Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-09-01

criticism. 1t is our belief that a nice.
young man in shirt waist and fascin-
atOr would be too sweet for anything,
and II he could wear a pretty bow or IL
becoming rose in bis hair he would be
simply grand" Then let us not des-
pair. Time will avenge us.
Fifty years ago boys and young men
In the wooded districts Of the West Sc
cured pocket money through the sale
of ginseng root. Stories were told Of
how the demand for ginseng came from
China. and that this steady demand en-
abled the local dealers TO pay q good
price for the product that grew wild in
the woods. AS early as 1922 the Unit
cd States shipped 10000 pounds OF
ginseng yearly to China. This had q
value then of $4,000. The 10000
pounds shipped from this country TO
China In 1897 had a value of $4,000,
and the 125,0CO pounds shipped In 1890
had value of SGOO,o0O. In the early
years Of the trade American physicians
scorncd the idea of ginseng's having
any great therapeutic value. The ply.
sicians OF this day take the same posi-.
tiOn. and yet the ginseng root. worth In
Its green state from 10 TO 90 cents o
pound In this country. and from $1.15
to $3.50 q pound dried. sells In China at
prices ranging from IS to $50 a pound.
The rapid settlement Of the West and
the destruction Of forests curtailed the
production OF ginseng. but 1t Is esti-
mated that since sbrewd old African.
sea captain opened the trade with
China 100 years ago we have sold to the
Chinese ginseng to the value Of $25,-
100000. This Is SO much clear gain,
because there Is demand for the root
neither In this country nor In any for
eign country except China. The present
disturbances in China have interfered
with the occupation Of the ginseng dig
gers In the mountains and wooded dis.
trlcts OF Kentucky. Tennessee. West
Virginia ana North Carolina. As no 9TH
er country will buy their Sang" these
dlggers are in favor Of an early settle
ment OF the Chinese troubles.
~A
A curious feature Of the long record
OF charitable and educational donations
In the United States Is the growing fire.
quency Of cases In which the donors
withhold their names. Since the begin.
Ming OF the present year the total given
10y unknown donors IL $1,15S,OOO. Two
anonymous donors In New York have
given total OF $5OO,O0O to charitable
enterprises. Unknown benefactOrs have
given 100000 TO Columbia College,
$4,000 TO Cornell, $4,000 to Harvard.
$lO2,5OO to the University Of Chicago,
100000 to Barnard College, and $780,
600 to the Illinois Manual Training
School. Other donations Of smaller
| amounts bring the total to the figure
named above. II is quite evident that
q desire for glory Is not one Of the mo.
tives leading TO the generosity Of these
donors. Whether the increasing ten
dency to keep their identity unknown
Is caused altogether by modesty and by
the desire not to let the left hand
know what the right hand Is doing, Is
not so certain. Apparently the wish to
avoid an inupdation Of begging letters
| and impOrtunate callers has something
| to do with fostering retiring DISPOSE
ton on the part Of the donors. When
ever anybody gives few thousands to,
any charity or school be or she Is at
once made the target for hundreds II
not thousands OF appeals for money.
Probably the wish 10 escape this I'M
deserved penalty for good deed has
led many donors to keep their names
unknown. This theory is confirmed by
the experience OF Miss Helen Gould,
who probably receives more requests
for pecuniary assistance than any 9TH
| er woman in the country. Great as
her wealth 10, II she We're to comply
with all these requests she would be
penniless in less than q year. Few OF
these begging letters ever reach her
hands, for they are read and answered
by two secretaries, who lay before her
only such as they think may interest
her. Lately the secretaries have taken
to inclOsing in each letter OF refusal
| statement of the appeals received In q
single week, with the sums asked for.
The objects for which money Is asked
range through the whole field Of human
wants, frivolous or otherwise. In all
there were 1903 letters during the
week, calling for a total Of $1,54S,50
| With perennial persecution of this kind
staring them in the face, 1t IL not
strange that some wealthy persons
with a desire to do good In their own
way should prefer to do It anony-