El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-07
THE RIGHT USES OF WEALTH.
From Man Who Has H.
Illustrated Them.
lAbram S. Hewittl

In no part of the worlds history has
the idea of trust with regard to the
uses of wealth entered so much into
the human conscience as at the present
time. ard never has so much money
been given away. Sixty million dollars
was given for the endowment of edu-
cation last year. That is very large
sum to give away, and from my con-
tact with men who are supposed to
have the control of large fortunes to
know that they are studying what
they can do with the means on their
hands to promote the welfare of
society. 1t is easy to do mischief by
indiscriminate charity, and a lot of
mischief is done.
What / intended to say in my recent
address was that / thought the rich
men could use their money to advan-
tage by improving the environment of
the great mass of the poor people who
are congeSted in this city. | think that
as much money is given for the relief
of the community as is good for the
community. but we have not begun to
have as much money as is required for
the improvement of the environment in
which the masses of the people live.
| intend to point out three directions
in which money could be advantage
ously used.
The first and most obvious require
ment was improved tenements. 1t only
requires a visit to the east side to see
that it is almost impossible to lead
decent and respectable life under the
conditions which prevail there. An
earnest and powerful movement should
be made to improve the conditions of
the tenements and the conditions I'M
der which the working people of New
York have to live. A hundred years
intolerable and in this age, in the hun
world has not merely doubled or quad
rupled. but has grown a hundredfold.
the conditions which prevail are no
longer intolerable.
1 say that unless the poorer classes
share and profit directly by this great
accumulation of wealth, in improved
conditions of life and home, then this
great progress we have been making
is not subject for admiration but a
subject for regret. This progress of
wealth has produced to a great extent
these conditions of which we complain.
It is not to be defended that the pro-
duction of wealth shall go on at the
expense of humanity and it is not to
be tolerated that one class shall grow
richer and another class more wretched
OF course we rely upon educated con-
science to remedy this wrong but l
feel-at the close of my life-I feel l
am justified in saying that unless the
means which the rich men have ac-
quired are used for the general good
of society, as trust fund which they
have only the right to administer. the
lives of such men are a failure and
that very progress of which we are so
proud is a failure.
/ am glad to see that this view of
wealth is becoming very prevalent.
We have men of great wealth who
are busy in the work of distribution
of it in their own lifetime. They are
not waiting for executors. or for differ
entail taxation to be devised by the
which will divide their
fortunes among the community.
Let it not be thought that l am an
Agrarian. an Anarchist or a Socialist.
l am just the reverse: but l am one
who believes that the individual has
rights and privileges which should be