The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-09
MONEY TO THE LIBRARIES
Some Enormous Bequests by Public
Spirited Men.
NEW YORKS GREAT CONSOLIDATED

NEW YORK'S GREAT CONSOLIDATED
Library Not So Large as Those OF
Boston, Cambridge or Chicago.
CHICAGO, Jan. 8-The consolidation
of the Astor and Lenox libraries with
the Tilden library fund gives to New
York city one of the most richly en-
dowed libraries in the United States.
The Tilden fund is about 81, 700, 900.
The Lenox library is worth So, 900, 900.
The Astor family gave to the Aston Ii
brary more than 81 200, 900. This makes
the value of the consolidated library
nearly So, 900, 900, which is the greatest
endowment in the history of American
libraries The only library which ap-
proaches these in this respect is the
Newberry library. in Chicago, to which
was left property which has been ap-
praised at various amounts from $2,-
000,0 to $4,000, 900. There are less
than 60 libraries in the United States
having an endowment as great as $780,
600. The most wealthy of these endowed
institutions are:
Newberry library, Chicago S., 600 OO0
University of Minnesota library, Min
neapOl1S. 500, GOO
Auburn Theological seminary, New
York............. ...................... 62s. OO9
Boston AthenRum. Observation-Disclosures. 55T, 76O
Lehigh university, Pennsylvania. 449. 1876
Library company of Philadelphia. 433, 700
Harvard university .................... 392. 600
Cornell university Observation-Disclosures, 300 GOO
Case library, Cleveland. .............. 5OO 600
Silas Bronson library, Waterbury,
Conn. ........................... 1852, 9s4
Boston Public library. Observation-Disclosures. 201. o97
Peabody institute, Peabody. Mass. 165 600
American Academy Arts and Sciences,
Boston. .......................... 1so 568
Chicago Historical society.,. 125 G3o
Haverhin Public library, Massachu-
sets. Observation-Disclosures. 1872 COS
Mercantile Library company. Phila-
delph1a. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 122 COO
Long Island Historical society, Brook
Ign. ...................-.... 1s1.oOo
ter. Mass. ......................... 1858
Northwestern university, Evanston,
Ind ..................... l12,ooo
Bangor Public library, Maine.......... 112O00
Perkins Institute For the Blind, South
Boston. ........................... 1o7, 500
Apprentices library, Philadelphia. 1O5 500
Public library, New London, Conn.,. 100000
American Geographical society, New
York ........................ 100000
Columbia college, New York 100 600
Peabody Academy of Science, Salem,
Mass. ........................ 100000
Grosvenor Public library, Buffalo. 100, eco
Add together all the endowments in
excess of $50, 200 which belong to the
libraries of the United States, and you
have grand total of about $12, 500, 900,
of which the end0wments of the New
berry library, Chicago, and the CONSOLE
dated Astor-L eHoxsTilden library, New
York, have nearly -thirds-that is,
those two libraries together are richer
twice told than all the other great libra
ries in the United States combined.
Endowments and Actual Value.
OF course this question of endow-
ments, in most cases, does not take into
consideration the requests of books made
to libraries or the actual value of the
matter on the library shelves. Many Of
the great libraries of the country have
been made rich without an endowment
by the liberality of some biblophile.
The largest and richest libraries are not
always those with large endowments.
The Newberry library, with all its
wealth, is still a comparatively unim-
portant institution. Walter l. New
berry, whose will gave to this library
one-half his large estate, was Chicago
merchant who was born in Windsor,
Conn, and who received a good early
education and was intended for West
Point. Most of the endowments for
1DIdI16S anu Aduy VI IuOSS 4OI II0 SISd6
universities have come from successful
merchants who were not graduates OF
the colleges.
Harvard and Yale.
The Harvard library, which stands
with the Boston library among the great
book collections Of the country, has Sc
ceived it's supplies from hundred diff
ferent sources. Its early benefactt1rs
were Governor Winthrop. Richard Bel
bingham, John Lightfoot. Sir Kenelm
Digby and Richard Baxter. In 1877 the
library collection was doubled by a be-
quest from Rev. Theophilus Gale, a
learned philosopher. United States Sen
ator Christopher Gore Of Massachusetts
gave 100000 to the library, and Gore
hall is named in his honor. E. P. Green
leaf, Boston miser. left $500, 900 to
the college, of which 8 part was to be
devoted to the establishment of the
Greenleaf department in the library.
James Walker, once president of the col
lege, bequeathed to it SIS, 900 and his
valuable library. Francis G. Gray,
Boston attorney, left 5000 engravings
to the library and a fund of $4,000 to
maintain them, and his nephew added
$25, 900 to the bequest for the purchase
of books
Rev. Peter Buckley, the founder OF
Concord, Mass, contributed his own il
brary, valuable for that day, in 1869.
Israel Thorndike, a Boston merchant
who knew only the advantages of a
common school education, presented to
the library the collection of 10, 600 maps