Stephen Girard
Stephen Girard ( born May 24, 1750 in near Bordeaux, † December 26, 1831 in Philadelphia ) was a philanthropist.
Stephen Girard, the son of a sea captain, turned at a young age to America and acquired as a seafaring and merchant in the beginning of this century a considerable fortune in New Orleans, but mainly in Philadelphia, where he died December 26, 1831.
As a private citizen life the roughness and frugality of an old sailor's showing it in small stingy to hardness of heart, he was in public affairs by an unprecedented generosity.
This was especially the city of Philadelphia already in his lifetime, but still more by his legacy benefit. The majority of his 40 million Mk amount forming the estate he intended for construction of bearing his name Girard College, one of the most important and mustergültigsten education buildings in the world.
A 40 acres of good land belonging to him in the northwestern part of Philadelphia, he intended for the necessary buildings. The same was started in 1834, and in 1847 the institution was already taking 300 pupils, whose number has grown in the year 1890 to 1600.
Excluding the costs of this building, which has four produced in marble and iron without any wood material large residences, the classroom building listed in the style of the Acropolis and the 10 -foot high granite walls around the huge plot in itself, amounted to close to 3 million dollars.
After determining the interest of Girard's leftover capital of 7 million may Doll. not be accumulated, but must always be used annually for construction and improvements. This now presents four new splendor buildings and a large church have come to perform and increases the number of pupils who enjoy the best instruction to 1600.
Orphans from Philadelphia in the first row, then those from the State of Pennsylvania, and finally those from New Orleans in age from 6 to 10 years here recording, education and care. You may, depending on the sphere, they have chosen to remain in the hospital up to 18 years. Have they done good, so get it from its disposal a well-filled suitcase of clothes and linen to the value of 75 Doll. ( Mk 300 ).
Even if they are entered into the laboring life, they remain permanently under the protection of the institution. Thus in education, respectively. Punishment of a pupil no partiality is possible G. has not specified the handling of the criminal court in the hands of teachers, but of the respective mayor and the city fathers, who are the trustees of the institution.
The teaching of religion as the Sunday service shall not be granted by the clergy, but by the teachers and is limited almost entirely to moral philosophy. After a determination of the will is no clergy of any religion of entry into the institution itself, even a short visit, permitted.
Girard did not want to be blessed company of the bone of contention rampant in the United States sectarianism will, which now (1890) has recorded no less than 134 different Christian sects religion except Judaism and the Catholic Church.