Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-05-07
DR.. PEARSONS READY.
Reaches Home in Chicago and
Plans to Bestow Fortune on
Small Colleges.

The Chicago papers report that DIR. ID.
X. Pearsons, who has offered s25 900 to
Middlebury College, is home again hale
and hearty, despite his recent illness,
and is anxious to settle up)with the col
leges to which he has promised dona-
tions. We take the following from the
Chicago Tribune of Saturday:
"Danie X. Pearsons, 80 years old, the
philanthropist, whose recent illness at
Pasadena kept him in hospital for more
than month answered his own door
bell at his home in Hinsdale yesterday
afternoon, and, in spite of the fact that
he had just completed four days trip
| from the coast, welcomed callers with
grip of the hand that would have done
justice to a college athlete.
Mr.. Pearsons reached Chicago yester-
day at noon. For the next four months,
he asserts, he will be kept busy dispos
ing Of sufficient property to meet pledges
he has made to fourteen colleges, aggre-
eating S500OOO.
you can quote me as saying" he an
nounced, "that | am out of the philan
thropic market until Sept. /. My recent
illness has notified me that it is time for
me to begin to close up my work. |
I =
until every pledge now outstanding
against me is paid. This, | believe, can
be accomplished by Sept. /, and then, if
| am alive, shall start in again giving to
small colleges.
LIST OF COLLEGES AIDED.
Among the colleges for whose benefit
Mr.. Pearsons will now begin to dispose
of property are: Montpelier Seminary,
! in Montpelier, VT. the institution where
DIR. Pearsons received his education sew
enty years ago; Piedmont College. Georg
gia; Doane College, Nebraska; Idaho Col
lege, Idaho; Middlebury College, Yer
mont; Huron College. South Dakota Be
rea College. Kentucky: Newberry Col
| lege, South Carolina, and Maryville Col
| lege in Tennessee. DIR. PearsOns said
that there were four other colleges which
would receive gifts from him, but he did
not care to give their names as they knew
nothing of his intentions.
Each of these colleges is required to
raise certain amount of money before
it can avail itself of my offer" continued
Mr.. Pearsons. 81 believe that every one
of them will raise their share by Sept. |.
so that | can settle with them at that
time, and have clean slate. My own
college, Montpelier Seminary seems to
be having the hardest time of any of
these colleges. Only today received a
letter from its president suggesting that
I give an extention of time, but | don't
propose to do it. They have been trying
there for two years to raise 500. 600 in
order to be eligible for my offer of $4,000,
and now they must toe the mark. Just
like the other colleges, or they won't get
my money. Every one of these col
lpupq going n ha 20 thpir m V hat W. m
now ard Sept. /, provided they live up
to my conditions"
MORE TO GET BENEFITS.
When asked what other institutions he
had in mind for future benefactions, Mr.
Pearsons smiled. "There are plenty left
that would like to help" he said, but
| don't care to say anything about my
future plans until | have cleaned up the
promises l already have made.
will say this however, that it is my pur-
pose, provided | am granted a long
enough lease of life in which to accom-
plish it, to give to small colleges every
cent of my fortune outside of fund
which | shall reserve to furnish me
moderate annuity for my old age
How much do you figure you still
have to spare ?" was asked.
II haven't figured it out" was the
Chicago philanthropist's reply, "and be-
sides" he quickly added, II don't think
that's fair question"
When it was suggested to him that his
reputation as generous giver to educa-
tional institutions was similar to that of
Andrew Carnegie as a library donator,
Mr.. PearsOns, while not exactly resent
ing the comparison, was prompt in re-
lplying:
There's been no foolishness about my
giving. | started in on it twenty years
ago and I've stuck to it. | chose the
small college in a new section of the
country as the object of my phianthro-
py, and for twenty years I've made it my
business to help just such institutions to
help themselves. My gifts have varied
in size from $25 900 to $500, 600, and they
have always been conditioned upon the
institution doing something itself in the
way of raising money.
GIFTS IN TWENTY YEARS.
"Since made my first gift to a college
that to Beoit just twenty years ago
this June-I have benefited forty-seven
different colleges in twenty four differ
ent states. Thirteen of these institutions
are in southern states. / have confined
myself to no particular locality. During
the last five months, while on the Pa
cific coast, have visited five western
colleges that have received gifts from me-
They are Whitman College, Walla Walla,
Wash; Pacific University, Portland,
Oregon; Pomona College, California I;
Idaho College. Idaho; and Deer Lodge
College in Montana.
"What would like to impress upon
the public is that for the next four
months shall be very busy living up to
past promises, and will not be in mood
to consider any new propositions. After
that-well, that's too far ahead to
promise"