Evening star., 1897-02-20
A Pessfmfstfc Anticipation.


than f15.''
Pessimistfc Anticipation.
Franklin believed that the annual turning
over of this capital would continually aug
ment the fund, and he suggested that
there may be in time more than the occa-
sion in Boston may require. and then some
may be spared to the neighboring and other
towns in the state of Massachusetts" He
continued: IF this plan is executed and
succeeds as projected for one hundred
years, the sum will then be f131 ,OOO," of
which he desired 100000 to be laid out in
bridges, public buildings, etc, for the bene-
fit of the people of Boston.
The remaining thirty-one thousand
pounds, he says, will at the end of the
second hundred years. If no unfortunate
accident has prevented the operation. be-
come four millions and sixty-one thousand
pounds sterling" which he apportions then
between the city of Boston and the gov
he adds. to carry his views further. It
appears. however, that instead of the inn
mense cum of one hundred and thirty
Thousand pounds, or over half a million of
in the hundred years. 1t now amounts to
only about $4,000. So uncertain are the
anticipations Of the shrewdest of men as
to the operation of events in the future.
Franklins legacy has. however, still fu-
ture before it. Its benefits will be not pc
cuniarily enormous as he expected. but 1t
will probably be used during the present
north to endow a trades school, and thus
set cut in a new course Of beneficence.
Washington's Request.
George Washington's bequest of thou
sand pounds began where Franklin's has
ended. in a school. He had announced
some time before to the trustees of the
Alexandria Academy that it had been long
his intention Ito invest at my death one
md do tn, thn -
this state, in the hands of trustees; the
interest only Of which to be applied to in
stituting a school in the town of Alexar-
dria for the purpose of educating orphan
children or the children of such INDECENT
parents as are unable to give it." He fur
tier wrote: 1T is also my intention to ap-
ply the investment to the sole purpose Of
edrcation, and of that sort of education as
would be most extensively useful to the
people of the lower classes Of citizens, viz,
reading. writing and arithmetic, SO as to
fit them for mechanical purposes.
1.-The fund If confined to this would COM
prehend more subjects, but If the trustees
should conceive that this fund would be
more advantageously applied toward cloth
ing and schooling than solely toward tho
latter will acquiesce most cheerfully"
The trustees replied that "as to the propo-
sition of leaving it hereafter at the op-
tion OF the trustees to apply part Of the
benefaction to the purpose of clothing the
objects of 1t. they are of the opinion 1t will
be better to be applied toward schooling
them only"
Paid Interest Himself.
Washington himself paid the interest OF
this investment to the trustees while he
lived and by Ills will made the bequest
perpetual the Fl 600 being considered equal
to $4,000. He declares in his will that
Ito the trustees governors or by whatso-
ever other name they may be designated)
Of the academy in the town of Alexandria
l give and bequeath in trust $4,000, or in
other words twenty of the shares which
I hold in the Bank Of Alexandria, toward
the support of q free school established at
and annexed to said academy for the pur-
pose of educating such orphan children
or the children Of such other poor and
INDECENT persons as are unable to acom-
plish 1t with their own means, and who
In the judgment Of the trustees of the
said seminary are best entitled to the
benefits Of this donation. The aforesaid
petuity-the dividends of which are only
to be drawn for and applied by the eaid
trustees for the time being for the nses
above mentioned"
Began With Twenty Pupils.
The trustees, as soon as Washington's
bequest became available. made an agree
ment with Philip Webster under which he
contracted ito teach twenty scholars the
several branches of reading. English. writ
Ing and the common rules of arithmetic
for the sum of fifty pounds, being the do
nation Of General Washington" This
school was opened in the third story of
the Academy building. which still stands
on the rear Of the lot adjoining the pres
ent Washington public school, at the cor
ner of Washington and Wolfe streets. The
school was transferred about 1872 to the
UaHcasterian school building adjoining
and this building after continuing a free
school Of Alexandra for over half CEN
tury. gave way about fifteen years ago to
q comfortable building, an exact reproduc-
tion of the Amidon school building of
in the adjoining old Academy building,
where General Washington's school was
first established. there are now twelve
public schools for boys. and the entire pub
lie school system which has grown out Of