Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-01-08

property where No. 81 stood for park
purposes would it seriously cripple
your business
mo, don't think it would cripple
me-
Then. will you give us that much?"
Gordon asked boldly and almost blunt
IT, But he was not in any mood to
wait or coax.
no you know how much that prop.
crty is worth?"
mo"
"lt cost me $50, 900 to buy the lots
and put up the tenement" Mr.. Marsh
esid imperiously.
John Gordon was silent
$50 that you practically ask me to
donate So 900 to Hope House.
Minus the insurance on No. o."
said John Gordon quietly.
ut was insured for S60,000," Mr..
Marsh said, while his face grew a 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 model tenement on the lots:"
"A park would do more good"
"But the people who were burned
out
"Thev 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
tcnements But park the size of the
whole burned area would be OF more
value to Hope House than even such
model tenement as you might Put UP
In place of No. o.
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.
'I'll have the property made oyer to
Hope House" he said briefly.
Thank YOU" Gordon answered sim
ply. and again there was silence.
81 want TO make some atoncmcnt,"
Marsh spoke slowly, DO you think
this will be so regardcd?"
Eyes; it will be a great help to Us"
Gordon rose, and Marsh held out his
hand
I'll have the business attended to
at once. and -and-I'll be down TO Hop.
House some time this week.
Thank you. We shall he glad 10
see YOU" Gordon spoke graveiy. and
after shaking hands he went out. As
he went down the stairs he had Il mo-
mentary tinge of remorsc 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: is it case
for effusivc thanks that this rich man
takes Il fraction of the wealth that be-
longs to God and reluctantly lets hui
mainly get some pleasure ont of it:
He broke Il dozen distinct ordinances
relating to tenement house conStruc-
ton when he ordered No. 81 built. lie
put up Il deathtrap and received money
for its use. He Cowardly abScnted
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 il. there
fore. in order that he John Gordon
! and Hope House and the public should
| fail down at the feet OF this man with
/ eifustyc and cXtraYagant praise fUi
atOning in Il small degree for n tire
/ mcndous wrongt
| Yet that is what the public. through
press and pulpit, did when it was
known what MIR. Marsh had done. Fts
act was laudod as "a most noble c..
| hibition of philanthropy" "a splendid
example to others "tinc gift outrigk.
! To Hope Housc-Mr Philo II. Marsh
donates $4,000 worth Of valmall,
| property Mr.. Marshs minister men
toned tho gift from the pulpit an,
! took occasion to use the incident t(
! illustrate the growing habit on the Dart
of rich men to give sums of money fol
philantllropc causes. At what time
had that pulpit ever spoken out agains
the laWlcsS greed which charactCrZc,
this philanthropist when he allowed
his business methods to sink to tn,
level of barter in flesh and blood he
cause other men did the same and tn,
| breaking of ordinances was counted
trivial thing simply because cverybod,
did it: Is it not time that the pulp
said something in condemnation O
wicked and un-Christian ways of mai,
Ing money before it says much NOR,
iii praise of those who give what thcr
have never rightly earned? \ philan
thropist is not one who gives money /,
humanity that he has obtained b,
Wronging humanity. Such man il
simply highwayman giving up a par
Of the plumber he has iniquitously stol
en-.
When Gordon reached Hope House
he found waiting for him note from
Archie Pcnrosc's aunt, Mrs. Constanc
Ienrosc.
Mr.. Penrosc was society yount
man who had no visible means of SUI
port aside from the money his father
recently deceased had left him. Archi
ICnrose had never made n cent O
money by n stroke Of labor of an
KIND, but that was nothing agalns
him in the eyes of fond mothers wit
manageable daughters. There wer
thousands of women in the city VIII
would have counted themselves or tnci
daughters as specially favored