New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-25
4 NE7v BEyEVoLEyCE.

Benevolence is often sore pressed nowadays
for originality. Tho men who cast their bread
upon the waters are 50 many that they have OK
hausted all the good ways of doing It. Giving
10 a college, q library or charity organization
society has become so exceedingly hacineyed
that the world pays no attention 10 It, and no
public benefactor OF spirit win be content tamey
10 tread in so beaten path. Mr. Cecil Rhodes
had an inspiration when he founded his all
around the world scholarships, Cor his indiffer
ence 10 natural limos captured the Imagination !;
but not all men OF wealth are fortunate In
their Inspirations. and we can readily imagine
Rhodeses with locked Golfers, whose benerolence
was never expressed in dollars owing TO a lack
Of inventive skill, like mute, inglorlOus Millions,
who never wrote poetry because they could not
think OF any new poetry to write. \ Chicago
man has hit upon something new, which should
be an inspiration to those whose benevolent in
clinations are ready but whose inventlyeness is
weak. After much internal debate he could not
content himself with the prosac idea Of giving
a town library and has decided instead to give
it Il gas plant. In place Of the light of literature
he IS ready to bestow the ordinary light of COM
merce.
This wOuld-be bencfactor, Mr. William Bross
Lloyd, Of Chicago, had planned TO found at
Winnetka, H., n library IN memory of his
father, the late Henry u. Lloyd, the socialistic
writer. Recently he has been greatly interested
In the discussion whether Wnnetka should
have a privately owned or a municipal gas
plant, and he wishes to cast his influence in
favor of the latter by making the town present
OF II. Thus he would teach the true doctrine
Of municipal ownership, while the educational
value Of Il library is Il doubtful matter. Be
sides, there IS as have already minated
another reason why mind striving to be
ORIGINAL IN IT'S bpuOvDIenCn NAV af 10
thought Of giving library, and Mr.. Lloyd him
self states It IN writing to the Public Library
Board Of Winnetka, announcing his change Of
plans: ut is hard to dissociate the donation of
a library from the name Of Carnegie" But
municipal gas plants gift to the people have
novelty and freshness. and, while men may read
all the Libraries and still go wrong economically,
n municipal gas plant will be an object lesson
in the true faith.
Mr.. Lloyd is something of i sinner economical.
ly; indeed, 1t has been held that every public
benefactor should be something of n sinner SO
that the public may accept his money as a sort
| of apology for his derelictiOns. Mr.. Lloyd Is u
capitalist-but perhaps it would be better to put
I'm his own words his confession of the error Of
his ways. He writes:
While I would deprecate the term public
spirited" as regards myself. / plead guilty to
some wealtf-in fact To being a capitalist
| a working-class mind. Against my class in
terest therefore propose to help the municipal
gas plant
1t is therefore greater penance to this capt.
tallst to give gas plant than to give library
In fact lie seems quite ashamed of having once
thought Of library. Such 4 gift lis an emil
nently suitable job for members Of the capital
list class. We feel sure that they Will not cross
the lines Of the class struggle to help the gas
plant"
OF course Winnetka may not accept the gas
| plant 1t may decline municipal ownership even
OF gift In that case Mr.. Lloyd would pocket
his benevolence;
L should feel very much like deciding that IL
Winnetka did not know enough To Install u
municipal gas plant In preference TO any ar
| ranSement involving a franchise 10 private
company the level Of general intelligence was
l such that library would be useless feature