The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-10
SMALL GENEROSITY.
JOHN JACOB ASTOR'S MEAGER
PUBLIC REQUESTS.
he Would Not Take the Chance to
Immortal &c the Family Name-No
n,....-n. g. "a Cathedral

he Would Not Take the Chance to
Immortal &c the Family Name-No
Thought for the Cathedral
Flora the Boston Advertiser.
New YORK, March 6.-The Astor will
was a grea- disappointment. The richest
man in the city left it with such a meager
recognition OF the peoples claim upon him
as fellow citizen that it was almost worse
than no remembrance at all. There are
but two estates in New York that really
dazzle the city and lufame its Imagination.
One is the Vanderbilts' ard the other is the
Astors' In both the public sees an oppor-
tunity for charities which would make all
previous benefactions puny and dull. Both
". Il Vanderbilt and John Jacob Aston
have missed their chance to immortalize
themselves in the annals of public spirit, and
to mark the beginning of a new era and
set a new unit of benevolence.
1t lay within the power of either Of these
men to make the benefaci ions Of Peabody
and his class of phiianthropists mere com
nonpiace Either of them could have
written in a section in his will that would
have made the now unparalleled gift of
Senator Sta ford meager. and still have
left to his natural heirs fortune p actlcalIy
undiminished. Not to speak OF nobler
motives, what g worldwide and magulh-
cent fame would have attended the be-
stowal of a round 500, 100000 to one noble
object or group of objectss What an I'M
perial distinction such an act would have
have forever conferred on the famlyl And
this might have been done IN either case
without reducing tie share of the natural
kin below the line Of the most opulent
wealth.
To be little more specific. The whole
Episcopal church in this country is looking
to see arise ere long in this city Protes-
tant cathedral that snail rank in majesty
with any temple Of worship in the world.
A superb site has been purchased at an
expense of nearly 100000. and the best
architects ali over the world are studying
out designs that shall be accepted as worthy
of the place and the theme. The Aston
family were supposed to be deeply inter-
ested in this subject. 1t had voice in the
board of trustees and she site was
chosen according to report largely under
the Astor influence. John Jacob Astor has
always been very good strict churchman.
And what, then, did this richest Episcopa-
Ian in the world, unless we except one or
two of the British dukes, give as he left
the world for this great temple, the build
ing of waich he had so much at heart?
Not a cent, not the few cents which many
a poor Catholic servant girl gives to the
building of the new church in her PARISH.
In other directions of charity, how far
did the richest man in New Y ork recognize
the existence of misery, ignorance, and de-
pravity TO be helped? Well he gave st.
Luke's hospital 500. COO, which ought to do
100000 worth of good. He gave $450,000
TO the Aston library, which was very well
SO far as it goes, and it will go great way
in educating, gratifying and lettering the
community. He gave the Metropolitan
Museum of Art $4,000, which will
buy good picture or few
vases or few cabinets of bric-a-brac. He
gave $50, 900 to a friend who was already
dead, and $50, 000 to a cousin, and that com
pleted the message Of remembrance or love
that he had to the world in general The
rest of his money he left just where the law
would have sent it without any instructions
from him. Even the ordinary ties of blood
were ignored, not a dollar, not a relic or
picture or best bedstead goes to brother or
sister or nephew or niece or any kith or kin.
The first gift which William Waldorf
Astor made out of his increased possessions
was one of IS 900 to the police pension fund
in acknowledgment Of the service rem
dered by the police at his fathers funeral.
On this occasion the neighborhood looked
as if it might be the scene of an expected
riot. so numerous and alert were the police
men in attendance. The owner of 5000
houses evidently desires TO be on good
terms with the constabulary, and with
small wonder The question now is what
will the heir do with his money! VIII he
Galply continue to serve as the nucleus of
vast landlordism, or will he be disposed to
use his possessions as a lever to social or
political ambition? He has given indication
Of a broader mental horizon than his father.
He filed the digniied and important Office
of minister to Italy with respectable de-
gree of ability, and his literary perform
ances have also been OF respectable merit.
Either in diplomacy or literature the ac-
Invites Of the richest man in America
would be apt to find full appreciation. He
certainly will not have TO cultivate either
on a little oatmeal.