Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-01
How Vast Sums May Be Spent With
the Best Results.
VIEWS OF A NUMBER OF RICH men
Each Has His Own Idea on the
Subject Of Philanthropy
MILLIONS FOR CHARITY
Written for The Evening Star.

There are indications that a new inter-
est has been awakened among the very
wealthy men of the country in the subject
of great philanthropies. Men and women
are giving or preparing to give away mill
lions to one great charity or another.
If it is "a disgrace to die rich" what are
our wealthy men to do with their millions?
What are the objects, and who are the sub
jects likely to profit by well-directed char
ity? Are our millionaires ready to give
away their wealth, or a part OF it? These
and other questions connected with this
new movement now on foot among the
wealthy are answered by some of the most
prominent mllionaires and philanthropists
in the country in tedays Star
John D. Rockefeller is reported to be
worth $500 900 900 or more. He has given
away at least 100000 600 He holds decided
views on the subject of charitaby giving
and employs almoners to see that his own
beneiCenceS bring gooL results. Mr.. Rookie
Teller says:
- hold that it is every mans duty to
make much as he IAN, and to give away
as much as he can to good purpose True
philanthropy, like charity begins at home.
If the millionaire invests his money in bust
ness that provides employment for large
numbers of men, if he pays his employees
well, SO that they work out their
community and doing the greatest amount
of good to the workingmen.
LAS for the surplus wealth which a man
may accumulate beyond his own needs and
those of his family, there variety of
useful ways in which it may lie employed.
l have always been Interested in church
work, and conceive it 20 he NY first duty to
give to religious enterprises. Next to that
the cause of education appeals TO ME. If
a rich man has any duties beyond those of
his fellows, in country like this. whose
stability depends upon the intelligence ard
moral character of its citizens, it is to help
toward the moral and intellectual better
ment of those who lack advantages or OPP
portunities. | do not believe there is any
man in the country today with q million
dollars beyond his own personal and bust
ness needs who would not give it to any OBJ
ject which he felt perfectly sure would help
the citizenship of the country in these two
respects
MIR. ArmOur's Views.
Philip D. Armour who has given away
$10,000,GO0, and has not yet stopped, says:
while l co not pretend to be author
ity on scientific charity, 1 have tried to
embody my own ideas on the subject in
the Armour Institute"
AS the Armour Institute Is conducted for
the purpose of giving the poor boys of
Chicago technical and trade education Mr..
Armour evidently agrees with Mr.. RCCke
Teller in holding to the educational idea.
There are others who believe that there
are better ways Of employing wealth than
by giving IT away. e. Huntington is one
of these. He says:
Suppose a man who has made fifty or q
hundred millions In business withdraws
that sum and gives it away in any form he
may select The chances are nine out of
ten that his money will do less real good
than it would II he had left it where it
was. Great wealth is desirable only for
what it can accomplish. l think we are
coming more and more to appreciate that.
But 1t can accomplish more, by sticking to
its legitimate field than 1t can by going out
OF its way to promote Utopan schemes or
by spelling young men by Overwhelming
them.
1T is the duty of great wealth to carry
out great industrial and commercial enter
prises which result in cheapened produc-
ton or more opportunities for labor. If
seventy-five millions can develop our
trade with the east that we get one of our
necessary commodities a cent a pound
cheaper it will do more good in the end
than If it IS distributed among the people
of the country. giving them dollar apiece
In direct charity. If man sets a great in
dustrial enterprise in motion he cannot
help doing good, and the question of what
to do with his money does not bother him,
because it Is fully occupied
Great Bankers Opinion.
]. Pierpont Morgan has given money to
build hospitals, to buy works of art for
public museums and to help build a great
cathedral. Apparently he thinks the mil
lions given to the first of these objects the
best employed, for he says:
when one looks about and sees the mis-
cry and suffering caused by sickness among
those who have not themselves the means
to relieve 1t he cannot help feeling that
to alleviate a little of 1t is the duty of those
who have been fortunate or successful. The
care of the sick poor is. in my opinion, our
m nSt fhr1 ipn1 Oh rif
Russell Sage agrees with Mr. Morgan
that to relieve the sick is charity that
should appeal to wealthy men. Mr.. Sage
recently gave several thousands toward a
womans hospital. However he does not
agree with Mr.. Carnegie's dictum. He saws:
Il do not see how it Is q disgrace for
man to die rich. If 1t is, l am afraid
that Mr. Carnegie will die disgraced NV
own opinion is that a man may better an
ploy his money in productive enterprises
that give employment and benefit the COM
munity, than to give 1t away. Suppose 1
gave away all that l own to thousands of
poor people in this city today Next weak
1t would all be gone, and they would be
back here for more. But by using it in
the business enterprises which I represent,
it gives steady work to hundreds of honest
workingmen. who don't want any charity
beyond what they can earn.
Says Wealth is a Trust.
Nathan Strauss, the wealthy merchant,
who has given away large sums to various
practical charities, such as providing pure
milk at a nominal price in the tenement
districts of New York, believes that the
question of the unemployed is the greatest
problem that phlanthropsts have to face.
He says:
Undoubtedly our wealthy men are COM
ing more and more to regard their possess
sions as a trust held in keeping by them,
and to be devoted in part at least to the
betterment of their less, fortunate fellows
Il believe that if any many has a mil
lion or several millions ito give away the
best use he can put 1t to is to furnish work
to the unemployed. 1t cannot be denied
that there are thousands of men in the
country all the time who are willing and
anxious to work, bat who, for one reason
sor another, cannot flEd work to do. Your
man of millions can accomplish world of
good IL he will provide employment for
these men and women, giving each the
work that he or she can do and helping
them to permanent positions. 1t would re-
Qurs a good deal OF money to set such
an enterprise going on any extensive scale,
but once under way it would be largely
self supporting
DR.. RainsfOrd ON the Question.
DR.. William 2. Rainsford pastor of ST.