Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-01
MRS. sAGE's GREAT GIFT

THIS is the day Of large gifts for
| well-considered purposes. Yet It
has been uniformly recognized In
the public press, that no public bene-
faction, heretofore attempted, has been
distinguished by such breadth and
boldness Of purpose, nor fraught with
such tremendous potentiality as the
Russell Sage foundation, which is to be
Incorporated with an initial working
capital Of S10,000,00 The scope and ma
ture Of its purpose are broadly defined
in the act of Incorporation, which Is, In
full, as follows:
The people of the state of New York,
represented In senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
Section 1. Margaret olivia Sage,
Robert w. de Forest, Cleveland II.
Dodge, Daniel c. Gilman, John M.
Glenn, Helen Gould, Gertrude NJ. Rice
and Louisa l.. Schuyler together with
such other persons as they may asso-
ciate with themselves, and their sue
cessors, and hereby constituted body
corporate by the name of Russell Sage
foundation, for the purpose of receiv-
ing and maintaining fund or funds
and applying the income thereof to tho
improvement of social and living con-
ditions in the United States of America.
1t shall be within the purpose Of said
corporation to use any means to that
end which from time to time shall seem
expedient to its members or trustees,
including research, publication, educa-
ton, the establishment and mainten-
anoe of charitable or benevolent activi-
ties, agencies and institutions, and the
aid of any such activities, agencies or
institutions already established.
Section 2. The corporation hereby
formed shall have power to take and
hold, by bequest, devise, gift, purchase
or lease, either absolutely or in trust,
for any of its purposes any property,
real or personal, without limitation as
to amount or value, except such limi-
tation, if any, as the legislature shall
hereafter impose, to convey such prop
erty and to invest and reinvest any
principal and deal with and expend tho
income of the corporation in such man.
ner as in the judgment Of Its trustees
will best promote its objects.
1t shall have all the power and be
subject to all the restrictions which
now pertain by law to membership cor
porations so far as the same are appll-
cable thereto and are not inconsistent
with the provisions of this act.
The persons named in the first Sec
tion of this act or a majority of them
shall hold a meeting and organize the
corporation and adopt constitution
and bylaws not inconsistent with the
constitution and laws of this state.
The constitution shall prescribe the
qualifications of members, the number
Of members who shall constitute a |
quorum for the transaction of business
at meetings of the corporation, the |
number of trustees by whom the busi |
be managed; the qualifications, powers
and the manner of selection of the trus-
tees and officers of the corporation, and |
any other provisions for the manage
ment and disposition Of the property
and regulation of the affairs of the cor
poration which may be deemed ex-
pedient.
Section 8. This act shall take effect
in a recent interview Henry W. de
Forest, Mrs. Sage's personal counsel,
indicated that only the broader plans
for the administration of the income
from the foundation had yet been made.
He said the gift was along similar lines
but not for the same purpose as the
Carnegie, the Phipps and the Rockefel-
Ter foundations and that 1t would not
be limited to any one field of action He
said, however, that there was no pres
ent intention of establishing new forms
for new channels in which to give
money. He thought that the income
would be given to some extent to ex-
sting charities. Investigation, he de-
clared, would be made as to the work
Of various societies that might apply
for help, and it was possible that sug-
gestions as to the scope of work might
be made to the recipients of the in
come.
When Mr.. de Forest was asked if the
income would be spent for educational
purposes or for purifying tenement life
Or for purposes of demonstration as
to the best way to improve social con-
litions he said that the field was really
unlimited. What Mrs. Sage desired
was that as the result of her gift the
owly and unfortunate and any others
who do not get the best results out of
social conditions should find a way to
improve them and should be helped to
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