The Washington herald., 1914-04-05

mo SHOW in HIS
CHARITY WORK
Samuel Grabfelder Of Louis
vile, an Unostentatious
Philanthropist.
GIFTS ARE NUMEROUS
GIFTS ARE NUMEROUS
Visits the III and Comforts the Sor-
rowzg in His Travels About
the Country.
Sweet charity.

$, Sweet charity.
How multifarious It's forms!
How some philanthropists write their
own names upon the pages OF history
simply by munincent gifts for worthy
purposes-gifts that take the form Of q
library, or some other public building,
which must bring fame to the founder
until every school child lisps his name!
Then, how others work in a mysterious
way through narrow streets and alleys
seeking out the needy and suffering, min
'istering to their comfort and needs. scat
tering seeds of kindness at enormous
cost-more than enough to rear huge
buildings for the aged. the blind or the
poor-and yet the world never knows!
That the latter type have not been as
numerous as the former Is certain. but
now and then somebody writes a page
somewhere about the mysterious angel
who comes along silently at intervals to
spread cheer and comfort. This philan-
thropist's history now is being written
and eventually It is finished In desul-
tory way-a page here and a page there
but the subject OF II all has had nothing
whatever TO do with the writing. He is
content with simply the pleasure of hav-
ing done his part in the uplift of suffering
humanity and looking for his only re-
ward to that peculiar satisfaction-that
thrill that comes from II alone.
Helps the Suffering.
Such a philanthropist is Samuel Grab
fielder, of Louisville, KY. He travels much
he goes annually hither and thither to
look upon the massive mountains and
wonder at Natures great work-work
that does not crumble, as crumble all
the works OF man-and before he returns
to his own among the meadows Of the
ha those
and suffering; those TO whom the world
has no bright look, and when he bids
them good-by and has passed out Of their
sight, a little slip of paper is found on
the table and on It is written ''sI5, COO"
He does this every year in Louisville.
this man Grabfelder. He does 1t every
year in other cities. too. where he finds
the afflicted and sore and distressed. Not
with pomp. not with blare of trumpet,
but with simplicity.
For Good of Mankind.
Once he stood beside the pillow upon
which rested the cold white face Of a
child he loved. and ever since that day
he has been trying to hove all mankind
even as he loved it. A simple man or
the people is he, whose whole life has
been marked by practical philanthropy
a man of vast wealth. simple habits and
fine ideals, whose creed may be summed
up in his own plain statement: we are
all children of one God"
He is president Of the National Jewish
Hospital for Consumptives. He began his
public philanthropic work with the found
ing OF the Montefiore Home for the Aged
in Cleveland, Ohio. many years ago. His
next larse benefaction was the Children's
Orphan Home in Cleveland. Since then
he has been prominently identified with
Western charities of all kinds; nor has
he confined his gifts to his own people.
True to his claim OF world brotherhood.
he gives to Christian and Jew alike.
Once he sat throughout a meeting and
when II was time to open the subscrip
ton list the quiet stranger in the back
Of the hall was the first to rise and say:
Gentlemen. you may put me down for
$500 on that" II didn't matter to him
that II was a Christian organization; all
he thought of was that II was for the
good OF mankind.
When he was asked to take the presi-
dency of the National Jewish Hospital
his one comment was: IF it Is nom
sectarian, all right"
1t had to be a wide-open, liberal broad |
minded affair or he would have nothing |
TO do with it That has been his policy |