and 
 when He invests them with his favor and blesses 
 22
 
 I/O LIFE OF MATTHIAS. W. BALDWIN. 
 
 them in all they do, and by their labors increases, 
 upholds, and defends his Fold, they that are the 
 sheep of his pasture are easily led to fear when 
 these sources of their comforts are withdrawn, 
 when the means of their defence are withheld, 
 and they are left alone without accustomed 
 Guards and Guides. 
 
 These remarks are suggested by the event 
 which has occurred within a few hours, in our 
 own vicinity, in the death of Mr. Baldwin. He 
 had achieved by his talent, his successful skill, 
 and his still increasing fortune, a power and a 
 place among us in this city, which all will ac- 
 knowledge ; and he used these advantages, not in 
 the way of sin and of mere selfish pleasure, but 
 for the good of others, in great part, and for the 
 glory of God. He honestly and fairly paid the 
 tribute of his wealth and name to his Maker ; 
 and he was known not more widely as a success- 
 ful manufacturer and a wealthy citizen than as a 
 Christian, a member of Christ's Church, and as 
 one who professed to go in the way of good 
 rather than evil. Now, as place and power are 
 of immense influence over men, and used for 
 sinful ends, make fearful mischief among us, 
 hindering the good and hardening the wrong, it
 
 A SERMON. 171 
 
 is a singular blessing when they fall into the 
 hands of the godly; and it is not strange that 
 Christians should mourn when such as these die 
 and are no longer able to wield their influence 
 for God. The command of men which belongs 
 to extensive manufacturing operations, such as 
 Mr. Baldwin was engaged in, is a fearful talent 
 when used to encourage sin : how can we feel 
 anything but regret when he who made it a bless- 
 ing ceases to rule. The name which such as he 
 wins among his neighbors and fellow-citizens, a 
 name coupled with the possession of costly resi- 
 dences, expensive luxuries, skill in a notable 
 profession, and large wealth, such a name if 
 held as a synonym for vice or dishonor, is a po- 
 tent agent for Satan; but when, as in the case 
 of Matthias W. Baldwin, it stood for Religion, 
 for Benevolence, for God's Honor, for Sunday- 
 School teaching, for the care of the poor, the 
 sick, and the ignorant, for building of Houses of 
 God, then it is something for Christians to be 
 thankful for while they have it, and to mourn 
 over when God takes it away. 
 
 The common life of every man makes up a 
 gospel of sin or salvation which reads like a 
 New Testament commentary in a Christian age.
 
 IJ2 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 But more particularly is it so when the history 
 is that of a progress from small to great means ; 
 a growth in talent, repute, skill, wealth, and use- 
 fulness, and when finally it is all consecrate to 
 God, like the Cross topping the pile and devoting 
 it to holy ends. Mr. Baldwin was at one time a 
 resident in this vicinity, practising his first art 
 on this very street, a young man without other 
 means than a true head, heart, and hands. Here 
 he married and began the world. But he is 
 known to us now by a great and tasteful man- 
 sion, and by all the appliances of position and 
 large fortune. He has won his way from the 
 one to the other by God's blessing, by God's aid. 
 This has been a divine purpose. We know it 
 must be so, for this was a godly life, and God 
 watches the good man's way; and because of 
 the use which was made of these distinctions, 
 for only the Holy Spirit is the author of our 
 good deeds. It was therefore a divine purpose, 
 this life for a divine end ; it was a city set upon a 
 hill, that by its shining for Him, men might see 
 the good light and glorify the Father in heaven. 
 Thus in the very enumeration of our losses by 
 the death of God's special servants, we see how 
 He answers our prayer and helps us. Help, Lord,
 
 A SERMON. 173 
 
 for the godly man ceaseth. We are taught that 
 God was in all their lives, and in all that they 
 were permitted to do. Thus we have a strong 
 additional proof that He is in His church, and 
 doing his work. One of the wheels in the 
 divine machine has been removed; but ever 
 since it began to revolve we see that it has been 
 governed by the great Master's hand; and that 
 is just as present now in this last motion by 
 which the instrument has been taken out of our 
 sight, as in all before. The Ruler is revealed 
 by the absence of His servant. We may be in 
 doubt what shall next happen. Whether the 
 good work which the lost servant has done shall 
 be continued, whether another shall take his 
 place; but we have no doubt that God is here, 
 and therein we rest content. 
 
 But God has a thousand times proven to us 
 that His work suffers no loss by the death of 
 His eminent servants. Moses goes and He sends 
 Joshua. Or, far better, no Joshua comes, but 
 out of the tribes who, as they feared, had lost 
 their all when Moses was withdrawn, rise up 
 little ones, who do the very work which has 
 been abandoned ; and for one great servant taken 
 away, the Lord has scores, like the monster of
 
 174 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 fable, with heads still growing as they are cut 
 away. Ofttimes in the life and labors of one 
 earnest and useful man, others grow sluggish, 
 and look only to him. The Master takes away 
 their support and they are either scourged out of 
 the vineyard, because manifestly incapable; or 
 they awake to strength and vigor they never 
 knew before, and watch and struggle, and ex- 
 ceed the hand they mourned for. 
 
 But there are some blessed thoughts connected 
 with the death of God's important servants, 
 which make their dying more fragrant for us 
 than their lives. There might be some doubt 
 as to the functions in the future of ordinary 
 believing men who die, but those who have 
 always labored here must labor there. God has 
 never ceased to make use of them in this world. 
 He will not drop a tool of his own choosing in the 
 world beyond. Hence we know the blessed truth, 
 that God has fields of service beyond the pre- 
 sent. There, with minds unlimited, with fath- 
 omless hearts, with years that do not cease, the 
 blessed saints of God shall work for him forever. 
 Far, far down the countless ages stretches the 
 holy harvest, and those who love the Saviour 
 shall gather it for Him. Oh ! it is a priceless
 
 A SERMON. 175 
 
 promise for the limbs beginning to ache, and 
 the life growing weary, of the poor toilers in 
 God's acre here. There the work is to begin 
 anew and never to end; to begin and never to 
 fail; to go on and never to weary; and Jesus 
 always by to smile, and encqurage, and reward. 
 
 But we learn beside, that He will not suffer 
 his holy saints to be overburthened and broken 
 down utterly. No! he takes them home when 
 they are weary, no matter what may be the cost. 
 O how long our foolish, faithless hearts would 
 hold fast to those we need, had we the dispensa- 
 tion of their fate. Would our hearts ever let 
 them go whom we love? Could we ever spare 
 those who fight, and work, and give for us, and 
 never hold back their hands or lives in our need ? 
 Ah! but their God is tenderer and breaks them 
 from our clinging. He says "Come," to the 
 burdened man, and smooths the pillow of eter- 
 nal rest and bids him lay there. He says " Come," 
 to the exhausted watcher, and opens to him the 
 heavenly heights of vigor and growth, where la- 
 bor has no fatigue and work is delight. All 
 men long for the hour of repose, here or here- 
 after. Sick of the world, of miserable false 
 men, of disappointments and losses, we yearn
 
 176 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 for rest. Is there any sweeter lesson in the death 
 of God's people than that it is to give them this? 
 No matter who loses, no matter how mourned 
 over or needed, the Master cares for his own. 
 He has spoken it. They shall have their REST ! 
 And thus we get a sweet ideal of Heaven. One 
 by one, He has taken them thither whom we 
 knew. Their goodness, their zeal, their love, 
 their labor, their Christly life what bright par- 
 ticular stars they were here, as we saw them 
 each by each! But there! gathered into one 
 one perfect glorious constellation of its beauty, 
 and its glory, and its eternal brightness we could 
 frame no fancy had not our saintly ones died 
 died as we knew them. But he is in it, and he, 
 and she; Mary and Martha, John and Peter! 
 Lord, it must be a goodly land, on which those 
 who were so holy and precious here, forever 
 shine. How near it seems, filled with those so 
 familiar and so worthy in our eyes here. The 
 veil is lifted up and the door opened when we 
 remember all we loved and wondered at in the 
 lives of God's people while they were with us, 
 and when we see that they are still at work for the 
 same Lord on high. Heaven and earth are one. 
 The Church above and the Church below have
 
 A SERMON. 177 
 
 the same company and the same employments. 
 But we have not done <with them, God's greater ser- 
 vants, when they have passed from us; nor have 
 they ceased to bless us, for though they be dead, 
 they have left to us their memory and their work. 
 This last lies all about us wherever we have seen 
 them labor, or know they would have labored. 
 And there is this truth especially for us, in refer- 
 ence to their work, that now WE can do more 
 at it than the greatest of them who are gone. 
 Therefore we, in all our humbleness and imper- 
 fection, are more necessary to God for this than 
 they. He has dispensed with their labor. He 
 has no need for it. It is of no use to him. But 
 us he does need. He cannot and will not do 
 without us, for he has taken them away, and left 
 us standing before the unfinished labor. Take 
 heart, then, O feeble son,, and seize the father's 
 plough! Take courage, O daughter, and carry 
 on his ministering. Labor, brother, it is the 
 Lord's call, and where He calls he gives strength 
 also. 
 
 And to encourage us to do what they have 
 
 left undone, we have their memory. It is their 
 
 best legacy. Fortunes take wings and go ; good 
 
 works die like all mortal things; houses decay 
 
 2 3
 
 1/8 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 and tumble into dust; but the recollections of a 
 life of industry, earnestness, brave struggle, un- 
 tiring assiduity, and perfect integrity, do not die, 
 they become part of our common lives. Above 
 all do a conscientious, loving, faithful Christian 
 walk and conversation, a life hid with Christ in 
 God, dwell with us, shape our consciences, cheer 
 and encourage us, and by the noble striving, and 
 the nobler heavenly end, teach us to live also, 
 and to labor also, looking to Jesus and making 
 our most precious monument in the hearts sanc- 
 tified and souls saved of those who, like this 
 their copy, followed on to know the Lord.
 
 OBITUARY NOTICE 
 
 OF 
 
 MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 HON. JOSEPH R. CHANDLER.
 
 MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 From the North American and United States Gazette, September 14, 1866. 
 
 IF it was a good and a wholesome thought in 
 "Old Mortality" to deepen and keep legible 
 the inscriptions upon the tombstones of those 
 who had honored their country or their religion, 
 and thus to keep alive their memories, they are 
 little less entitled to good consideration who 
 first chiselled those names, and placed on stone 
 a record of the virtues that reflected credit on 
 their possessor, and produced a desire to imitate 
 the admitted excellence. Hence benefits are 
 conferred upon society when mention is made 
 of the excellence of those whose lives have il- 
 lustrated the virtues that belong to their condi- 
 tion, and whose deaths have done honor to their 
 profession. 
 
 The death of our late townsman, Matthias 
 W. Baldwin, has been mentioned in all the daily 
 papers of our city, and reference has been made
 
 I 82 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 to the means by which he acquired his position 
 in business, and became the master of princely 
 wealth. The lesson of Mr. Baldwin's life, even 
 in that regard, must be profitable to the young, 
 who are considering how they may ascend ; and 
 a minute notice of the particular steps which 
 lead on to fortune would be instructive to all 
 who are seeking encouragement in their efforts 
 to achieve a place. Not less, nay even more so, 
 would be a fair statement of the difficulties en- 
 countered in the selection of means and the 
 judgment evinced in the abandonment of those 
 that did not, on trial, equal expectation, and the 
 still greater judgment that comprehended in 
 advance the movements of the times and pro- 
 vided a supply of that which was only about to 
 be needed. 
 
 The foresight of Mr. Baldwin, his promptness 
 to seize upon the suggestion of a sound judg- 
 ment, and his patient abiding of the harvest of a 
 liberal sowing and careful culture, his buoyant 
 hopes amid difficulties and his admirable use of 
 success are instructive, and should be made fa- 
 miliar to the young. They are a part of the 
 jewels of our city, as they are illustrations of the 
 character of our people.
 
 OBITUARY NOTICE. 183 
 
 But the writer of this is unskilled in those 
 ennobling acts by which Mr. Baldwin achieved 
 his great distinction as a manufacturer. He 
 leaves, therefore, to others, who comprehend 
 the difficulties of the trade, and the high genius 
 by which those difficulties were surmounted, to 
 give the instructive lesson which they ought to 
 convey, and make Matthias W. Baldwin the sub- 
 ject of a volume that shall be to the young me- 
 chanic and merchant their "Best Companion." 
 
 Fifty years' acquaintance with Mr. Baldwin, 
 and frequent association with him in the dis- 
 charge of public duties, enable the writer to 
 speak of him as a conscientious man; and in that 
 ennobling quality lay the secret of his great suc- 
 cess. What he undertook, he believed to be 
 right. What he said, he knew or believed to 
 be true. What he completed bore upon it no 
 less the mark of a master mind and master hand 
 than an impress of strong moral integrity, and a 
 well-regulated conscience. If Mr. Baldwin was 
 seen in his earlier days connecting new business 
 with that which he had first undertaken ; or if 
 he started the boiler manufactory by passing 
 from one pursuit to another, time served to 
 show that he was reaching out to that means of
 
 184 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 distinction for which his genius and skill had 
 fitted him, and making himself ready, by taking 
 a first step, to take those which his progress 
 should suggest. His new views were attained 
 by ascending, and his foothold was made secure 
 on each attainment by the correctness of his 
 judgment. 
 
 He who leads public enterprise must some- 
 times wait the progress of the many, or be left 
 alone. He who provides in advance for others 
 may often find his provision neglected and his 
 hopes disappointed. Mr. Baldwin understood 
 that from experience; but when he became a 
 public benefactor by anticipating the large de- 
 mand for locomotive engines, his enterprise and 
 judgment were rewarded by that success which 
 is the artisan's great object, and finally by that 
 wealth which is the almost certain result of 
 foresight and enterprise, directed by sound judg- 
 ment and a pure conscience. 
 
 A suggestive theme for a public address or an 
 essay might be found in the business abilities, 
 character, and success of Mr. Baldwin ; and 
 some one who would make the lesson attractive 
 will probably present it to the young, as an en- 
 couragement to undertake with prudence great
 
 OBITUARY NOTICE. 185 
 
 matters, and pursue with earnestness whatever 
 their hands find to do, and not to be deterred 
 by small obstacles, and especially not to cease 
 from enterprise because a single path to success 
 has been closed. There is a power in genius 
 that moulds events to its own purposes, or ac- 
 commodates itself to new circumstances. It is 
 certainly good for any man who has to achieve 
 his own pecuniary independence, that his taste 
 and education should be moulded to the require- 
 ments of a pursuit upon which he is to enter. 
 But it is better that his powers of mind should 
 be so directed that he may seize upon new sug- 
 gestions, and profit by a change which chance 
 or progress may make. The discoveries of sci- 
 ence, the inventions of genius, and the advance- 
 ment of the arts, are constantly presenting new 
 objects for enterprise, upon which men of cha- 
 racter in their pursuits may seize, and make them 
 subservient to immense success. Mr. Baldwin 
 comprehended that, and he profited by the 
 changes which railroads produce, and rose to 
 distinction upon a business that had no existence 
 when he commenced business life. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin then was prominent in his occu- 
 pation. He understood the art which he prac- 
 24
 
 I 86 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 tised, and he knew how to make science subser- 
 vient to that art, and so he became great as a 
 business man. But the distinction and wealth 
 which Mr. Baldwin acquired were less to him 
 than that serenity of temper by which the hours 
 of business or of social enjoyment were illumin- 
 ated; and the wealth which he acquired seemed 
 chiefly valuable to him as a means of gratifying 
 a refined taste, and promoting objects worthy 
 the consideration of an immortal mind. The 
 writer of this article had the pleasure of observ- 
 ing the progress of Mr. Baldwin for fifty years, 
 of sharing with him public responsibilities; and 
 no act, even in his most straitened day, is recalled 
 on which Mr. Baldwin was less a true and up- 
 right man than he was when no temptations but 
 wealth invited him to swerve. He was in prin- 
 ciple an honest man. There was no necessity 
 for thought, for calculation, to make him do 
 right right with him was almost an instinct, so 
 deeply seated and so constantly active was such 
 a principle. He was a good man. 
 
 To the young, Mr. Baldwin seemed to die in 
 a good old age; to his contemporaries and his 
 seniors, he seemed to have been called away in 
 the midst of that soundness of judgment which
 
 OBITUARY NOTICE. 187 
 
 great experience matures, and in the fulness of 
 that intellect which was so useful to others. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin's strong sense of right made him 
 tenacious of the principles which he had adopt- 
 ed, and upon which his public and private life 
 was moulded. He was firm in his adherence to 
 them, and, at proper seasons, he was earnest in 
 their defence, though rather conspicuous in their 
 illustration. But he never wounded the sensi- 
 bilities of others by an untimely presentation of 
 his own views, nor outraged the proprieties of 
 social life by indelicate attacks upon the opposing 
 opinions of associates. Stern in the practice of 
 those virtues which belong to the religion which 
 he professed, he was yet most lenient to the er- 
 rors which marred the character of others. He 
 cautioned the erring with delicacy, and he re- 
 buked the offender with gentleness. For lesser 
 faults he had the forbearance of one who under- 
 stood the weakness of human nature, and for 
 graver offences he had the censure that startles 
 but mends. To the young man who had de- 
 parted slightly from the way, he extended a 
 hand that led to the right ; for the older he had 
 a pardon and a blessing that bade him go and 
 sin no more.
 
 I 88 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 No one can tell into how many channels the 
 good influences of Mr. Baldwin extended. His 
 liberal hand was open to assist the unfortunate, 
 and to direct, by example, the character of others. 
 His own life and its results were to the younger 
 an encouragement to virtuous enterprise, while 
 his own vast undertakings gave active and pro- 
 fitable employment to hundreds who lived in the 
 influence of his good example, and grew better 
 in an atmosphere of the purest morals that Chris- 
 tianity has softened and sanctified. 
 
 The ruling motive of Mr. Baldwin's action 
 was right, not merely the abstract sense of right 
 that permits no direct wrong to others, but that 
 higher, purer sense, that made him solicitous 
 that all the enjoyment which he had of his own 
 right should be multiplied by and ministered to 
 the good of others. Hence, it was a rule of life 
 with him to multiply the rights of others, that 
 he might increase their usefulness and their en- 
 joyment. 
 
 All who knew Mr. Baldwin knew him to be 
 a zealous Christian. The best qualities of reli- 
 gion were illustrated by his unostentatious chari- 
 ties, his large philanthropy, his love for man. 
 All who knew Mr. Baldwin could not designate
 
 OBITUARY NOTICE. 189 
 
 the denomination of Christians with which he 
 had direct and intimate fellowship; but a man 
 of such fixed principles would scarcely be with- 
 out an explicit creed, and with an attachment so 
 strong and so particular as to make him seek to 
 extend the benefits of his general views by means 
 of the channels which he held to be most ap- 
 propriate. No man that approached Mr. Bald- 
 win with requests for means to promote any 
 good object ever went away empty; but who 
 can tell how full-handed returned those who 
 intimated to him the necessities of some reli- 
 gious enterprise that was directly on the way 
 which he specially approved. The largest of 
 these offerings are known. The liberal man 
 shuts his eyes to the evidence of his liberality, 
 but the beneficiary suffers an open mouth to 
 speak out of the abundance of a grateful heart. 
 
 The Master and Teacher of all benevolence 
 did not rebuke the presentation of a motive for 
 prayer for the restoration of a sick man, "That 
 he hath builded us a synagogue." He might 
 have heard the reason urged with double force 
 in behalf of one whose death is now mourned, 
 and whose life may have been protracted by the 
 exercise of those graces which strengthen where
 
 190 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 they influence and bless the objects upon which 
 they are employed. 
 
 No man in this city, perhaps, has ever done 
 more for the religious denomination of which 
 he was a member than was necessarily known 
 to be done by Mr. Baldwin. The thousand 
 percolating drops of incidental aid, the nume- 
 rous rills of charity that flowed from his ample 
 means are to be judged of only by the blessings 
 which they produced, the benefit of the indi- 
 vidual or the association alone "betraying the 
 secret of their silent course." But there are 
 others, where princely munificence, moved by a 
 religious discrimination, meet the eye and com- 
 mand the respect of those who know how dou- 
 bly beneficial is that aid which comes at a mo- 
 ment of need. The record of such liberality is 
 made where it will be ineffaceable. The cha- 
 racter and deeds of the man capable of such 
 acts will be held in "sweet remembrance." 
 
 Mr. Baldwin, though always alive to the inte- 
 rests of the country, found little time for what 
 is called public positions. He was a member 
 of the Convention that formed the present Con- 
 stitution of the State of Pennsylvania; and his 
 influence was given to the conservative side of
 
 OBITUARY NOTICE. 191 
 
 measures discussed. He was at the time of his 
 death, and had been for many years past, a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Inspectors of the Philadel- 
 phia County Prison, in which situation his busi- 
 ness habits, and his sense of justice, and his love 
 of mercy, made him eminently useful, while the 
 urbanity of his manners secured for him the 
 affectionate esteem of his colleagues. 
 
 No one could attempt an analysis of the cha- 
 racter of Mr. Baldwin without being struck with 
 its wonderful, its beautiful simplicity, and the 
 adaptation of his manner to all with whom he 
 came into relation. The humblest artisan found 
 in him a sympathizing friend, and the noblest 
 and boldest projector felt instructed by his ob- 
 servation. The aged gathered encouragement 
 by his presentation of the benefits of his expe- 
 rience, and children grew happy in his benignant 
 smiles. He seemed to have a force of character 
 that took him through all enterprises, and a 
 gentleness of disposition that gave sunshine to 
 all results. The extended factory and the pon- 
 derous machinery seemed to be trifling instru- 
 ments in his hands to effect great objects; while 
 home, the fireside, with its splendid collection 
 of the fine arts, and the endearing smile of
 
 192 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 affection that no art could make or imitate, was 
 the sanctuary of the domestic affections. 
 
 It is for others to do more ample justice to 
 the character of Mr. Baldwin, and tempt the 
 young aspirant for distinction, by showing how 
 truth, conscientiousness, and persevering industry 
 secure success, and how the best instincts of the 
 human heart and the purest principles of religion 
 are compatible with the most devoted attention 
 to the business of life; how, indeed, they influ- 
 ence the plans and direct the execution of the 
 schemes of the man of enlarged enterprise, and 
 finally, how they gain predominance and become 
 the leading motive where they had only been 
 the influencing power. 
 
 Some one else will find time to show how 
 much honor the creative and completing facul- 
 ties of such a man as Mr. Baldwin reflect on his 
 whole country; how the fulfilment of his great 
 undertakings is made a blessing to others, who 
 in a hundred ways are called on to perform part 
 of the immense labor for which his inventive 
 power created a demand ; and how the city in 
 which he dwelt feels that the fame, the charac- 
 ter, and the success of Matthias W. Baldwin are 
 inseparable and valuable portions of her civic
 
 OBITUARY NOTICE. 193 
 
 honors. Let it be the object of this article to 
 show that in Philadelphia such a man as Mat- 
 thias W. Baldwin could not live without the 
 distinction which talent, enterprise, success, and 
 purity of life ought to secure, and such a man 
 could not die without the regret that so much 
 worth should pass away, nor without gratitude 
 to God that the highest honors which our city 
 has to bestow are reserved for the man who is 
 faithful to his vocation, and in all his relations 
 an example of noble, generous enterprises and 
 of gentle, Christian manners.
 
 MEMORIAL 
 
 OF 
 
 MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN, 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANKLIN PEALE.
 
 MEMORIAL. 
 
 Read before the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, at a meeting held 
 on the Seventh day of December, A. D. 1866. 
 
 THE life of a man, like that of the subject of 
 this notice, furnishes a vast amount of matter, 
 and exemplifies the results of character, habits, 
 and principles that are most useful in their influ- 
 ences on all classes of society, and in all the 
 relations of life; but the usages of this Society 
 do not authorize details, however desirable upon 
 other accounts, or however interesting to the 
 immediate relatives of the departed; a just re- 
 cord of the life .and character of the deceased is 
 all that is aimed at in this Memorial. 
 
 On the tenth day of December, 1795, in 
 Elizabethtown, New Jersey, Matthias William 
 Baldwin was born. Much the largest propor- 
 tion of his life was passed in the city of Phila- 
 delphia, in the vicinity of which, at his country 
 seat, Wissinoming, he died, on the evening of
 
 198 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 September yth, 1866, in the seventy-first year of 
 his age. 
 
 He was the son of William Baldwin, and an 
 exemplary mother, whose influence on his future 
 life was all that could be desired, in moral and 
 religious example and precept. 
 
 He had the misfortune to lose the first in early 
 childhood, but the judicious training and indus- 
 trious energy of the last so far supplied the loss 
 that no serious privation followed in the rearing 
 of a family of five children, two of whom sur- 
 vive at this time. 
 
 His father was in life successful in a mechan- 
 ical profession, and realized property, which was 
 subsequently lost, thus calling forth the energy 
 of his mother, as previously noticed ; it is there- 
 fore obvious how the mechanical tendencies of 
 the subject of this notice had their origin; and 
 accordingly the occupations and amusements of 
 the boyhood of Matthias were mechanical, in 
 which he indulged as far as time and limited 
 means permitted. 
 
 His education under such circumstances was 
 necessarily confined to the ordinary acquirements 
 of elementary instruction, which after-studies 
 and associations much improved and enlarged.
 
 MEMORIAL. 199 
 
 The profession chosen for him, to which he 
 was apprenticed, was that of jeweller, in the 
 obligations of which he was faithfully occupied 
 during the five years of his minority, in Frank- 
 ford, Pennsylvania. 
 
 After this he was employed in the establish- 
 ment of Fletcher and Gardener, in this city, ex- 
 tensive manufacturers and dealers in jewelry and 
 plate. The first named being subsequently one 
 of the officers of the Franklin Institute, in which 
 Institution Mr. Baldwin exercised an active and 
 influential part, as will be noticed hereafter. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin commenced business on his own 
 account in 1819, in the manufacture of jewelry, 
 and appears to have been successful for a limited 
 time only, as he subsequently changed his busi- 
 ness to the manufacture of bookbinders' tools, 
 calico-printers' rolls, &c., in which he became 
 associated with Mr. David Mason. In this busi- 
 ness the enlarged views of Mr. Baldwin and his 
 careful manipulation were eminently important, 
 and the results such as usually accompany skilled, 
 practical ability. Thus associated, a .manufac- 
 tory was established, beginning in the year 1825, 
 that rendered the country independent of foreign 
 supply. It was situated in a small street, run-
 
 200 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 ning north from Walnut Street, above Fourth 
 Street, in this city. It was in this place that the 
 author of this memoir made the acquaintance of 
 Mr. Baldwin, which afterwards ripened into an 
 intimacy that continued in uninterrupted har- 
 mony to the end of his life. 
 
 The success of the firm in the departments 
 just noticed, and the increase of business arising 
 from it, induced a change of locality to a larger 
 space, and increased power ; it was effected by 
 removal to Minor Street near Sixth, in the latter 
 part of 1827, or beginning of 1828, and it was 
 here that the dawn of his prosperity had its rise, 
 to shine forth a bright and glorious noon of 
 utility and success. 
 
 It was in this workshop that Mr. Baldwin 
 made the designs for, and built his first steam- 
 engine, intended to supply the motive power 
 demanded by his enlarged business. It was of 
 novel construction, in several respects, and was 
 finished to an extent entirely unexampled in that 
 day. Its vertical cylinder, so placed for economy 
 of space; its forked cross-head and pitman, 
 guides at the sides of the cylinder, were novel- 
 ties, in the disposition and form of parts, and its 
 bevel wheels, which gave motion to the gover-
 
 MEMORIAL. 201 
 
 nor, were without teeth, doing their duty by 
 friction alone, being noiseless, like the beautiful 
 engine whose motion that governor controlled. 
 
 This little engine of five-horse power was the 
 object of much attention among machinists, and 
 excited general admiration by its quiet, though 
 efficient motion, and the fine finish of all its 
 parts. It is at this hour an efficient motive 
 power in the great establishment of M. W. 
 Baldwin & Co., with very slight changes in its 
 parts, a durable evidence of the sound mecha- 
 nical judgment of him who designed and exe- 
 cuted it. 
 
 It was about this time that the attention of 
 the world was concentrated on the importance 
 of railroads for transportation, and the means of 
 moving upon them. The history of the loco- 
 motive is well known, and need not be recapitu- 
 lated ; but the experience in this country was very 
 limited, although the public mind and curiosity 
 were ardently drawn towards all that had been 
 done, or was doing in relation thereto. It was 
 in consequence of the feeling on this important 
 matter that Mr. Baldwin was requested by the 
 author of this memoir to make for the Philadel- 
 phia Museum of which he was manager a 
 26
 
 202 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 model locomotive. After the examination of 
 all the resources then available in description, 
 and sketches of the engines which had com- 
 peted for the premium on the Liverpool and 
 Manchester Railroad, a plan was adopted, and 
 the model engine commenced in 1830, and after 
 a few experiments and modifications, finished in 
 1831, and on the 25th of April of that year was 
 put in operation on a track laid in the rooms of 
 the Museum, in the Arcade, making the circuit of 
 the whole suite, and drawing two miniature cars, 
 containing seats for four passengers (which were 
 sometimes loaded double), in a manner highly 
 gratifying to the public, who attended in crowds 
 to witness for the first time in this city and 
 State the effect of steam in railroad transporta- 
 tion. 
 
 It may be proper to observe that the efficiency 
 of this miniature engine, and its satisfactory 
 performance, were mainly due to the discharge 
 of the exhaust, or waste steam, into the stack, or 
 chimney a principle of vital importance in all 
 engines, rendering a blowing apparatus unneces- 
 sary, and supplying the fuel with air requisite for 
 combustion, without the sacrifice of power for 
 that object, a principle then new, or little known
 
 MEMORIAL. 203 
 
 in this connection. To whom the invention (if 
 it can be so called) is due, who at this time can 
 tell? The fuel used in the small fire space of 
 the boiler of this model was pine-knot coal, al- 
 though anthracite was partially successful in its 
 application, the difficulty in the use of any fuel 
 being the diminutive space above alluded to. 
 
 It may be permitted also, in this connection, 
 to observe that the first published observations 
 upon the foaming of water in boilers, were 
 made in the use of this model. They may be 
 found in one of the newspapers of the day. 
 
 The attention of machinists was drawn to the 
 subject of locomotion with considerable energy 
 about this time. It was one of the great move- 
 ments of the epoch; it demanded and received 
 the attention the necessities of commerce and 
 general intercourse required. Mr. Baldwin, as 
 it may be naturally inferred, shared in the gene- 
 ral excitement, and was therefore prepared to 
 undertake the task, when an order came in 1832 
 from the Philadelphia and Germantown Rail- 
 road Company for the construction of a loco- 
 motive for that Company's road. 
 
 The only examples or information previous to 
 this time of the construction of the now per-
 
 204 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 fected locomotive engine, were the crude efforts 
 of the previous years, and the various published 
 and imperfect accounts and illustrations in the 
 journals of the day. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin and the writer inspected the de- 
 tached parts of a locomotive imported by the 
 Camden and Amboy Railroad Company, in a 
 shed on their road near Bordentown (at least 
 such is the recollection of the place), and under 
 some difficulty succeeded in making such obser- 
 vations and a few measurements as were thought 
 would be of service. It was with these slender 
 means of observation, and the limited experience 
 of the preceding model, that the task was un- 
 dertaken, and the execution of the order com- 
 menced. It is but justice to add that it was 
 accompanied by restrictions as to weight that 
 are now at variance with all the principles that 
 are desired, in fact, govern, the use of motive 
 power on railroads. 
 
 The building of this engine was carried on 
 under the difficulties of few and insufficient 
 tools and space, and completed in about six 
 months. Begun in Minor Street, it was finished, 
 in 1832, in the new and larger space in Lodge 
 Alley, to which the shop had been removed,
 
 MEMORIAL. 205 
 
 and was placed upon the road on the 23d of 
 November in that year. 
 
 The experiments which were immediately 
 made with the "Ironsides," as this engine was 
 called, in speed and management were eminently 
 successful. The writer and other friends, scien- 
 tific and mechanic, made short excursions on 
 the road, realizing the sensations that only occur 
 once in a generation, under the novel circum- 
 stances afforded by, as in this case, the flight 
 through the air at the rate of fifty or sixty miles 
 an hour. 
 
 Difficulties arose in the settlement of his ac- 
 count with the officers of the Company, who 
 appear to have expected that this engine would 
 do what their own restrictions had rendered 
 impossible ; and there were other difficulties 
 that had their origin in the grading and con- 
 struction of the road itself. 
 
 These facts are amusingly illustrated by one of 
 the advertisements of the Company, which was 
 in the following words : 
 
 " NOTICE. The engine (built by Mr. Bald- 
 win) with a train of cars, will run daily (com- 
 mencing this day), when the weather is fair, as 
 follows," &c. ..." When the weather is not fair, 
 the horses will draw the cars the four trips."
 
 206 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 No one need be told now that when the rails 
 are wet there is less adhesion than at other times, 
 and as the grades were steep, it is not surprising 
 that one of the lightest engines ever built, was 
 unable to draw all the cars, and all the crowd 
 that panted for a trip by steam. The parties 
 who indulged such unreasonable desires could 
 not have exercised common reason in expecting 
 from the motive power more than was witnessed 
 by the writer, the slipping of the wheels under 
 a full head of steam. 
 
 The sand-box, now an indispensable adjunct 
 of every locomotive, was then unknown ; had it 
 been, it would most likely have supplied the 
 means of adhesion, something better than the 
 horses' feet, advertised to guarantee the trip. 
 
 This little engine was an undoubted success, 
 and subsequently, when fairly and skilfully run 
 on the road, properly adjusted and secured, gave 
 entire satisfaction to the public, and all parties 
 concerned. 
 
 The removal to enlarged premises in Lodge 
 Alley, gave facilities that soon told upon his 
 reputation, and augmented his business; in this 
 place his second engine was made, and successive 
 numbers undertaken. Further increase of busi-
 
 MEMORIAL. 207 
 
 ness rendered another removal necessary ; in 
 1835, the property at the corner of Broad and 
 Hamilton Streets was purchased, and here the 
 regular manufacture of Locomotives, on an en- 
 larged scale, was established, and became the 
 principal occupation, although it did not exclude 
 other business, as evidenced by the construction 
 of the engine for the City Ice Boat, whose 
 efficient services in clearing the channel of the 
 Delaware, as well as her employment by Go- 
 vernment during the late rebellion, are well 
 known to the whole community. 
 
 It is not necessary to enumerate the various 
 improvements made by Mr. Baldwin, in the 
 parts, construction, and manufacture of Loco- 
 motives ; it would be a lengthy enumeration. 
 It is sufficient to say, that the results are seen on 
 all the railroads of the country, in the presence 
 of engines adapted to all the purposes of draught 
 and speed. But a passing remark, reverting to 
 past history, upon the fact of ascending the 
 inclined plane at Belmont, and manoeuvring 
 upon it, was one of the feats of that early date, 
 exciting surprise in the minds of all, whether 
 natural philosopher, mechanician, or ordinary 
 observer. Since that day, the mountain heights
 
 208 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 of our coal fields, even the Alleghany ridge 
 itself, seem to offer scarcely any impediment, 
 either to the ponderous engine, or its cumbrous 
 train of freight. Much of this success in trans- 
 portation is due to the form and adaptation of 
 the best freight engines, which have had their 
 origin in the magnificent establishment of M. 
 W. Baldwin & Co., in this city. 
 
 It must not be supposed that the career thus 
 imperfectly sketched, was an uninterrupted 
 course of prosperity; on the contrary, it was 
 attended by financial and other embarrassments, 
 that at times were nearly fatal in their effects ; 
 but it is equally true that Mr. Baldwin's confi- 
 dence in his own ability, and the line that he 
 was pursuing, never failed, and it is well known 
 that his integrity, appreciated and regarded as it 
 was, kept and sustained him through all the 
 convulsions of those days, and ultimately crowned 
 his success with the halo of honor, under which 
 he met and extinguished every debt, both prin- 
 cipal and interest. 
 
 It might reasonably be supposed, that with 
 such a weight of responsibilities, Mr. Baldwin 
 was fully occupied with the conduct of his Fac- 
 tory; he found time, nevertheless, to take a full
 
 MEMORIAL. 209 
 
 share of the duties of a member and officer of 
 the Franklin Institute of this State. He was 
 one of the original members, participating in 
 the proceedings of March the aoth, 1824; was 
 placed on the Committee of Science and Arts 
 in 1834; elected Vice-President in 1855, and so 
 remaining until 1863. 
 
 In the examination of machines and inventions 
 presented to the judgment of the Institute, he 
 was always distinguished for the sound views he 
 took of principles, and keen insight of the merit 
 of the article presented, and candid and inde- 
 pendent in his opinions and statements in rela- 
 tion thereto. 
 
 He had the honor of election to the Ameri- 
 can Philosophical Society, on the 1 8th of Janu- 
 ary, 1833, and was often present at its meetings, 
 though rarely taking an active part in its pro- 
 ceedings. 
 
 The Horticultural Society of this city was a 
 favorite institution ; he contributed largely to the 
 attractiveness of the meetings, by a liberal dis- 
 play of the beauties of his conservatory, and 
 presided over its affairs for a number of years. 
 He was elected a member March i8th, 1851, 
 and was elevated to the Presidency, January 
 27
 
 210 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 1 9th, 1858, in which office he continued until 
 1863. 
 
 The resolutions which were adopted by the 
 members, on the announcement of his decease, 
 were of the most grateful, appreciative, and re- 
 gretful character. 
 
 A peculiar fondness for foliage in color and 
 form was one of his characteristic traits, at least 
 such a deduction may justly be drawn, from the 
 number and variety of the strange though beau- 
 tiful leaves of plants which his conservatories 
 contained. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin was also a member of the Board 
 of Directors of the Pennsylvania Academy of 
 the Fine Arts. Elected to that body in the year 
 1852. The appreciation of his associates in the 
 Direction of that Institution is demonstrated 
 by the resolutions adopted by them on the an- 
 nouncement of his separation from their associa- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin became a member of the Mu- 
 sical Fund Society, founded for the support of 
 decayed musicians and the promotion of the art, 
 although the increase of population, and the 
 consequent resources of the musical portion of 
 the community have long since rendered the
 
 MEMORIAL. 211 
 
 second object of the corporation (in which it 
 had been eminently successful) no longer a 
 necessity; yet Mr. Baldwin, while health per- 
 mitted, never failed to give his presence and 
 countenance to the duties of the first object, 
 and the obligations of the committees on which 
 he was placed. He became an amateur mem- 
 ber April a/th, 1847, an d a life member October 
 6th, 1852, after being elected one of the Man- 
 agers of the Fund at its annual meeting, May 
 4th, 1852. 
 
 His services in this charity may be summed 
 up thus: on the Committee of the Fund, one 
 year; on the Committee of Relief, four years; 
 on the Committee of Admission, ten years, or to 
 the end of his days. 
 
 The share which Mr. Baldwin exercised in 
 the political movements of the day, though 
 limited in extent, were of much importance ; 
 he fulfilled the duties which they imposed upon 
 him with his usual zeal and independence. As 
 a member of the Convention to amend the 
 Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania in 
 1837, he took, in that body, a decided stand on 
 points that have become vital principles in the
 
 212 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 general progress or advance of the human race, 
 and always on the side of liberality and justice. 
 
 Elected a member of the State legislature in 
 1853, h e was distinguished, amid the mazes of 
 diplomacy, during his term of service, in the 
 winter of 1854, for his straightforward and con- 
 sistent course in that line of conscientiousness 
 which had marked his life. 
 
 As an Inspector of the County Prison, Mr. 
 Baldwin may be cited as an example of perse- 
 vering benevolence in an ungrateful task, marked 
 by all the disagreeable and revolting feelings 
 which accompany contact with the vile, the 
 miserable, and the degraded. In this office his 
 sense of justice, and hatred of intemperance and 
 vice in all its motley garb, must have been sorely 
 tried; but mercy and benevolence seem to have 
 been the prevailing sentiments which governed 
 him in the treatment of the unfortunate and 
 vicious with whom he came in contact in his 
 inspection tours of duty. 
 
 It will be observed in the record of his career, 
 as thus traced, that Mr. Baldwin was remarkable 
 for the number and variety of the occupations 
 and pursuits to which he devoted his working 
 and his leisure hours; to do full justice to his
 
 MEMORIAL. 213 
 
 character would require much more extended 
 remarks (pleasant labor it is true), but not re- 
 quired by the objects of this notice. 
 
 His principal characteristic was the fervent 
 religious bias of his mind; from early life it 
 appears to have impressed him with its vital 
 importance, and to have influenced him, more 
 or less, in all the transactions of his career : it 
 developed itself most forcibly in the aid which 
 he gave to the formation of religious associa- 
 tions, and the building and support of churches, 
 for that particular denomination to which he 
 was attached ; becoming more marked as he 
 advanced in age, and as his means accumulated; 
 so that his own revenue, great as it had become 
 within the last few years of his business career, 
 appears to have been almost absorbed in this 
 direction. 
 
 That he was fond of everything beautiful in 
 nature, is demonstrated by the flowers, the trees, 
 and plants of his favorite residence at Wissino- 
 ming, which he had embellished to the utmost, 
 in the fruits of the tropics, the vines and escu- 
 lents of the most liberal horticulture, and all 
 that constitute the surroundings of a refined life 
 in the country. But his fondness was not con-
 
 214 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 fined to the vegetable kingdom alone ; it led to 
 the collection and guardianship of a variety of 
 animals. The deer and other ruminants had 
 their comfortable parks ; the smaller animals 
 their appropriate shelter; and every variety of 
 bird, its home and sustenance; and some, too, 
 were the pets of his lap, and seemed both the 
 amusement and indulgence of a caressing habit 
 of life. 
 
 His fondness for the fine arts was one of his 
 characteristics; his houses and rooms were filled 
 to their utmost capacity with the pictures which 
 he paid for liberally and justly, but none of that 
 extravagant ostentation in purchase prices which 
 has been the wonder of latter days, had any 
 footing in his well-selected collection. In this 
 respect at least, his discrimination cannot be 
 impeached. 
 
 The memorial of a man like this might well 
 be a eulogy, but it may be also treated by a 
 friend, impartially, and in full justice, without 
 that extravagant praise which is so usual on such 
 occasions. He was eminently social in his feel- 
 ings and habits; at the same time, his principal 
 characteristic was self-reliance; his own views, 
 habits, and impulses, were those that he followed.
 
 MEMORIAL. 215 
 
 That his views on temperance were philanthro- 
 pic, no one can doubt; but like all others hold- 
 ing ultra opinions, he found by experience that 
 the laws of matter (by the ordination of Provi- 
 dence for its own wise purposes) cannot be re- 
 sisted, and that fermentation and its products 
 were intended by the Supreme Ruler, not for 
 the abuse, but for the good of man. 
 
 His earnest endeavors to resist the fermenta- 
 tion of his abundant crop of grapes were of no 
 avail, and the value of the products in medicine, 
 suited to his own case, was ultimately recognized 
 and admitted. 
 
 He was not a sportsman in any sense of the 
 word, but it is equally true that he never ap- 
 peared better pleased than when mounted on a 
 fast horse, and sometimes an observant friend 
 might see, if he looked sharply, that to let any 
 ambitious roadster pass him was not usual, if 
 possible. Neither can it be said that he was a 
 gymnast; yet he habitually exercised his mus- 
 cular system (recognizing its importance in hy- 
 giene), and contended with no little fervor for 
 successful honors in that line ; this was well 
 known to his associates in the practice of archery. 
 
 His constitution was not robust; he suffered
 
 21 6 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 much from ill health at various periods of his 
 life, the last years of which were years of suffer- 
 ing, more or less, but it never changed his kindly 
 feelings towards his friends, family, or the dumb 
 pets of his household ; especially did it never 
 relax his energy in the great and complex busi- 
 ness of his firm, or the more important charities 
 of his heart and purse. 
 
 Too much praise cannot be bestowed on the 
 final disposition of his worldly affairs ; he did 
 all that he intended to do in charity and benevo- 
 lence during life, and left to his heirs a bright 
 example for their guidance. In this respect, so 
 different from the ostentatious wording of those 
 testamentary dispositions that are now wasting 
 their ample provisions in political jugglery, or 
 turned aside by mismanagement to some other 
 object, perhaps more objectionable.
 
 RESOLUTIONS 
 
 DEATH OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 28
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 
 
 AT a meeting of the employees of the Works 
 of M. W. Baldwin and Co., held September 10, 
 1866, Mr. James W. Blair was called to the 
 chair, and Mr. R. A. Peirson appointed Secretary. 
 
 On motion, the following resolutions were 
 adopted : 
 
 WHEREAS, in the dispensation of that Almighty 
 Father who ordereth all things for the best, one 
 from amongst us, our late employer and friend, 
 M. W. BALDWIN, Esq., has been called from the 
 scene of his temporal labor, and bidden an ever- 
 lasting farewell to the cares and trials of this 
 earthly life, and it is proper that we should give 
 expression to the feelings which so melancholy 
 a bereavement is calculated to inspire: There- 
 fore, be it 
 
 Resolved, That in adverting to the lamentable 
 death, we cannot but bear in mind the purity 
 and usefulness of his life, marked as it was by
 
 220 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 all those virtues which make men beautiful here 
 below, that they may be better fitted for the 
 glories of the hereafter. 
 
 Resolved, That his great character, as sincere 
 as it was generous, acted like a charm upon all 
 who came within its influence, and bound men 
 to him in a firm and lasting friendship. 
 
 Resolved, That in simplicity of purpose, purity 
 of intention, integrity of action, and goodness 
 of heart, our employer was of the noblest works 
 of God, an honest man; as such we knew him 
 living, now mourn him dead. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be 
 presented to the family of the deceased, and 
 likewise to the firm, and be published in all the 
 daily papers. 
 
 Resolved, That we attend the funeral in a 
 body. 
 
 WM. S. HOSTER, 
 THOS. BILLINGSFELT, 
 WM. D. STRATTON, 
 
 PETER FARNUM, 
 ROBT. CASSADIN, 
 ROBT. ARMSTRONG, 
 EDMUND BURKE, 
 
 Committee.
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 221 
 
 BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS, 
 
 Philada., Sept. loth, 1866. 
 
 AT a meeting of the foremen of these works, 
 held this day, the following preamble and reso- 
 lutions were adopted: 
 
 WHEREAS, It has pleased Divine Providence 
 to remove from our midst our friend and bene- 
 factor, MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN, Esq. ; and 
 
 WHEREAS, While we bow with submission to 
 the will of our Heavenly Father, we cannot but 
 express our deep sorrow at being thus severed 
 from one with whom we have been so long 
 connected : Therefore be it 
 
 Resolved, That in the death of Matthias W. 
 Baldwin, Esq., the community has lost a valu- 
 able member, his family a kind husband and 
 father, and we a good friend, whose memory 
 will ever be cherished in our hearts. 
 
 Resolved, That we tender to his family our 
 warmest sympathies in their affliction, hoping 
 they may be comforted with the assurance that 
 his reward will be, 
 
 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 
 Resolved, That these resolutions be published
 
 222 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 in the daily papers, and a copy transmitted to 
 the family of the deceased; and as a further mark 
 of respect, we attend the funeral in a body. 
 
 L. O. HOWELL, President. 
 WM. HOBART BROWN, Secretary. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA COUNTY PRISON, 
 Sept. 15, 1866. 
 
 AT a meeting of the Board of Inspectors of 
 the Philadelphia County Prison, held September 
 loth, 1866, the following preamble and resolu- 
 tions were offered by the Hon. Joseph R. Chan- 
 dler and unanimously adopted : 
 
 WHEREAS, the members of the Board of In- 
 spectors of the Philadelphia County Prison have 
 heard with profound regret the annunciation of 
 the death of their colleague, MATTHIAS W. 
 BALDWIN, Esq., and feel it due to the sterling 
 worth of the deceased, and to the cause of do- 
 mestic, social, and public virtue which his whole 
 life so beautifully illustrated, to make a record of 
 their regard for his character, their appreciation
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 223 
 
 of his services as an associate, and their sorrow 
 for his death. 
 
 In the various relations in which Mr. Baldwin 
 stood to society, he manifested those qualities 
 which attract attention and secure respect. His 
 eulogists will find abundant materials for ap- 
 plause in the successful efforts with which he 
 added to the credit and wealth of the city, while 
 he secured to himself the means of that enlarged 
 judicious liberality which connects his name 
 with the highest acts and purest charities of 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 It has been the privilege of the members of 
 this Board to share the counsels of Mr. Baldwin 
 in the discharge of duties devolved upon them 
 by their appointment, and to witness his quiet, 
 persistent efforts for the good of those whose 
 errors or crimes make them involuntary inmates 
 of this Prison, and testimony cordial and earnest 
 is hereby borne to the unfailing urbanity, the 
 steady justice, and the beautiful humanity which 
 marked the course of the deceased as a member 
 of this Board, and which make poignant and 
 permanent the regret which his death has caused. 
 It is therefore 
 
 Resolved, That this expression of deep regret
 
 224 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 for the death of Mr. Baldwin and of profound 
 respect for his memory, be entered at large upon 
 the journal of the Board, and that an attested 
 copy thereof be transmitted to the family of the 
 deceased. 
 
 Resolved, That this Board will attend the fune- 
 ral of their lately deceased member. 
 
 HALL FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 AT a special meeting of the Board of Mana- 
 gers of the Franklin Institute, September nth, 
 1866, the following preamble and resolutions 
 were adopted: 
 
 WHEREAS, MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN, one of 
 the earliest members of the Franklin Institute, 
 has, after a long and useful life, been separated 
 by death from his family and friends : and 
 
 WHEREAS, the Managers of the Institute, che- 
 rishing a lively recollection of his services as a 
 member, manager, and Vice-President, for many 
 years ; and also of the genius, skill, and industry
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 225 
 
 which marked his career as a mechanic and 
 manufacturer, deem it right to perpetuate on 
 their records their high estimation of his cha- 
 racter and worth : therefore 
 
 Resolved, That it is with deep sorrow they 
 have heard of the death of Mr. Baldwin, and 
 of the severance of those earthly ties which for 
 so many years bound him to the Institute and 
 to its members in the cordial bonds of useful- 
 ness, personal friendship, and honorable compe- 
 tition in business, and in the promotion of the 
 application of science to the useful arts. 
 
 Resolved, That we sincerely condole with his 
 immediate family and friends in this great be- 
 reavement, and trust that the consoling remem- 
 brances of his pure and honest character, his 
 Christian life and useful example to all men, 
 may calm their sense of his loss, and lead them 
 to that dependence on the source of all good, 
 which so manifestly sustained him during his 
 earthly career and made death the entrance to 
 eternal life and happiness. 
 
 Resolved, That as a further mark of our affec- 
 tion and respect for our deceased friend and 
 associate, we will in a body attend his funeral, 
 and that the members of the Institute be re- 
 29
 
 226 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 quested to join with us in paying this last tribute 
 to his memory. 
 
 Resohed, That a copy of the foregoing pre- 
 amble and resolutions be sent to the family of 
 Mr. Baldwin by the President of the Institute. 
 
 BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
 
 OLIVET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 
 Sept. ijth, 1866. 
 
 HAVING heard with sincere and deep sorrow 
 of the death of Matthias W. Baldwin, and be- 
 ing desirous at the first meeting since that event 
 of expressing our sense of the bereavement : 
 therefore 
 
 Resohed y First, That in view of the character 
 of the deceased, whose works testified to his 
 faith in the great Redeemer, and his love for 
 His cause, we find no ground of sorrow on his 
 own account for his removal from the earth. 
 
 Second, That in view of his pure morals, his 
 expanded principles, his warm patriotism, his 
 impartial benevolence, his large benefactions, 
 and exemplary Christian life, we express our
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 227 
 
 sense of the public loss and of the bereavement 
 sustained by the Christian Church, especially by 
 that denomination of which Mr. Baldwin was a 
 member and ruling elder. 
 
 Third, That we claim the privilege of joining 
 in the public expression of grief by reason of 
 our large share in his Christian liberality, both 
 when the church was first organized and in the 
 late attempts to enlarge her accommodations for 
 worship. His liberal donation has enabled us 
 to erect a House of God commodious and con- 
 venient, which we doubt not will remain for 
 generations to come a place for receiving saving 
 spiritual good, and this record is intended to 
 keep alive in the hearts of our people a grateful 
 remembrance of him who has now been called 
 to the "better country." 
 
 Fourth, That we hereby express our lively 
 sympathy with the bereaved family, acknow- 
 ledging at the same time that our warmest ex- 
 pressions are a small alleviation for the loss of 
 one so kind, so good, so provident, and so closely 
 endeared; whose loss in the family circle must 
 be irreparable, except as God shall make it 
 good.
 
 228 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 AT a meeting of the Executive Committee 
 of the Ministerial Relief Fund, held in the 
 Presbyterian House, Sept. 18, 1866, the follow- 
 ing paper was unanimously adopted : 
 
 "WHEREAS, it pleased the Lord, on the yth 
 of September, 1866, to remove from us by death, 
 Matthias W. Baldwin, Esq., of Philadelphia: 
 
 "AND WHEREAS, Mr. Baldwin, from the first, 
 was. a member of the Executive Committee of 
 the Ministerial Relief Fund: therefore 
 
 " Resolved, That while we bow with Christian 
 submission to this sad dispensation, we would 
 record our high appreciation of Mr. Baldwin as 
 one of the most excellent among men, and a 
 bright example in every department of useful- 
 ness. We also deplore the heavy loss which has 
 befallen us in his removal from our earthly asso- 
 ciations, to enter the everlasting rest which God 
 prepared for him in heaven."
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 229 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 19, 1866. 
 
 AT the stated meeting of the Pennsylvania 
 Horticultural Society, held last evening, the fol- 
 lowing resolutions, offered by Mr. Caleb Cope, 
 were unanimously adopted: 
 
 Resohed, That this Society records with the 
 profoundest sorrow the death of one of its Vice- 
 Presidents, Matthias W. Baldwin, who for many 
 years was a most attentive and useful member of 
 this institution, and during a considerable por- 
 tion of the time its able, courteous, and dignified 
 presiding officer. 
 
 Resohed, That this Society will ever bear in 
 grateful remembrance the valuable services ren- 
 dered to it, and through it to the public, by 
 reason of the many interesting contributions fur- 
 nished by Mr. Baldwin from his extensive con- 
 servatories on the Delaware, the more especially 
 for his liberal subscription to the Building fund, 
 without which the present effort to erect a Hall 
 for the uses of the Society would not be made. 
 
 Resohed, That whilst this Society deeply 
 mourns over its own bereavement, it deplores 
 also the loss which many other institutions, 
 churches, and individuals experience in the death 
 of so estimable a citizen, who illustrated a long
 
 230 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 life by the most munificent gifts, noble enter- 
 prises, and the observance of a uniform, urbane, 
 and truly Christian deportment. 
 
 Resolved, That whilst no words can adequately 
 express, and no acts sufficiently indicate the fra- 
 ternal attachment of the surviving members of 
 this Society to their departed and lamented 
 friend, they will take early measures to procure 
 a portrait of him, that it may adorn those walls 
 he had so materially aided to erect, trusting that 
 each spectator who may be favored to look upon 
 it in future years, may alike revere the memory 
 of the original, and endeavor to imitate his 
 bright example. 
 
 Resolved, That the pervading sadness visible 
 in the countenances of those assembled in this 
 Hall to-night, notwithstanding there is much 
 in the collected beautiful productions of nature 
 otherwise calculated to gladden and cheer, shows 
 how universal is the regret among those who 
 have for so many years witnessed the splendid 
 specimens of Horticulture which Mr. Baldwin 
 has so generously exposed to public view at the 
 meetings of the Society, and also in his elegant 
 conservatory on Chestnut Street, which was 
 erected and supplied for the benefit of that 
 public exclusively.
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 231 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of these proceedings, 
 signed by the President and Secretary, be pre- 
 sented to the immediate family of the deceased, 
 accompanied by the assurance that this Society 
 most deeply sympathizes with the members 
 thereof in the great calamity that has befallen 
 them. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 25, 1866. 
 THE Board of Directors of Horticultural Hall 
 have heard with the profoundest sorrow of the 
 decease of their late colleague and friend, Mat- 
 thias W. Baldwin, and have directed me to pre- 
 sent to the family of the departed the assurance 
 of their high esteem for him as a man, as a 
 public benefactor, as a truly Christian gentle- 
 man, whom all honored and all mourned. 
 When a good man dies, all men grieve. 
 With high respect, 
 
 A. W. HARRISON, Rec. Sec'ry. 
 
 To the family of the late M. W. BALDWIN.
 
 232 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS, 
 PHILADELPHIA, October ist, 1866. 
 
 AT a stated meeting of the Board of Managers, 
 held this day, the following preamble and reso- 
 lutions were presented by Franklin Peale: 
 
 WHEREAS : In assembling on this occasion, 
 we are made conscious of the vacancy in this 
 body by the decease of Matthias W. Baldwin, 
 so long a member of it ; whose presence has 
 always been recognized as an able and reliable 
 aid in the affairs of the institution; and his de- 
 parture as a loss of no ordinary character. 
 
 He became a member of the Board at the 
 annual election of 1852, and served on various 
 Committees, particularly that of Finance, in 
 which capacity he rendered efficient services 
 until his decease, which took place at Wissino- 
 ming, his suburban residence, on the yth of 
 September, 1866, in the seventy-first year of his 
 age. 
 
 We therefore deem it our duty to place on 
 the records of the Academy a brief but expres- 
 sive notice of the estimation in which he was 
 held as one of its managers, together with our 
 consideration of him as a member of the com-
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 233 
 
 munity at large ; a patron of the Fine Arts, and 
 a liberal and just man. 
 
 Be it therefore Resolved, That the Board accept 
 these remarks as a deserved tribute to his mem- 
 ory, and a just though faint expression of the 
 esteem in which he was held as their associate 
 and fellow-citizen. 
 
 Be it further Resolved, That this preamble and 
 resolutions be inserted on the Minutes of the 
 Academy as a permanent record of our senti- 
 ments, and that a copy of them, signed by the 
 President and Secretary, be transmitted to the 
 family of our late associate, in evidence of our 
 sympathy on this melancholy occasion. 
 
 RESOLUTIONS adopted by the Calvary Church 
 Session, at their first meeting after Mr. Bald- 
 win's decease, held October 17, 1866. 
 
 Resolved, That in the death of our late beloved 
 brother and highly esteemed elder, Matthias W. 
 Baldwin, we feel that we have met with a loss 
 which seems irreparable, and which fills us with 
 the deepest sorrow. 
 3
 
 234 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 That, while we reverently submit to the will 
 of God in this afflictive event, we desire to re- 
 cord our sense of the high value of his counsels, 
 example, and influence as a member of this ses- 
 sion, and of this church since its organization; 
 and also to express our gratitude to God for the 
 deeds of beneficence and piety which have dis- 
 tinguished our brother in this city and almost 
 throughout Christendom. 
 
 Resolved, That we hereby tender to the be- 
 reaved, and sorrowing family of our lamented 
 brother our Christian sympathy and our sincere 
 condolence, and also assure them that our earnest 
 prayer is, that the wisdom and grace which 
 guided him in life, and the faith and hope 
 which sustained him in death, may be their all- 
 sufficient support and comfort in this day of 
 grief and affliction. 
 
 That the Clerk be requested to send a copy 
 of these resolutions to Mrs. Baldwin. 
 
 CALVARY CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, December 3^, 1866. 
 WHEREAS, The Almighty Disposer of events, 
 who giveth life and taketh it away as seemeth
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 235 
 
 to Him good, has removed from among us Mr. 
 Matthias W. Baldwin, who has presided over 
 the interests of our Sunday School as Superin- 
 tendent from its organization until his death : 
 
 Resolved, That we, the officers and teachers of 
 the Sunday School he loved, recognize and en- 
 deavor to bow submissively to the Providence 
 which has thus afflicted us, feeling confident 
 that one who labored so earnestly in The Mas- 
 ter's cause has not failed to find that "to be with 
 Christ is far better" than even the joy of doing 
 good on the earth. 
 
 Resolved, That we will always cherish the 
 memory of our late Superintendent as one who 
 in childlike simplicity and earnest faith, with an 
 ever constant sense of the presence of God, and 
 of his dependence on Him, endeavored to be a 
 faithful steward of the Lord's bounties, and to 
 exemplify in his daily walk and conversation 
 the spirit of our holy religion. 
 
 Resolved, That though our school and the 
 church of which we form a part have suffered 
 a loss which seems to us irreparable in the re- 
 moval of Mr. Baldwin, we remember the blow 
 has fallen more heavily upon those who mourn 
 a husband and a father dead, and we desire to
 
 236 
 
 LIFE OF MATTHIAS W. BALDWIN. 
 
 express our heartfelt sympathy with them, and 
 give utterance to the prayer that his God may 
 be their support and consolation in this their 
 great sorrow. 
 
 Resolved, That these resolutions be entered 
 upon the Minutes of the Association, and that a 
 copy of the same be sent to the family of the 
 deceased. 
 
 B. Kendall, 
 Jno. R. Neff, 
 Samuel Mercer, 
 S. W. Colton, Jr., 
 
 D. C. McCammon, 
 Jno. H. Williams, 
 S. Henry Norris, 
 John A. Lewis, 
 Henry N. Paul, 
 Wm. B. Leidy, 
 
 M. L. Frederick, 
 Robert N. Willson, 
 A. McElroy, 
 John H. Atwood, 
 Charles Stewart Wurts, 
 Emily E. Strong, 
 
 E. A. White, 
 
 M. K. Nassau, 
 J. S. Erskine, 
 Kate B. Patton, 
 Mary E. Ashman, 
 Clara Redfield, 
 Eliza Cornwall, 
 Lizzie S. Dale, 
 Mrs. E. A. Groves, 
 A. M. Strong, 
 Anna C. McElroy, 
 Elizabeth E. Frost, 
 Emily Judson, 
 M. H. Frederick, 
 Mary S. Otto, 
 Sarah Scattergood, 
 H. M. Wurts.
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 237 
 
 AT a meeting of the Trustees of the Presby- 
 terian House, held in the House Wednesday, 
 December 5th, A. D. 1866 
 
 "The death of Matthias W. Baldwin, Esquire, 
 a Trustee of the House, was announced; where- 
 upon, it was 
 
 "Resolved, That the Trustees record, with 
 profound sorrow, their sense of the loss thus 
 sustained, to themselves, to the denomination, 
 and to the church at large. They deplore the 
 removal from themselves of a genial and gene- 
 rous co-laborer; from the denomination, of a 
 faithful and honored elder; from the church at 
 large, of a Christian whose liberality to all good 
 enterprises was as princely as his piety was sim- 
 ple and sincere. They recognize, in the death 
 of their late associate, the monitory exhortation 
 'to do with their might what their hands find 
 to do.'"
 
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