Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-25
PUBLIC LIBRARY DONATIONS
Fortunes Which Have Been Given That the
People May Read.
a Timely COLLATION. of Facts About the
Liberaiity OF Men of Wealth
Toward Cities.

during the present winter upon the large
gifts by Mr.. Andrew Carnegie to one COM
munity after another for public library
purposes The offer to Washington of a
S25o.0O0 building and the later offer of a
100000 building to Atlanta, Ga. lend cur
rent interest to the following account a
similar requests and donations by liberal
men Of wealth. which was published some
time ago in The columns of the New York
Critic:
New York Public Iibrary-Astor founda-
tion-John Jacob Astor, 100000: william
B. Aston. upward Of $3.50 600: John jacob
Astor, 100000: the value OF the total en-
dowment of the Astor library on December
81, 1894. was 81, l05. s7l.s7. Lenox founda-
uon-Mr. James Lenox's gifts to the Lenox
library from 1870 to. 1880 tthe year OF his
DEATH were. in 1870 $500 600: 1871. 500 600.
1872, s1000O0; 1874. $l3o, 100: 1875, $4,000;
1876, 100000: total, STS5 600 besides books.
works or art, etc, and ten lots for the IL
brary's site. The value of all these gifts
has considerably increased, especially that
or the real estate. Tflden foundation-The
amount already handed over by the T1lden
estate TO the New York Public Library is
something over $1,000 90. The total amount
the library is expected TO realize from this
source is set at s.. 125.UoO
BY the Will OF the late John Crerar the
john Crerar Library OF Chicago was made
that the executors of the estate should use
their discretion as TO the time of the pay
ment of this bequest. Under this will the
directors OF the John Crerar Library have
received from the trustees and executors
OF the estate the sum of 81, s5I 1871 and they
nave been Informed that the trustees still
hoid Tor the library property OF an esti-
mated value of 1868, 06O. This would make
the total amount of Mr. Crerar's beuuest
STA, 1871.
The bequest OF Mr.. Walter l.. Newberrv
70 me NeWberry Library Of Chicago was
one-haf or his estate, which at the time
the bequest became available and was set
apart for the library was valued in round
numbers at S.oo0.oO0. thereby making the
endowment TO the library 81 5oOeoO
The gifts made by Mr. Carnegie 70 tba
library IN Pittsburg, Pa, bearing his name
are ssoo,oo for the erection of the main
ouldlng, S5oO.UD for the erection OF branch
pulidings, and an endowment OF sIOO0OoO
Tor the maintenance of the art gallery ara
museum-a total of s2lOO.O0O Altogeiber
MI carnegie has within the last few lars
gwen more than s4,0Go.0O0 to the causa of
public education in its wider sense-for ~,
libraries erected by him almost invoriai,l,
are devoted to music, art and science as
Wen. The principal of these are AT AIIe-
enemy tSSvoooo), Homestead S4oOooOl. Brad
dock and Johnstown, Pa. Fairfield. Iowa
ana Edinburgh, Ayr and Dumf Rhine, Scot
lard. ''
Mr.. Enoch Pratt offered the city of R,lti-
more, on January IL. 1852, a library build
/.
ment of $Si3,3 81. on condition thar Tho
city create a perpetual annuity of S,aao0
payable to board of trustees fa-nad n,
.ne hfst instance by Mr.. Pratt. and haying
lhe rsht 10 NIL vacancies in their NUN
number. This offer was accented ara -
library founded anu 'Nc
Inc property bequeathed by DIR. Rush for
me establishment and support of the Ii
to about 81, O60OpO
Inc endowment which Mr.. Mortimer Fab
titus ,Hius reynolds made for the REYNOLDS II
10y 10y OF hoch ester consisted of real estate
when IS valued at present as being vo-,b
600. P'o"aDIy NoVp.-
MI. Leonard Case gave during his life n
oae Use Library of Cleveland $4,000 in
SoNer ninent bonds, besides smallsr suns
from time to time, amounting i'm ali 10 So
S-o'ooo In 1Sd6 he gave real estate tben
s s&n nominally at S30O. 600 but now worth
sypooo The total value of the endovmont
s6O0O0O - o" eslnidteo at
The Minneapolis Public Library was built
ana Is at present sustained. for the most
part, from the product of taxes or fhe
original cost of the building (SS6O OgO how,
ever. about SCI, 600 came from nriva t.@.s,,h
scrfptlons. usually of 5000 each More
over. there is combined with the library.
Ior the term of ninety-nine years a pro-
prletary institution. the Minneapolis Athen-
aeuHl: winch has funds amounting TO san)-
w. rms property was the gift of Ger
iNiAb ~ olfthttfr a GitlZen who died
about 1860 bequeathing his estate in this
way. At the time of his death. the proper-
", which was in real estate was far less
valuable than row. 1t yields a varying in
come sometimes above. sometimes a little
below, 5000 a year. This sum is used 10
supplement- the funds derived from taxes.
So, 100. ~ 0u'
The executors received in 1851. under tbe
will of Judge Forbes of Northamnton-
Mass. 1922, 260 The money was suffered to
accumulate for ten years in accordance
with provision OF the will and a vote of
the town. In 1894 the executors delivered
10 the trustees appointed by the city a
pudding and lot which had cost sIaSaa4
1880 of other non-productive property and
FUNDS amounting to $3.50 565 This is the
real endowment of the library, and not the
amount originally received
Mr.. George Peabody endowed the Pea
body Institute OF Baltimore with 81 24O 600
but as the Peabody Institute. besides
library, includes Il conservatory of music
an art gallery and course OF lectures and
all of these are i'm part wholly supported
from the income Of this endowment IL is
almost impossible to state just what the
endowment really is