The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-02

D
give largely to worthy objects. II Is
a good sign. in an age that is often
denounced as grossly material, that so
many men are ready to devote at least
a considerable portion of their wealth
to altruiStic purposes
II do not believe that one can say
off-hand that any particular charity is
the most useful or the most practical.
/ Any man who is deeply interested in
/ such matters is more familiar with
certain lines of charitable endeavor
| than he is with others. He IS apt to
exaggerate the Importance that he
knows most about.
For myself. l do not know of any
| form of charity that L would condemn
! Neither do L know of any that is do
ing more practical good than the Mills
I hotels. When the plan of providing
cheap. clean and comfortable lodgings
| for poor workingmen was discussed, il
was freely predicted that it would re-
suit in failure. 1t was said that a
scheme which was part business and
! part philanthropy would never work
/ But the test of actual operation has
proved that the Mills hotels are all
business as well as some philanthropy.
| They are proving successful far be-
| yOnd my expectations.
In my opinion. the success of the
| Mills hotels, as of any philanthropic
undertaking that is to be really bene-
llCldi lies III neiplilS men 10 nelp tne1n-
! selves. My idea of charitable work is
not the reformatory idea. but the
building-up idea. If Il man is deter
mined to go down hill, you can't hold
him back. But it is the man who is
unfortunate, the honest man who has
! had ill-luck, the Woodworking man
out of a job, who deserves help. and
who will profit by it.
If you give such a. man a chance to
put food in his stomach and a root
| over his head. you give him d new out
look. fresh encouragement. He will
feel that he has a chance. and will set
to work to make the most of II. By
making him pay for what he receives,
you keep him from becoming a pauper.
| By making him pay as little as pos
! sible you do not make his attempt to-
rise TO better condition hopeless
| one.
This is my idea of the most useful
charity today-to help the honest, the
unfortunate, the deserving poor man to
| help himself And there are enough
such men and such ways of employing
money to use all the spare millions in
the country today"
j. J. Hill.
! James ]. Hill. the railroad king of
the northwest. who has developed a
vast section of this country's territory
II q
same time creating one of the more
| noteworthy private fortunes of the age
believes that men who have large sums
OF money at their command should de-
vote 1t to the great work of bringing
the country and its people to the high
est possible state of development as
speedily as may be. For those men of
wealth who devote their time and their
means mainly to the promotion Of their
personal comfort, who live chiefly for
the purpose of going through certain
social programmes from years end to
years end, he has not the slightest
sympathy, nor does he consider them
of sufficient Importance to warrant dis
cussion. He looks upon the world, IS
| pecially this part of it, as vast and
splendid field of labor, and has little
regard for all those, whether rich or
! poor. who refuse to obey the call 10
work therein His views upon the cor
rect use of money were indicated in
outline in a recent private CONVERSE
ton, the parties to which were discuss
! ing the education of rich young men.
I'm these days the greatest dangers
to the sons of rich men," said Mr. Hill,
| substantially, ARE Incidence and the
tendency to disregard the obligations
every human being owes to his EEL
| lows. 1t seems necessary to send such
young men to the great universities
| that they may be fitted properly -
play lHciT pdIlS IlOuGIu lie, Which
| is far broader than any which mas
gone before. There are many infIu-
ences at these universities which are
not good for young men, but which
must be met fairly and not in any sense
avoided. If not combated, these influ-
enceS would tend TO foster selfishness,
triviality, love of ease and disinclina-
ton TO meet the real problems of life.
Every rich young man who manfully
overcomeS these influences is a distinct
addition to the valuable forces of the
entire nation. besides being far better
fitted than he who weakly. yields, to
| live a life in which he may take proper
personal pride. Young men who pass
| through the period of education with
out loss of moral fibre will use the
money they inherit to their own credit
and the moral, material and intellec-
tual uplifting of the race. The others
will come to naught; they will be the
victims of natures memorable law as
to the survival of the fit, and in this
country which has no law of entail,
they will be speedy victims, too. 1t is
we'll for the republic that there is no
law of entail here; it is a safeguard TO
the institutions of the country that
those who. through incompetence or
disinclination rightly to employ their
wealth, misspend 1t, are certain, soon
or late, to find that it has flown"