Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-09
MANY TO SHARE GIFT
No Trouble About Disposing of
Rockefeller Money.
EDUCATION BOARD NEEDS
Had Applications for Help Before
Donation Came.
RESERVATION Is DESIRED
Chairman Gates Does Not Know What
Prompted It-Free to Dispose
Of Other Sums.

Of Other Sums.
NEW YORK, February 9.-Telegrams of
congratulation from men interested in edu-
cation in various parts of the country
reached the Office of the general education
board at 81 William street yesterday in
large numbers a result Of the $50. OOO, 600
contribution to the board the day before by
John D. Rockefeller DR.. Wallace But
trick, secretary of the board, when asked
If the gift had resulted in any increase in
the pleadings for first aid to the needy re-
piled that this would be impossible, mas
much as the board had had applications
for help from about all the educational in
stitutions long before the news of the latest
benefaction had got abroad.
The members of the board who were
asked yesterday for more details of the
gift had little Information to give out.
Frederick T. Gates, chairman Of the board,
talked in a general way Of the donation
and Of some of the aims Of the general
education board. It was gathered from
his brief talk that he is giving practically
all his working hours now to the direction
Of his educational and philanthropc ideas.
Mr.. Rockefeller, he said. is ''out Of bust
ness"
There is nothing especially significant,
for instance" said Mr.. Gates in his office at
26 Broadway, 'in the fact that the letter in
which Mr.. Rockefeller's gift was an
nounced to the general education board
was signed by his son. This is but another
exempli1cation of a truth which the public
seems slow to grasp: That Mr. Rockefeller
is out Of business and has been for many
Office for ten years.
Made Through Representative.
''Mr. Rockefeller's benefactions are made
entirely through his representatives. This
must not be taken to mean that he Is not
familiar with the details of those benefac-
tons, of course. At all times he Is quite
familiar with the character Of the gifts he
may make, but the letters that announce
these gifts are not written by him. In the
many contributions he has made, Chicago
University, for instance, I doubt if he has
ever written personal letter to accom-
pany any of them.
Rockefeller may have in mind that
prompted the contribution Of yesterday at
this timer" Mr.. Gates was asked.
mo, l can't say that there was any spe-
perhaps longer. Mr.. Rockefeller learned
that the general education board could use
much more money along the lines the board
has been following. and the gift was then
talked Of first, and arrangements have been
making for it ever since"
4AS 4WO.4u1TQ reserve.
''Then you know of no particular reason
why Mr.. Rockefeller and his son reserve
the right to direct the disposal Of two-thirds
of the $S2OOOOOO?''
Il know nothing about that" was the re-
ply. 1.-The fact that Mr.. Rockefeller and
his son reserve this right is no indication
that they will or will not do SO. Despite
the reservation this gift leaves the board
more free to dispose of the interests Of it
than In the cases of the first donation of
100000 or the second one of $1,000 600,
which he gave some time ago. The 81 Co.,
600 donation. for instance, was accompanied
by the specification that the money was to
be used for the study and promotion Of
education In the southern states and in
the letter that announced the still later
gift of S1O,OO0,0O0 it was specified that it
was to be used in the furtherance Of
higher education" which prevented any
help from the board to common schools
But the gift announced yesterday merely
specifies that 1t Is to be applied to the
specific objects within the corporate pur-
poses of the board. This permits the board
to aid any institution from a Kindergarten
specific Investigations or do anything else
except aid in the teaching Of theology
Theological work is denied by the charter
of the board"
The charter allows Of tremendous scope
however, Mr.. Gates said. Members of the
board say that the greatest sense of re-
sponsibility to them lies in the wide posi-
bilities permitted by the charter rather than
in the Vastness of the sum of money at
their disposal
LAS to the nature of the securities hich
Mr.. Rockefeller announced he would give to
the board yesterday 1 know nothing" said
Mr.. Gates in answer to an inquiry. ''These
securities are to be turned over to the board
on or before April !. and we shall know
nothing of them until that time. Mr.. Rock
efeller Is In perfect accord with the work the
board has been doing and so we do not know
of any reason that would cause either him
or his son to change the system we have
worked out.
The Conditional Gifts.
with the money now on hand there is no
doubt in the minds of the members of the
board that through the conditional contribu-
lions we shall make during the next ten
years a sum of $500. 100000 or $3.50 600 600
will have been raised for educational pur-
poses throughout the country. The condi-
tional gifts to colleges seem always to stir
up enthusiasm among the supporters of the
institutions. In fact the colleges that have
applied to us would rather have the help
from us come conditionally. When an alum
nus, for instance. hears that his college will
receive certain sum provided like or
greater amount is raised by subscription
he goes down into his pocket gladly. The
result is that the institution gets two or
three times the amount that 1t would if we
gave the money Internationally"
- DR.. Butterick gave an instance of this
when he told of a call he had received yes
terday morning from President H. NJ
Snyder of Wofford College, Spartanburg
s. c., to which the board awarded $25 600
one year ago on condition that the institu-
ton would raise $780,
Increase of Students.
terick, chat he has raised Sill 600 to date
terick, that he has raised $111 600 to date
and that he wants us to hold of our $25,-
GOO until he raises another $4,000. because
of the salutary influence of the conditional
gift. have received a similar letter from
President A. p Montague of Howard Col
lege, in which he says he has not only
raised $75, 900 because of the conditions i'm
posed by the board. but that his tours
throughout the state after subscriptions
have resulted in a large increase OF stu