The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-05-15

HIS METHODS AS A PHILANTHRoPIsT-
SOME DlsCoURASISG EXPERIENCES.
Appleton's Journal.

Appleton's Journal.
The career Of Mr.. Gerrit Smith, SO
felicitously set forth by Mr.. Frothing-
ham in his recent biography, affords
in one particular lesson which is we'll
worth psusing over, on account of the
hight which it throws upon the vexed
Questions Of what Mr.. Herb Spencer
calls sociology OF all the accusation.
that have discredited political economy
in the minds of good aud worthy peo-
pie. there is meme. perhaps, that has
bsen so influential a. the charge that
it discourages individual charity, and
thus 'dries up benevolsncs at its
source A conception of duty which
10 inculcated by religion. and fortified
by the moral sentiment of mankind. is
not to be shaken by argument drawn
from abstract considerations of human
nature, and. as the economists can
only deal with general principles. it is
not surprising that their cold -blooded
theories have made hostility rather than
produced convictions; but no candid
persons will deny that under the social
compact given course of conduct is
to be jadged by its results to society,
and it Is because of the striking illus
tration which Mr. Smiths life affords
In the practical outcome of certain
ideas that it is peculiarly worthy of
study and reflection.
Mr.. Smith was almost the Christian
ideal of charitable man. He did not
comply literally with the scriptural in
junction to sell all one has and give to
the poor, but he really did far more; he
devoted all the energies of rare busi-
ness abilities TO the accumulation of for
tunes. which he successively and un-
reservedly gave away. Had he merely
bestowed the large patrimony with
which he started it would have been
Insignificant proportion to the ultimate
aggregate of his bcnefactions; but, in
stead of sterilizing his faculties by de-
priving them of the instrument which
they could use most productivity. he
made himself, as it were. a living
spring from which flowed q copious
and continuous stream of muniicence
During the greater portion of his life.
according to his biographer's estimate.
his income varied from forty to sixty
thousand dollars year. and of this
princely revenue he not only gave
away regularly, year by year, by far
the greater part, but sometimes en-
croached upon his capital in order to
meet the multitudinous demands which
his reputation for benevolence brought
upon him. What he reserved for his
own uses amounted to much less than
be often bestowed upon q single object
that appealed to his sympsthies. His
house, . large wooden mansion, was
meager in it's appointments. He spent
nothing on pleasure. nothing on
amusement and next to nothing on
dress. He bought no luxuries. orna-
ments or trinkets, purchased neither
pictures nor bronzes. forbade needless
household decorations, gave no holi-
day presents. indulged his family in
no expensive dainties. His personal
expenses were absurdly small. even for
q man of moderate means. not for the
reason that he was ascetic, but for the
reason that money, in bis opinion. was
worth too much to be wasted on frivol-
tiles, on things that the rust corrupted
and the moth devoured. His house
was large. for it answered the demands
of his hospitality. His table was
bountiful. as it must have been TO feed
the people who came IN on the high
ways and bywsys; but there was never
the least ostentstion. There was all
that hospitality required, but nothing
more On the other hand, be rarely
turned deaf ear to any sort of appeal
for charity. Besides his public contri.
buttons, he literally gave away fortunes
to relieve private distress. The daily
applications from strangers often
amounted to tens Of thousands Of dol.
lars; more than once they reached q
hundred thousand and over. Old men
and women ask for sustenapees in their
infirmity. To redeem farms. to buy
unproductive land, to send children to
school. applications were made from
every part of the country. A girl
wants q piano; . boy wants money to
buy . watch. and incloses q photo.
graphic likeness of himself. to be re.
turned in case the request is declined.
A woman solicits the gift OF an alpaca
dress. and is particular that the trim
mings be sent with it. The small
checks few about in all directions, car
rying in the aggregate thousands of
dollars; but, not content with meeting
the ordinary demands upon him. Mr..
Smith Was continually devising
new methods Of assisting the needy.
At one time he distributed $4,000
among the destitute old maids and wild
ows of New York State. In 1916 he
gave to the poor colored people Of the
state 5000 farms averaging from 40 to
60 acres each, and himself bore all the
expenses connected with the drawing
and recording of the deeds. In lS49-
so he gave similar farms to 1000 white
males of the state. and, besides accom-
panying each deed with 80 in cash.
gave $50 TO each of 500 white females
Certainly Mr.. Smith. if any man
had the right 10 expect to see and
recognize those benefits that are s1p-
posed to wait upon deeds; His gift of
the farms not only impoverished still
further the poor recipients. but was the
prolific source of inumerable disputes
and wrangles. and was even made the
occasion of imputations npon the donors
candor and integrity. Mr.. Smith
himself was compelled TO acknowledge
that this particular benehcence which
had seemed 80 wisely adapted to avoid
the objections to ordinary modes Of
piving-hsd done more harm than
good TO those who had been designed