The times., 1899-04-09
A Sign of the Times.

Somebody with liking for statistics has
been looking up the bequests and other
contributions which have been made TO
public institutions in this country during
the past year. He has discovered that over
s11,000,000 came out of the pockets of
twenty three persons to fill the treasures
of various educational and charitable es-
adjustments. Here are the statistics:
Two million two hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars by Cort J. Flood TO the University of Cali
fornia; 81, ,50O, 900 by o. II. Payne, OF New York,
to Cornell University; 81. 100000 By Joseph +.
Loubat. OF New York, to Columbia College; $780,,
600 to colleges by Edward Austin, Of Boston;
s500,00O to Armour Institute, Chicago. by Philip
ID. Armour The remainder of the contributions
is given herewith. Strange to say, most of the
names quite unfamiliar TO the public
To AIT Institute and charity, $500, ,0O0 by Albert
A. Munger, Chicago; University OF Pennsylvania,
s310.000, by j. NJ Bennett, Of Philadelphia; Wes-
Ieyan College, S375, 600 by p. II. Mast. of Spring
field, o.. to charity. sS45,00O by Calista NJ. Pal
bot, of New York; Art Gallery. S3OO,0O0, by
Moody Currier, Manchester, y. H.. to charity.
$500, ,009 by W. +. Hale, Chicago: to churches,
s26s, 600 by solomon Mead, Of Greenwich Conn; (;
Pillsbury Academy, $3.50, ,0O1 by G. A. Pillsbury,
Minneapolis; to charity, s225 900. by j. p. Brad
lee, Of Boston; 10 charity, s203, 900 by Amos II.
Emo, New York; for a public park, 100000, by
David L. Snyder, Springfield, o.; University Of
81 ~.
York; TO charity, 5000, 600, by Susan VI. Ransom,
Cambridge. Mass; to Garfield University, 5000.
900. by j. NJ. Davis, Cincinnati. o; to charity
100000. by Felix II. Bninot, Pittsburg; to
churches, 500 900, by Mercy Gray, Oakland. Cal;
to charity, saOO,OOO, by Lucien Moss, of Phila-
delphia.
The compiler of this list gays that it is
difficult to believe that times were hard in
this country during 1898 when one contem-
thoughtful observer il looks as if this gen
erosity, as they say in the comic opera,
had nothing TO do with the case" or rath-
er had great deal to do with it, but not
exactly in the way above indicated.
OF course it is a very nice thing for the
colleges to be benefited by these gifts OF
million and a half million. and a quarter
of million at once, especially when they
come in the form OF an endowment which
helps some needy students TO an education
which they might not otherwise receive;
but where did the money come from In the
first place? Half million dollars cannot
be found growing on trees anywhere, and
as rule such a sum is not dug out of the
ground. Most of the millionaires in this
country do not derive their incomes from
mines, or oil wells, or anything of that
kind. 1t comes to them from some sort OF
tax on the people for services rendered by
the millionaire in managing the business
| of the country. He builds the roads on
which men travel to and from their daily
work; sometimes he builds them extraor-
dnarily we'll. but occasionally his road has
hole in it. or leads the traveller a long
way around: and across these roads he has
of money for keeping the road in repair
| and reimbursing himself for his outlay
When there are two or three roads compe-
| tition affects this sum. II must not fall
below a certain point, or the road maker
| will be unable to keep people from going
| the other way; it must not rise above "A
certain point. or the same result will fol-
low. When one man obtains control of ali
| the roads, obviously he can charge what
| he likes, and can make the rate much
lower or much higher than formerly. In
either case he is master of the situation;
the people cannot get OFF the beaten track
except at great cost TO themselves. and un-
| less he makes his rate too eXorbitant, so
that they have TO give up travel alto
| gether, he is safe.
After the road maker has been in this
business for number of years he amasses
much money; and then, If he be wise. he
| will donate large sums OF 1t TO charity and
education. He will put up schoolhouses
along the road, and toll gates in front OF
them; he will also erect poorhouses. and
see that all who cannot afford to travel are
housed in them. He will have his road
| carefully policed, that travel may be safe
and he will be in position to stop anyone
whom he does not like il he thinks it worth
| his while to do so.
The question which will by and by occur
to the people is this: When the road maker
can spare the money to put up a particu-
larly big and fine church, where did that
money come from? And would it not be