Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-15
WITH LAVISH HAND
John Crerar, of Chicago, Dealt
Out Benefactions.
MILLIONS FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD.

The Western Metropolis Given $780,
900 for Free Public Llbrary-A Score
of Charitable. Educational and Relig-
ious Institutions Generously Remsm-
bored and Their Sphere OF Usefulness
Eniarged-A 500. 900 Statue OF Lin
ooln Provided For-The Requests
CHICAGO, Nov i5-Chicago is richer by
over 81, 500. 900 by the death of the late John
Crsrar, OF the firm OF Crerar. Adams & Co,
railway supplies Me-. Crersr was taken i'll
last summer at Atlantic City, and was
brought 10 Chicago by his friends and died
in the house OF Norman Williams His will
was probated by Judge Knickerbocker yes
terday, and it makes bequests OF public
and religious character amounting to over
o., 500, 600. His entire state is valued at
Is, $50, 900, Of which only $780, 900 Is in real
estate The most important bequsst is one
Of about 81 500 900 for the establishment of
public library in the south division OF the
city, which its philanthropic founder directs
shall contain no immortality or nsstiness in
the way of French novels The requests to
relatives and personal friends run up TO
nearly t1,o00,O00
The Executors aud Relatives
From a public standpoint Mr.. Crerar's
will is the most important that has been pro-
bated since Walter L Newberry's will was
admitted. His two warmest and most init
mate friends, Norman Williams and Col
Huntington W. jackson, are made sole
trustees and executors of tue will They
filed petition in the probate court and were
ad -, -
g., O0o, 900, which they preferred to give not
outstanding Mr. Crerar in bis will absolved
hem from doing so. The executors stated
pIat Mr.. Crerar was unmarried aud his
surviving relatives are Mrs Elizabeth b
Mead and Mrs Agnes Bunyan, Of West
Charlton, N Y, aud other persons whom
they did not know, but WHOSE names are
given by the deceased in his testament. They
are all first, second and third cousins.
List Of the Requests
OF the estate $50, 900 goes to the Rev. S j.
Mcpherson Of the Second Presbyterian
church; to the trustees Of this church for the
benefit of church $40, 900; to the same for
use OF the mission schools, 500, 900; to tue
Scotch Presbyterian church, Fourteenth
street ne0r Sixth avenue. New York, S25,-
900; Chicago Orphan asylum, $50, 900: Chr
cago Historical society. SIS. 900; Chicago
Presbyterian hospital SIS, 900: St. Luke's
hospital, SIS, 900; Chicago Bible society,
SIS, 600; the American Sunday School union,
$50, 900; Chicago Relief and Aid society,
S. 900; St Andrews society, OF New York
$4,000; Illinois Training School Tor Nurses,
$500 TO trustees OF Chicago Literary
club. $4,000; Chicago Manual Training
school, $50, OO0; Presbyterian League OF
Chicago, $50 coo; Old Peoples Home OF Chi
q.
lsss, $1,000; St Andrews Society OF Chi
oogo, $1,000
Statue to Lincoln.
In addition 500, 900 is bequsathed for the
erection OF a colossal statue of Lincoln, the
location TO he selected by the trustees;
Young Mems Christian association OF Chr
cago, $4,000; Greenwood Cemetery associa-
tion. New York. 81 900, for care OF the fam
lily lot; and for the erection Of a free public
library in Chicago, to he called the John
Crerar library. all the rest Of the estate not
otherwise bequesthed, which, as stated,
will aggre about 81 ,500,0J
The Free Public Library.
As TO the public library TO be founded and
which is TO bear the name OF the deceased
philanthropist, Librarian Hid of the CITY
public library, said: SChicago will thus be-
come the only city Of America with more
has none at all. They have the Mercantile
library which is the largest In America but
which Is not free. They have the Lsnox
library, which contains thousands OF rare
and valuable books, but viii CD is very hard
Of access, and they have the Astor reference
library. The only really public library in
New York Is supported by charity
The CIass of Literature.
Tue viii says with reference To the class Of
literature 10 be on the shelves OF the library:
Il desire that books and periodicals be Sc
lected with a view to create and sustain a
healthy moral and Christian sentiment in
the community, and that all nastiness and
immortality b. excluded. l do not mean by
this that there shall not be anything but
hymn books and sermons but mea that
dirty French novels and all skeptical trash
and works OF questionable moral tons shall
never be found IN this library.
II want its atmosphere that OF Christian
refinement and its aim and object the build
ing up OF character; and | rest content that
the friends ] have nsmsd will carry out my
wishes In these particulars"
Importance OF the Gift.
The importance OF even the smallest Of
these gifts TO the institutions they are to ben
eft can not bs ovsrestimated Mr. Gre
rar forgot nobody-no known relative, and
no institution with which he was at all ia
mlliar. The bequssts to the Chicago Or
phan asylum, the Nursery and Half Orphan
asylum. the Historical society, the Training
School for Nurses, the i. NJ G. A. aud the
Manual Training school are rs great in pro-
portion as a windfail Of tlOO,O1l would he 70
an ordinary day lAborer. It lit4 them ali
completely above the struggle for existence
which they have so long and 50 faithfully
waged.