The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-07-03
ARTHUR ROPES. General Editor.
Kingliness Of the Rich.


men who have in recent times acquired
great wealth, as compared with the old
rich or, at least, with the rich OF the old
world, among the earth's nobility.
Accumulation for it's own sake is out Of
the fashion and the millionaires-or
some of them-have gone into the bus
iness, with lavish hand, of creating
schools, libraries, museums, hospitals,
or giving wider influence and better
security to those already in existence.
The Eagle cites the foundation of Gil
rard College in Philadelphia by the
only millionaire OF his times as the be-
ginning of constant succession OF
benefits. 1t served, in the judgement
OF the Eagle, better purpose than that
of educating its students: it educated
the rich in the art of using their riches.
Gifts which half a century ago would
have been regarded as munifcent, and
created sensation in the civilized world,
are accepted now with a matter-of-
course compacency, and many institu-
tions have become dependent upon rich
men whose interest was secured in the
days of their struggle and promise.
All this is drawn out by the recent
gift, by j. Plerpont Morgan, of a mil
lion dollars to build new medical
school at Harvard College, and the
completion of two million dollar fund,
through the generosity of certain rich
men, for Yale College, to celebrate the
two hundred years existence the college
will soon attain. A half million to
Harvard, Rockfeller's checks of $780,
600 to Cornell and Vasssr, over $780,
600 to Columbia, and large sums be-
slowed anonymously, 100000 to
Princeton and S15O,0O0 to Milliken
University, $4,000 to Amherst and
$4,000 to Kenyon college-gifts by
various rich men-are among the more
recent illustrations of the kingliness of
the rich which the Eagle cites. Mr..
Morgan's million dollar medical school
for Harvard is not the only deed of
munifcence of this Jupiter in finance.
He had already given over half mil
lion to the trade schools of New York,
a million to the New York Lying-in
Hospital, besides many other contri-
buttons to charity and good works,
public and semi-public.
In view of the jbes to which the suf-
fering rich are subjected, and the abuse
lavished upon them, because of the
mere fact that they are rich, the Eagle
deems it "worth while to ask if the
common people would do as we'll by
themselves as the rich have done for
them, il the dreams of certain sort
of socialists were realized and all the
money in the land were distributed
equally among the inhabitants thereof"
In such case many of the people
would not have penny left at the end
of twenty-four hours, and the Eagle
sees how, in one way or another, in the
redistribution, the money would be
dssipated and lost, used by some with
thrift and wisdom, by others speedily
spent for frivolous or ignoble pur.
poses.
The rich man is steadily pursued by
the officers or representatives of public
or semi-public institutions who are in
search of the sinews of educational Of
charitable, or related, enterprises, an6
is not allowed to be lacking in knowl
edge of the needs of the public or semi
public institutions in the land. The
rich man of the stamp of these bene
factors, as the Eagle puts the matter
''believes in the virtue of the reappor'
tionment of brains, and to that he hal
of late devoted himself with singula
assiduity", aud, as to the result, as OPP
posed to socialistic theories, the EagL
comes to this conclusion: "The people
and the world are better for them. L
is not support in idleness that make
men efficient; that leads to beggary
and beggary is the death of all qualitie
hat place men over the brutes. 1t i
the stimulation of the best that is il
them, even if that stimulus is found il
hardship. Our new rich are product
of conditions that never existed in tn
world before, but that they are nc
stingy of their opportunities is clea
from their willingness to help thei
fellows to reach the same heights the
have attained through unaided struG
gle."