News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-03-27
THE ASTOR WILL.
SMALL GENEROSITY SHOWN IN
ITS REQUESTS.
Very Little Public Good from the Many
Millions.

The Astor will was great disappoint-
ment in New York. The richest man
in the city left it with such meagre
recognition of the peoples claim upon
him as fellow citizen that it was al
most worse than no remembrance at
all. There are but two estates in New
York that really dazzle the city and in
flame its imagination. One is the Van
derbilts' and tie other is the Astors'.
In both the public sees an opportunity
for charities which would make all
previous benefactions puny and dull.
But both W. III. Vanderbilt and John
Jacob Astor have missed their chance
to immortalize themselves i'll the an
nails of public spirit, and to mark the
beginning of new era and set new
unit of benevolence.
1t Law within the power of either of
these men to make the benefactions of
Peabody and his class of philanthropists
mere commonplace. Either of them
could have written in section in his
will that would have made the now I'M
paralleled gift of Senator Sanford
meagre, and still have left to his
natural heirs fortune practically I'M
diminished. Not to speak of nobler
motives, what worldwide and mag
nificent fame would have attended the
bestowal of a round 500, 900, 600 %
one noble object or group of objects?
What an imperial distinction such an
act would have forever conferred on
the family? And this might have been
done in either case without reducing
the share of the natural kin below the
line of the most opulent wealth.
To be a little more specific. The
whole Episcopal church i'll this cCun-
try is looking to see arise ere long in
this city Prote tant cathedral that
shall rank in majesty with any temple
of worship in the world. A superb
site has been purchased at an expense
of nearly 81 100000, and the best ar
chitects all over the world are study
ing out designs that shall be accepted
as worthy of the place and theme.
The Astor family were supposed to be
deeply interested in this subject. 1t
had voice in the board of trustees
and the site was chosen according to
report largely under the Astor influ
ence. John Jacob Aston has always
been a ve:y good strict churchman.
And what then did this richest Episco-
palian n the wo: Id, unless we except
one or two of the British dukes, give
as he left the world for this great
temple, the building of which he had
Of or no
few cents which many 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 York
recognize the existence of misery,
ignorance and depravity to be helped?
Well, he gave st. Luke's Hospital
800, 900, which ought to do 500, 900
worth of good. He gave $3.50, 900 to
the Astor library, which was very well
SO far as it goes, and it will 60 great
way in educating, gratifying and bet
tering the community. He gave the
Metropolitan Museum of Art $50, 900,
which will buy good picture or few
vases or few cabinets of bric-a-brac.
He gave $50, 900 to friend who was
already dead, and $4,000 to a cousin,
and that completed the message of re-
membrance 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 in
structions from him. Even the ordin-
airy ties of blood were ignored, not a
dollar, not relic or picture or best
Observation-Disclosures or-slsIex=oI-
nephew or niece or any kith or kin.