Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-11-29
PHILANTHROPY AS A FINE ART.
Evolution of the Mccurdy Type of Phi
lanthropist.


lanthropist.
New York Eeyning Post--The TWEEN,
tieth century has very properly been
called the age of philanthropy. Even
before President McCurdy, men lived
who were generous, who did good &C,
cording to their feeble lights. but for
US has been reserved the glory OF ex
alting philanthropy TO it's true place as
"a fine art. Its beginnings were, or
course, crude and imperfect. The first
philanthropists spent their own money
Tor the benefit OF their fellow-men.
This plan. however, had one manifest
weakness: if you spend your money
for others, you can't spend it for youl.
self. The pleasure OF exciting graft
tu1e in others was more than Offset by
the pains Of self-depriyation. Inc
first step forward was made by the
genius who conceived the idea of
spending other peoples money for the
benefit of his fellow-men. He made
himself the idol of all his dependents;
he was attended by the prayers ana
the blessings of the widow and the
fatherless; and it didn't cost him a
cent. He could eat just as delicious
dinners and drive just as fast horses
as ever. But this plan also had
grave defect; the philanthropist was
never sure that his gifts were really
deserved. By his untimely aid he
might be undermining the character
of the worthy poor, who, if left to
sink or swim by themselves, might
ultimately struggle to the shore. Con
corning his own needs and his own
character, however, he could not be
mistaken. The way to the second step
was therefore plain; your perfect phi
laGthropist must spend other peoples
money on himself. This is the great
law of sacrifice.
This splendid conception is not, we
admit, absolutely rev. We can trace
it in rudimentary form back to the
earliest periods of recorded history.
Glimmerings of the truth were re-
vealed to the wise of all races and
times-men of whom the world was
not worthy. Many of them suffered
denunciation, social ostracism, and
even the martyrdom of cruel death.
Our readers will recall the case of that
great public benefactor, Ishmael, who
lived by the sword. He was grievous.
ly misunderstood; every mans hand
was as inst him. The narrow preju
dice in regard to his methods had not
died out in the time of the virtuous
Ahab and his charming wife Jezebel.
That progressive monarch suffered
much unpopularity because of the little
affair of Naboth's vineyard. An i'm
polite old man named Elijah went so
far as to curse Ahab to his face and
say: Thou hast sold myself to work
evil in the sight Of the Lord" We do
not question the motives of Elijah, or
even CT st. Paul. who spoke in the
| same unpleasant vein a thousand years
later; but both men were benighted.
We shall not weary our readers by
tracing the slow development of the
modern theory of philanthropy, or by
calling the muster roll of the noble
army of philanthropists who have
gone to their reward. The glorious ca
reers and heroic deaths of Dick Tur-
/ pin. Jonathan Wild and Jack Shep-
pard are familiar to all students of his
tory Maligned, stoned, prosecuted,
murdered though they were by angry
neighbors and a bigoted government,
| their names shall vet be inscribed,
among the illustrious of earth. They
I have outsoared the shadow of our
night; envy and calumny and hate and
/ rain can touch them not and torture
/ rot again. To show how much the
nineteenth century improved on the
eighteenth, it is enough to point to
4 single group Of American philanthropy
/ ists-William Marcy Tweed, James
/ Fisk, Jr., Daniel Grew and Jay Gould
Their scheme was as far removed
from that of their unfortunate prede-
1 cessors as the electric power plant 81
the subway is from Franklin's kite
/ The hold-up with sword and pistol was
they perceived. needlessly irritating to
sensitive people. The identical results
could be obtained more swiftly and
surely by more per ceful instruments.
( Tweed saw that the New York taxpay-
ers were becoming debauehed by
wealth He CALAMITY sprang to their
4 rescue. At about the same time
Gould, Fisk and Drew were troubled
for the souls Of investors in Erie: and
they offered their own souls as a vicar
ious atoneen at. Tweed, we regret To
sa--, was the victim OF lingering preju-
dice: but the others we're held in mer.
I tied esteem. Gould and Drew were
warmly admired by the clergy and died
in an oder of sanetity.
Even they, howeve were not ap-
Ipreeiated as the philanthropists of To-
dav will be President NcCur1v's ex.
PLANTATION to the legislative committee
makes both the end and the means or
philanthropy so clear that everyone
win instantly recognize the disinter-
estedness Of officers Of insurance con.
panies. The Mutual Life. said he. is
"a great benefcent missionary institn.
ton" participating in a great move