MORRIS 



3956 



MORRISTOWN 



Independence in 1776. He established the 

 Bank of North America in 1781 and later be- 

 came a member of the first United States Sen- 

 ate. In marked contrast to his earlier B 

 in finances, some of his later years were spent 

 in a debtor's cell, owing to heavy speculations. 

 but he was released by the bankruptcy law of 

 1802. 



MORRIS, WILLIAM (1834-1896), an English 

 poet and artist, and designer of the well-known 

 Morris chair, was bora at Walthamstow, in Es- 

 Ile was a most precocious child, reading 

 the Waverley Novels at the age of four; yet 

 he was fond of out-of-door life, and used to 

 ride on horseback about Epping Forest in a 

 toy suit of armor, acting out stories of his 

 favorite heroes. At Marlborough School he 

 failed to distinguish himself, but at Oxford he 

 proved a real influence in his little circle. One 

 of his closest friendships, formed in college, was 

 with Edward Burne-Jones. Morris contributed 

 to the Oxford and Cambridge Magazine, which 

 was issued for a year at his expense; and in 

 1858 produced The Defence of Guenevcrc, and 

 Other Poems, which possess the very spirit of 

 medieval romanticism. 



Although he had intended entering the 

 Church, he decided upon architecture as a pro- 

 fession; with Burne-Jones and Rossetti he exer- 

 cised his talents at painting, and finally found 

 his real interest in the subject of house decora- 

 tion. In 1861 he helped to found a company 

 for the manufacture of artistic furniture and 

 decorative articles, and thereafter devoted 

 much of his time to this enterprise and to the 

 art of bookbinding. In the meantime he con- 

 tinued his poetic production, chiefly of stirring 

 narratives on subjects from ancient and medie- 

 val history. Notable among these are the Life 

 and Death of Jason; The Earthly Paradise; 

 Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Ni- 

 blungs; The House of the Wolfings and The 

 Story of the Glittering Plain, these last two in 

 prose and verse combined. 



From 1885 until his death he was a strong 

 advocate of Socialism, on the principles of 

 which he wrote and lectured; and he was the 

 personal friend of the workingmen of his neigh- 

 borhood. It is for his far-reaching influence in 

 improving the general taste in household fur- 

 nishing that Morris is especially famous. His 

 statement "I would have nothing in my home 

 that I do not know to be useful or believe to 

 be ornamental" states his doctrine. 



Consult Noyes' William Morris; Gary's Wil- 

 liam Morris, Poet, Craftsman and Socialist. 



MORRIS PLAN BANKS. A new type of 



hank has recently appeared in the United 

 State-, and is rapidly achieving importance. 

 [tfl purpose is to lend money to "the small 

 man." who. no mutter how good his character, 

 lias previously been unable to borrow in times 

 of need except from "loan-sharks," charitable 

 organizations or friends. In Germany there are 

 over 17,000 banks of similar purpose, in Italy 

 nearly 1,000, and the greatest banks in France 

 will lend sums even smaller than ten dollars. 

 But, until Mr. Arthur J. Morris of Norfolk, 

 Va., founded the first bank in 1900, there was 

 probably no such institution in America. At 

 first the Morris Plan spread slowly; at the end 

 of October, 1914, there were only fifteen banks. 

 But at the close of 1916 there were sixty banks 

 in operation or being organized, and in August, 

 1916, loans passed the mark of $20,000,000 a 

 year. 



The average borrower of this type of bank 

 has an income of $25 a week. Sometimes he 

 wishes to repay other debts, and if he has been 

 a victim of a "loan-shark" the bank will prose- 

 cute the usurer for him. At other times the 

 borrower needs money for emergency expenses, 

 or wishes to expand a small business. Usually 

 he borrows about $100 ; this he pays back at the 

 rate of $2 a week, with bank interest. His note 

 is indorsed by two men of his own station in 

 life, who are notified as soon as he fails to make 

 a weekly payment. Less than one dollar is lost 

 in every thousand loaned under the Morris 

 Plan, and only about twenty dollars in every 

 thousand are paid by indorsers. Among the 

 officers of the first New York bank are a former 

 state bank controller, a former assistant secre- 

 tary of the navy, two railroad presidents, the 

 president of a large trust company and the 

 heads of some of the best-known manufacturing 

 companies in the country. 



MORRISTOWN, N. J., the county seat of 

 Morris County, is a wealthy residential town 

 thirty miles west and north of New York City 

 It is a favorite resort because of its beautiful 

 location in the hills and its healthful altitude. 

 It is on the Whippany River and on the Dela- 

 ware, Lackawanna & Western, the New Jer- 

 sey & Pennsylvania and the Morristown & Erie 

 railroads and an interurban electric line. The 

 area is three square miles. In 1910 the popu- 

 lation was 12,507; in 1916 it was 13,284 (Federal 

 estimate). 



Practically the only industry is the cultiva- 

 tion of fruits and flowers (especially peaches 

 and roses) and vegetables, which are shipped 



