The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-29
mrs. SAGE'S CHARITY AT HOME
CAN'T GO TO RELIEF OF NEEDY
IN OTHER CITIES.
Makes a Public statement OF Her Plans
Gets Hundreds OF Letters q Day
Doesn't Intend Any Immediate Dis.
~trIbutiOn or the Fortune -HeaIth Good.

trIbutiOn or the Fortune -HeaIth Good.
Mrs. Russell Sage, through her counsel,
Robert w. DeForest, issued yesterday the
first statement she has made touching the
disposition OF the mi lions left her by her
husband upon his death last July. While
she does not indicate definitely the lines
along which she intends TO proceed she
does outline clearly her attitude toward
the flood of applications for help which she
receives every day.
Mrs. Sage in fact feels that. the public
has been misled regarding her present
Intentions and abilities. She thinks her
words will clear the Misrepresentation which
seems to exist. She does not intend to take
any measures for the immediate distribu-
ton Of the Sage m illions. The inference
is that she would not do 30 wen IL the estate
were settled.
While she does not indicate what her
ideas are as to the final disposition OF the
property she does make it clear that she
feels that her chief duty in the matter is
10 the city OF New York rather than 10 any
other community.
Il have been receiving ever since my
husbands death" she y several hum
dred letters a day containing applications
Of every conceivable kind from 90 many
different persons. These letters come in
every possible way. Some are delivered
at the door; most OF them come in the usual
course Of the mail. Some OF these bear spe-
cial delivery stamps; many of them are reg
istered with the thought OF making sure that
receive them. They come, too, from every
part Of the United States and from foreign
countries; from the greater cities, suoh as
Chicago, Boston, baltimore, Washington,
and from the smallest hamlet in the Far
West.
A great many OF these letters contain
absurd and unreasonable requests. based
apparently upon the idea that 1 was imme-
diately going to distribute without exam
nation or consideration a very large sum
of money.
The pl OCCASIONAL begging letter writer
appear in lar ge numbers, and also the peo-
pie who have failed in business and wish
10 establish themselves aiTesh; those who
would Hike to nave the mortgages paid of
their homes; those who would like to have
me 20 into business with them, and those
who nave discovered perpetual motion
or the elixir Of life,' and only need aid for
them to take out patents and secure their
and my everlasting fortunes.
Many Of them u~nquestionably represent
real need, and certainly represent real need
in the opinion OF the applicants. Some Of
them are very pathetic. The greater part
of them relate to personal or family wants.
Others relate to institutional needs, or 10
may be the establishment OF some new in
stitution or the initiation Of some new
branch OF p~hilanthropic enterprise. To
read them all would involve the total loss
Of eyesight, which a woman at II needs to
preserve.
Moreover, innumerable people, some of
them perhaps the writer's OF these letters,
are constantly trying to secure personal
interviews with me, and II l should see one-
tenth OF the people who so apply it would
be one continuous interview day and night.
This constitutes a real persecution il /
should choose to 80 regard IL, and l am
frequently amazed at the character and
standing of people who thus seek to press
themselves upon me instead OF respecting
my desire for seclusion during the first few
months OF my widowhood.
Il do not waste any sympathy on the
begging letter writer's or those who present
absurd or impossible demands, but l cannot
but sympathize with the persons, and there
are some OF them, whose needs are real and
should unquestionably be met by some one
and somehow. Many Of them are poor and
ignorant people whose expectations have
been stimulated by the newspaper articles
which have appeared from time to time with
regard to me and my philanthropic inten-
tons. 1t is cruel to exotic hopes in them
that cannot be realized. To such i feel IL
peculiarly due to break my silen GO and
make a public statement, which l trust will
be given the same currency by the press
that has been given TO the many articles re-
garding my intentions which have abso=-
lutely no warrant in fact.
1T is not my purpose to make any imme-
date dist ribution of the money which my
husband has left to me and which I expect TO
receive in the due course Of administration.
Much less am l intending to makes any such
dist ribution everywhere and to everybody.
Il am to receive this money without any
trust of any kind imposed by my husband
or even any expression OF desire on his part.
He has left me and intended to leave me alb
solutely free to do what l pleased with IL.
Whatever be the personal or family
needs Of poor people in Chicago, Boston,
Baltimore and Washington l cannot be
lookedto to supply them. Ihavea at my
doors, in my own city Of 1000 900 inhabitants,
plenty Of such cases which have a nearer
claim upon me. in so far as / may decide
to recognize it. l think the philanthropio
people of Chicago. Boston, Baltimore and
Washington and other cities, some Of whom
know, can and should be relied upon to
meet such need in their respective cities. L
do not think It would be for h permanent
good either Of those who are to receive such
help or those who by reason OF their citizen
ship are most called upon to supply IL, for
any resort to be had to me in such cities. l
intend to act upon this opinion Of my duty.
NO applicant either for individual or
Institutional needs need seek for any per-
sonal interview. I cannot and must not
accord it, and I must in Justice TO myself
and these applicants apply the same rule
10 all. II l want 10 see any such myself,