The Washington herald., 1908-03-12


stream of gold that has flowed for many
years increasingly into the Golfers OF
charity. 1t is impossible 20 estimate how
much the American people spend for 9TH
ers in the course OF a year. Gifts range
from one penny OF the poor mans child
to the 100000 of a Carnegie or a Mrs.
Sage
Leaving out OF consideration all gifts
OF under 5000; leaving out those private
benefactioHs Of which the world hears
nothing; emitting the untold millions
which the people voluntarily tax them
selves for the pauper and the feeble
minded, there stiII Is left the wonderful
sum of s1O0.oO0OO0 a year spent in phil
anthropic work. From 1893 to 1904. In
elusive. these larger benefactions reached
the enormous total OF S6s5. 10000 In 1906,
and again in 1906. SlOO.OOO.OOO was added
70 this amount.
But 1907 did not yield such remarkable
results in the philanthropie world The
panic which began in October caused the
strong boxes Of the wealthy 10 be kept
closed. In fact. in many cases the rich
were little better of than the poor, so
far as the amount OF actual cash on hand
was concerned. As a result OF the panic.
it is estimated that the total amount OF
benefactions of 5000 or more each last
year did not exceed S5O.000.OO0. The most
notable example OF philanthropy during
the year was the gift OF Mrs. Russell
Sage. widow Of the famous financier. She
gave S10,000,0o0 for the establishment of
a foundation for the ''betterment OF So
cial conditions" The iate Mr.. Sage did
not agree with Andrew Carnegie that il is
a disgrace to die rich. for he left a huge
fortune to HIS widow. She is now pro-
ceeding 10 bestOw ii upon worthy chari-
table enterprises. In addition 70 the
foundation" just mentioned. Mrs. Sage
last year gave Ia benevolent work several
million more.
The Sage Foundation" works. in the
opinion OF sociological students. is an i'm
portant step IN the direction OF increas-
Ing the efficiency OF philanthropic be
quests. In the past. many givers have
surrounded their benefactions with so
many restrictions that they did not ac-
eomplish nearly 50 much good as would
otherwise have been possible. Mrs. Sage
took just the opposite course. The foun-
dalton Is administered by a board OF
trustees, which is self-perpetuating and
which is not hampered In its work by
any restrictions attached 10 the gift,
except the broad stipulation that il shah
be used for the betterment OF social con
ditions.
With that basis to work on. the trus-
tees may erect model dwellings for the
poor, insure toilers TO receive living
wages even In time Of Illness. establish
parks and Fairgrounds, provide amuse-
ment for the denizens Of crowded tene-
ment districts, and do hundreds Of other
things for those who are not able, or DO
not know how, 20 take care Of themselves.
The annual income Of the Sage gift is
estimated at $4,000 The Sage foun-
datiOn is epoch-making." said an author
ity recently It means that We are 10
have no more dead giving Whether
or not this statement Is justified by the
facts, there has been a tendency IN re-
cent years 10 give during life and In
crease the efficiency OF benefactions by
exercising greater intelligence IN max
ing them and by removing restrictions
from their use.
Nearly twenty years ago Andrew Car
negie made the statement in an essay
on the Gospel Of Wealth" that out OF
every 5000 spent in philanthropy, $3.50
were unwiseIy spent. Since then MI
Carnegie has given many millions for
the construction Of the LOO Libraries
which bear his name: Sl0.000.O 900 for the
establishment Of a fund TO pension
teachers; 100000 for the creation OF a
hero fund" from which damages are
70 ha 70 - n haf Of
persons who risk life in endeavoTing 10
save the lives Of others; Sl0.000.000 for the
creation of the Carnegie Institution for
Scientific Research. many millions for
the endowment OF colleges. museums, and
similar institutions. and millions more 70
the hundreds OF private charities which
are investia ated by his secretary Mr.
Carnegie's maxim and that Of the many
modern phihlnthropIsts Is: Help those
who help themselves"
OF similar character are the gifts OF
Henry Phipps George Peabody. John f.
Slater. Peter Cooper. Samuel J. Tiiden.
Enoch Pratt. iceland Stanford, Stephen
Girard. George ". Childs. Helen Gould,
John d. Rockefeller, and others. Mr..
Rockefeller has iyiven many millions to
the cause OF education and philanthropy.
His fad is higher education, and TO pro-
mote this, he has given upward OF $780,
O00, 900 during the past several years. his
chief benehciaries being Chicago Univer-
sity and the general educational board.
The Peabody fund for education IN the
South was founded in 1861. Since that
time its income. TO the amount OF $500
600, has been spent in a telling way, and
recently the principle has been divided.
49,. ,Aa- r.,
established a S1.O0O0OO fund for the edu-
cation Of the freed slaves, and It now
has n surplus OF S1,7O0,OOO. Enoeh Pratt
and Samuel J. Tilden were pioneer library
founders in mis- country. their activities
being confined principally to Baltimore
and New York. The history OF Leland
Stanford Junior University, 10 which
$50. 100000 was donated by the Iste Cali
fornia Senator and his family, Is too well
known to detail as is also the Peter
Cooper Institute. New York. where the
people gather and discuss a wide range
Of questions for their intellectual and So
eial improvement.
Girard College for boys at PhIAde
phia has done so much good IN train ng
boys for the battle Of life that It It'd
Robert NJ. Carson. another Philadelphia
millionaire, to recently give 5000 900 for
the establishment Of a similar school for
girls. Mr.. Carson, however, Is said to
have surrounded his gift with so many
conditions that his bequest has been re-
ferred to as "a $0OO,OOO blnnder."
Henry Phipps has succeeded in making
philanthropy pay for itself. In addition
to establishing an Institution for the
investigation and treatment OF tubercu-
losis, he created a fund of S10O0.000 for
the erection Of model tenements. These