The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-24
A RETROsPECTION,

The winding up of the Lick trust makes
it timely to consider what the millionaires
of California have done for their State on
scale which bears some relation to the
magnifcence of their fortunes. 1t should
be remembered that James Lick was by nc
means as rich as number of others, but
still he felt able to make the following do
nations for the public benefit:
Statue of Francis Scott Key, in Golden
Gate Park, $4,000.
Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton
500, 900.
Protestant Orphan Asylum, San Fran
cisco, SIS, 900.
Protestant Orphan Asylum, San Jose,
$4,000.
Ladies' Protection and Relief Society of
San Francisco, $3.50
Mechanics Institute of San Francisco,
for the purchase of scientific and mechani-
cal works, $4,000.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals of San Francisco, $4,000.
Old Ladies' Home of San Francisco,
500, 900.
Free baths on Tenth street, $4,000.
School of Mechanical Arts, $40, 900.
OlIy f1dtl dik,
These foot up 81, 745, 600 in hard cash.
Only two other public benefactors on a
magnificent scale are to be mentioned-Le-
land Stanford, the estimated original value
(since greatly shrunken) of whose prop
erty set aside for the Stanford University
being $20,000000, and Mr.. Searfes, whose
gift of the Hopkins Institute of Art has
value of about 81, 900 900. The Crocker Old
Ladies' Home is most benefcent institu-
tion though, useful as it is, it can hardly
be classed with the splendid gifts Of STAN
ford, Lick and Searles. 1t is true that
many of our millionaires are doing count
less private deeds of benevolence, and thus
relieving distress and helping the strug-
Cling poor in the battle of life, but we are
now considering those public benefactions
which have spectacular and monumental
character.
James G. Fair died without availing
himself of the opportunity, and left an es-
tate which serves as an excellent school
for scandal, avarice and foguery. Flood,
O'Brien, Sharon and others of their kind
left only such monuments as live in the
unkindly memories of men, and the heirs
of their vast estates have shown them
selves worthy of their origin. OF all the
bonanza kings none lives except in the
shadow of his name and has left no monu-
mental trace of that generous spirit which
belongs SO distinetiyely to Californians of
less splendid fortunes.
Nothing here is said in derogation of
the great value of our millionaires in en-
ploying their wealth to the building of the
State, for 1t is really by this standard that
their higher worth is to be measured. 1t
is proper also to make allowance for the
possibility of a modesty that may deter
some from SO conspicuous an attitude as
a great public benefaction would create.
Nor is it desired that the extensive private
charities of these men and women should
be belittled to the smallest degree. And
we have in memory one deplorable case in
which miliionaire's intention to create a
splendid institution for the encourage
ment of art was abandoned in sense of
outrage because of a sneering paragraph
that some satirical writer flung at his head
But the fact that monumental gifts to the
State and City have been confined to so
few of those who are able to make them re-
mains as reproach which grows in magni-
tude with the passing of time and the con-
tinuous accumulation of wealth.