The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-06
RocIsefeIIer.s Gifts.


Mr.. John d. Rockefeller, the chief Of
the coal oil millionaires. is making
wise use Of his wealth. He has given
I $4,000 10 the Chicago University in the
last five years. and has just announced
/ that he will give that institution another
/ Sl,00O.co0 on Jan. /. and an additional
/ S2,OO9.C0Q, provided the trustees will secure
1 10000 from some other source. 1t is
/ certain therefore that on Jan. / his gifts
to the university viii amount to 100000.
and they may amount to 100000 soon
after that date.
The Chicago University has excellent
reasons to feel grateful to Mr.. Rookie
Teller. 1t was established very recently.
and yet it is more richly endowed through
Mr.. Rockefeller's generosity than most of
the other colleges and institutions Of
this country. And Mr.. Rockefeller's
wealth viii serve a much better purpose
than if he should hoard it for his chill
dren They viii have sufficient to make
them comfortable. and will be far happier
doubtless than if their father should
save all Of his accumulations for them
1t is better that Mr.. Rockefeller's millions
should be applied to building up insti-
tutions Of learning than that it should
be taken to Europe to be squandercd by
poverty stricken members of the no
bility, or to pay of mortgages on the
estates that have been encountered by
the reckless extravaganza of their own
ers.
OF course our millionaires are free to
do as they please with their wealth, but
they could make their memories honored
by coming generations if they would use
part Of their wealth in building up ed
vocational and charitable institutions. 1t
is true some Of them have done well.
Mr. Tilden gave the most Of his great
fortune to establish a free library in
New York, though owing to a decision
Of the courts, his fun purpose was not
carried out. The Vanderbilts have es-
tablshed a fine university at Nashville,
Tenn. Mr.. Stanford created great uni
versity in California. Mr.. Lick estab-
lished a magnificent observatory and
equipped it with one of the finest tele-
scopes in the world; MIR. Carnegie has
given a magnificent library to Allegheny,
and purposes giving one to Pittsburg,
and Mr.. Fagerweather distributed mill
ions among the colleges of the north.
The great majority of our millonaires,
however, have done absolutely nothing
to benefit humanity. Is it not far bet
ter to be remembered as Girard and
Smithson are than as men who were
fortunate in accommodating money?
The south has very few rich men. and
consequently her educational institutions
are needy How fortunate it would be
for our university at Athens If some gen
erous millionaire should endow it with
few millions of dollars, and how CRATE
full the University of Virginia would be
at this time for a few hundred thousand
dollars! Some of the most important
buildings of the latter institution were
recently destroyed by fire, and its trus-
tees do not know where to look for the
means to rebuild them.
The northern journals sometimes crit
icse the southern people for not having
better schools. They forget that the
northern colleges are nearly all richly
endowed, and that their section has enor-
nous wealth to sustain its public schools.
The south in time may be better able
to improve her colleges and schools. Just
now she is burdeniDg herself greatly to
sustain them.