The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-03-13

donate $4,000 to Hope House"
minus the insurance on No. 81"
said John Gordon quietly.
st was insured for 100000" Mr..
Marsh said. while his face grew lit
tie red.
Gordon made no remark, and Mr.
Marsh fidgeted in his chair and drum
med with his fingers on the edge Of the
table.
"Why would it not be better to put
up a model tenement on the lotsP'
"a park would do more good"
"But the people who were burned
OUT
'"They must be cared for, that Is
true. The interest excited by the ca
lamity may lead to the tearing down
| of other areas and the building Of good
tenements. But park the size of the
whole burned area would be Of more
value to Hope House than even such a
model tenement as you might put up
IN place of No 81"
There was silence again. Mr.. Marsh
got up and went into the bank. He
was gone several minutes. Gordon
never moved. When Marsh came back.
he brought some papers.
'T'll have the property made over to
Hope House. he said briefly.
THANK you" Gordon answered SIM
ply, and again there was a silence.
at want to make some atonement,"
Marsh spoke slowly. do you think
this will be so regarded?"
Eyes; it will be great help to u.s."
Gordon rose, and Marsh held out his
hand.
'T'll have the business attended to
at once, and-and-I'll be down TO Hope
House some time this week.
Thank you. We shall be glad to
see you" Gordon spoke gravely, and
after shaking hands he went out. AS
he went down the stairs he had a mo-
mentary tinge of remorse at the thought
of having done Marsh some injustice
or of having accepted the gift of the
property churlishly and in an ungra-
cious spirit.
But as he came back to the scene Of
the fire he said to himself: SIS it case
for effusive thanks that this rich man
takes fraction of the wealth that be-
longs to God and reluctantly lets hu-
mainly get some pleasure out of it?
He broke a dozen distinct ordinances
relating to tenement house construc-
ton when he ordered No. 81 built. He
put up deathtrap and received money
for its use. He cowardly absented
himself from a knowledge Of the hui
man misery that his building housed,
and when disaster fell directly trace
able to his criminal greed he ran away
from the horrors for which his own
hand was responsible. Was it, there
fore, in order that he, John Gordon,
and Hope House and the public should
fall down at the feet of this man with
ELUSIVE and extravagant praise for
atoning in small degree for a ire
mendous wrong?
Yet that is what the public, through
press and pulpit, did when it was
known what Mr. Marsh had done. His
act was lauded as "a most noble ex-
hibition of philanthropy" "a splendid
So1'piC " OthClS ALC Sill Ouli u III
to Hope House-Mr Philo II. Marsh
donates $4,000 worth of valuable
property" Mr.. Marshs minister men
toned the gift from the pulpit and
took occasion to use the incident to
illustrate the growing habit on the part
Of rich men to give sums of money for
philanthropic causes. At what time
had that pulpit ever spoken out against
The lawless greed which characterized
this philanthropist when he allowed
his business methods to sink to the
level of barter in flesh and blood be-
cause other men did the same and the
breaking Of ordinances was counted a
trivial thing simply because everybody
did 1t? Is it not time that the pulpit
said something in condemnation of
wicked and un-Christian ways of max
Ing money before it says much more
In praise of those who give what they
have never rightly earned? A philan-
thropist is not one who gives money to
humanity that he has obtained by
wronging humanity. Such a man is
simply highwayman giving up a part
OF the plumber he has iniquitously stol-
en-.
When Gordon reached Hope House.
he found waiting for him note from
Archie Penrose's aunt, Mrs. Constance
Penrose.
I Mr.. Penrose was society young
man who had no visible means of sup
port aside from the money, his father,
recently deceased, had left him. Archie
Penrose had never made a cent of
money by stroke of labor of any
kind, but that was nothing against
him In the eyes of fond mothers with
manageable daughters. There were
thousands of women In the city who
would have counted themselves or their
daughters as specially favored If
Archie Penrose had come into the
house as sutton. 1t made no differ
ence that his reputation had suffered
In various ways. He had money, he
was of distinguished family, his man.
ners were regarded as elegant, and he
had an aunt who gave the most select
receptions and entertainments In the
city. In the sight Of any man or WON
an of right definitions of manhood this
young fgurehead of an aristocratiC
family was simply one of the ciphers
of civilization. He made nothing that
added to humanity's comfort or knowl-
edge. He contributed absolutely not
one grain of helpfulness or comfort OF
hope to suffering, struggling, needy
world. He lived to get all the pleasure
he could himself, much if not all of II
gained with a total disregard for any
one else's pleasure, and yet he moved
| through what is called the best society