The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-17
WEALTH IN ANCIENT TIMES
Public Munifcence Reached It's
Height in Greece and Rome.
Many Gifts Came to Cities from Pri-
VEte BenefactOTs-Insfan from
Recorded History.

From the Baltimore News.
II private donations 20 public institu-
tons is on an uuexampled scale ia our
own times. the spirit OF munihcence
prompting il is not at all unexampled,
but is a manifestation Of a tendency that
was strongly marked In the ancient
world Herodes Atticus. citizen Of
Athens In the FIST century Of the Chris
tian era, was famous for the greatness
and variety Of his gifts Like Andrew
Carnegie. he seems 20 have had an OBJ
lection 10 dying rich, and he certainly ex-
pended IN the service OF the public the
greatest part Of the enormous fortune he
inherited. As a specimen OF his way Of
doing things. il is recorded that on visit
ing the town Of Troas, In Asia Minor. he
observed that the citizens were in trouble
about shortage Of water supply. aud he
gave them a sum equal 10 $50J.0o0 III our
money 10 build new aqueduct- In the
execution Of the work the charge
amounted TO double that amount. and
when ne heard Of It he took upon him
self the additional expense While many
cities are reported TO have experienced
his munifcence, Athens benefited b. it
t. an exceptional degree. The theater
which lie dedicated 10 the memory Of
his wife, Regilia, was scarcely 10 be
paralleled in the empire. It IS said that
no wood except cedar curiously carved.
was employed in its construction. Re
mains Of the stadium which he gave 10
the Athelians are sin in ex' 5tence TO
testify to its original magnihcence. It
was 600 feet long, built entirely o. white
marble, and WAS calculated 10 accom-
modate the whole body Of the people who
might turn out at any one tine on q
public occasion.
These details which have been extracted
from GibbOn are not exceptional in their
character HerOdes AttiCUs was but one
among an immense thr0ug OF public bene-
factors. Since Gibbons time archaeOlogi-
cal research and minute studies of inscrip-
tons have accumulated additional facts
showing how perversive was the spirit OF
generous giving for public purposes. The
latest work devoted 10 this period Of his
tory is DTrs Roman Society" and in it
great array of facts are given illustra-
tive Of this tendency. Docks. warehouses.
aqueducts, baths. roads, temples. mar
kets. and public physicians supported by
endowment were among the gifts that
came 10 cities Of the empire from private
generosity. A private citizen bore the cost
OF an aqueduct for Bordeaux. at an expen-
diture of $500 Geo. Another benefactor. one
Crinas, spent about 5000 on the walls Of
Marseilles. Pliny was not rated as a rich
man. but during his lifetime he save away
for public purposes sums aggregating over
Sl0e,009. the gifts being of a thoroughly
practical kind, such as a library, q school
endowment, a foundation for the nurture
of poor children, and spacious colonnades
TO shelter traders attending a fair. Per-
sons who could not give largely still gave
In proportion TO their means. and gifts for
some special repair or some particular or
nament TO existing public halls were COM
mon. Mr.. Dill concludes his survey Of tie
evidence by saying that there has prob
ably seldom been a time when wealth
was more generally regarded trust, a
possession in which the community at
large has right to share"
Thus, while individual instances Of pub
lie generosity now excel anything that
past history can offer. it does not appear
that the spirit Of such munifcence is still
50 pcrvasive or so general in its effects as
some I, 500 years ago.