Page:Life of Isaiah V Williamson.djvu/64

46 who have won fortunes, and who have withdrawn from active business, and who have made to education and charities the best of all gifts, the gift of their time and talents to college and church work, notably in Philadelphia, Charles Custis Harrison and the late George C. Thomas, and in New York, Morris K. Jesup.

To Isaiah Williamson, who was not constitutionally strong, and who was a bachelor with simple tastes, one hundred thousand dollars, in the thirties, was a mountain of money far in excess of his personal needs. His decision to retire in favor of his younger brother was characteristic of the man. He always knew when to stop. He was a man of few words, good at listening but quick to stop when through speaking, or when he had made his bargain or concluded his investment. The subsequent events of his life prove that he knew when to stop giving all his time and attention to a drygoods business on Market Street.

It must also be borne in mind that the country Quaker loved quiet and needed much rest. He was fond of books. The extremely