Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-11-21
UmVwisdom of Relying
On Bounty Of Rich Mem
By DR.. Washington GLADDEN.

remember a conversation with a keen promoter,
in which l spoke my mind freely with respect to a recent
reorganization" of a street railway. The outstanding
capital had been trebled, and very little of the proceeds
had been used in improvements. To my protests against
that way of getting rich, he answered: But how else
will you get your public libraries, your art galleries. your
hospitals, your creches and Fairgrounds? Isn't it for
the good of all that men should be permitted to get rich
quickly in order that they may have a large surplus to
distribute in such ways? The working people will never
accumulate money to provide themselves with these
things. Isn't 1t well to encourage large and rapid ac-
cumulations that these higher needs of the people may
then be supplied ?"
To this plea of a benevolent feudalism' the answer
is that it is doubtful policy to permit the levying of large
tribute upon the earnings of the people in the hope that
some small portion of it will be returned as largess. 1t
is better TO let people have what they earn and trust
them to use it wisely. Justice is a better social founda-
ton than a dubious blend of robbery and charity. Bene-
hciaries are not always grateful; some of our worst enc
mics may be found among those we have tried to benefit.
Still more serious is the parayzing and pauperizng
effect which unearned benefactions are apt to have upon
the character Of the recipient.
The difficulty of making money really useful to those
who have not earned it is seen in the characters of the
children of the rich. In the great majority of cases they
are injured rather than benefited by it. Careful obser-
walton, through many years, leads me TO the belief that
the son Of a man worth $4,000 has about 10 times as
many chances of being a man as the son of a man worth
100000. Even though our ambitions are larger. the
case is not altered. The man who has a large amount
of money to give away finds a tremendous task upon his
hands. Mr.. Carnegie knows, by this time, how it is.
tie mas been conscientlously endeaYoring to dispose of a
great fortune; he has tried to find places to put 1t, in
which it would do as little harm and as much good as
possible, but he has not been able, as yet, to get rid OF
much more than the income of his estate. The great
bulk of it stin remains in his hands. And there has
been no end Of fault finding. A great many of the work
ingmen refuse to patronize his libraries; not a few of the
college professors resent his professional pensions, and
others declare that the result Of the scheme viii be TO
keep salaries at a low figure.
Unrehecting people are apt to have much to say
about the good that the multimillionaires could do with
their money If they would give it all away. That is by
no means clear. These multiminionaires have had no
training in the very difficult business of doing good with
money. To pour out upon the community a food OF
largesses would be a doubtful good. It would multiply
mendicants and undermine character. Such an era OF
undigested charities would inevitably be a period OF
mroal d~ecadence. To encourage the growth of a class
OF enormously rich men in the interests OF charity is
doubtful policy. It would tend to the reproduction OF
the conditions in ancient Rome, with a hungry mot
bowling for bread and the circus.