New-York tribune., 1901-03-15
CARNEGIE'S HAPPY LOT
ABRAM s. HEWITT WOULD LIKE To yr
TIRE ALSO.
REASONS WHY THE AGED PHILANTHRo.
PIsT. LIKE MANY OTHERS PERHAPS,
MUST REMAIN IN PRISON.
AS HE SAYS.


The announcement Of Andrew Carnegie's r,.
of S400O000 to provide a fund for the banse.
of old or injured employees OF the Carnegie corr,
pany aroused great interest yesterday NOT o,l,
among the general public. who marvelled at III.
vast size OF the endowment. but among the con-
siderable number of large employers Of 1aho-
who are trying with much less capital than Mr.
Carnegie has to establish similar funds for
| their own employees Another class OF persons
among whom Mr.. Carnegies generous ac+io,
and the words which accompanied il causad
much comment are those successful old men
who. although they have acquired fortune,
| many times larger than sufficient TO sumner.
them and their families in luxury for the rsst
of their lives. refuse withdraw from actira
business in order that they may spend their do
Ginning years in ease and in study or, as Mr.
carnegie put 1t. in 'the making of his soul"
Tribune reporter. filed with enthusiasts,
| over Mr.. Carnegie's pregnant words-.I have
| always felt that old age should be spent NOT a.
! the Scots say. in making muckle mair' but IN
| making good use of what has been ACQUIRED and
/ in fields which have other than personal afr,s.,
went down TO the office of Abram s Hewitt ves-
terday afternoon to ask that aged philanthronist
| why ne also did not cease toiIing and noiIing
| and devote his failing years to ease and con-
| temptation. Then it was that the reportar
learned something. He learned that good usa
! Of what has been acquired can be made in
active business we'll as out of IT, and thar
staying in may. in some cases at least. involve
greater personal sacrifices than getting out
! Mr.. Hewitt, you evidently do not agree with
/ Mr.. Carnegie's views on how a wealthy mans
old age should be spent" began the reporter
| Il do most thoroughly agree with Mr. Carns
gle on that point" replied Mr.. Hewitt. What
| makes you think I DON'T"
| Because you don't get out Of active business
and yet you are old and wealthy" said the re-
| porter.
| I sincerely wish 1 had chance to sell out
| like Mr.. Carnegie had I would jump at itD
answered Mr.. Hewitt Mr.. Carnegie has been
extremely fortunate He is at last at liberty
but l am still in prison. 1 can't get out AT
| least I can't get out on terms which I feel Il
would be honorable TO accept. I had chance
| some time ago TO sell out our Trenton works.
but the condition was that they should be closed
down permanently. This would have thrown
about five hundred of our people out of work;
! people who have been with US for years ami
many of whom have bought their own little
| homes in Trenton. I could not accept such
terms; so here I am with the burden yet on my
shoulders. and 1 suppose death alone will re-
/ leve me of it,"
| Mr.. Hewitt did not tell this with any suspicion
of boastfulness. as all who know him will readily
| understand but just as if he had done only
! what any other would do under like cir
cumstances. The ex-1Iayor would not give any
further details of the Cffer for his Trenton iron
works nor would he discuss the recent abandon
nent of the famous Rogers Locomotive Works
! in Paterson. y. J.. which threw so many families
| out Of work Mr.. Hewitts attention was next
| drawn by the reporter to that clause in Mr..
Carnegie's letter where he speaks of his failure
so far to adjust to a manufacturing concern
| a pension system similar 70 the excellent one
adopted by the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the
| old ironmaster was asked what were the diff
euItes in the way of such a step. Mr.. Hewitt
| replied:
/ My experience in my own business has been
the same as Mr.. Carnege's Iron workers shift
SO rapidly that a pension system is impossible.
, Railroad employees remain for years with the
| same company and their work and wages are
| steady. In our line the furnaces must fire.
/ quenty shut down temporarily, and that makes
| u vast difference. y beneficiary fund WORKS
| better. We have had one for years Our en-
! poyes subscribe much out of their wages
/ ii may be a thousand dollars a year, or II may
| be ten thousand Whatever it is. We duplicate
it. and our employees get the benefit
IN order TO learn whether phuanthroplc
| schemes for their employees benefit are under
] taken by many or by few, The reporter theh
, called upon DR.. William H Tolman, secretary
| has created a new profession, that or sociaI
| engineer He gives TO employers who desire
to elevate their wage earners the beneht or MS
| experience and study along these lines.
While employers who care enough Tor thsII
employees TO enter upon systematic Worh lo'
their social benefit are the exception ratheI tIaI
the rule" said Dr. Tolman, yet their ranks
are growing yearly. Among the manu1acturst,s
| who have done so are the Westinghouse Ar
Brake Company, of Wllmerdlng. Penh., fayos. 49,,
son Brothers (National Cash Register ColL-
pany). of Dayton. Ohio; the CIeVe - me- -
Iron Company. of Cleveland; Waiter w Law u
Briarclf Manor. y Y; J. h NlIIlannS -'S5,N q ~
drop forgers. Of Brooklyn SherwIn-W " i-l5lns 5lI
Company, paint makers, OF Cleveland Ol.lo'
West & Simons, of Port Chester y l. N0I.Lr
western Grass Twine Company, OF SL
Mimi; Ludlow Manufacturing company o. <- t-4o
low Mass: Francis d. MOulJOn < Co, OF -NeN
York; Nathaniel Withereu. of Greenwich n G@ 1ol-t'
Gilreath Coal and Iron Company OF n,-1 D---I-
ham Ala and the Plymouth Cordage COlllpal's,
of Plymouth Mass and among the retailers a.
Wanamaker the Siegel-COOper Company 80
Brothers. Macy. BlooningdaIe. REM f1-oa5s 49,
score of others. Then there are the IdIi' 80
like the New-York Central the Baltimore on
Ohio the Pennsylvania and others tnIS ~
ject forms of the live questlohs u ,I5ison
Square Garden Concert Hall on March 20, -
the Get Together Club, prominent ouslnssS = ~
from all over the country VIII DISCUSS IT,
ANOTHER LIBRARY GIFT By CARNEGIE
Canton. Ohio. March 14-Word was received yes
terday that Andrew Carnegie before sal4ihs Io'
Europe had promised William T. HAWK O ~ -
York. a former resident of Canton. S5oW" lor q
public library building if the city vii pTSadS Seen
provided The condition. il is thought VIII 0e I''0
without difficulty
ETCHIyGS At THE GROLIER CLUB.
There are at present on exhibition at the Groher
Club some etchings by modern Frenchmen-ColV
Daubigny. NIllet. Bracquemond and Lesros- -
names are all familiar but the show Is OF - 80