The farmer and mechanic., 1915-04-13

coilntl.y's millionaire widows, IL tand-
lated. would go far over the pIl'ioh
dollar mark. for there is hardly citS
that has not one or more WicoNtC
women who can estimate thTli
wealth in seven, eight or nine h5
ures. -,
Some Of the number are rea'
pbilanthropists. and are gradually
dispensing with much of their means,
while others are keeping the Soiu
SAFE. under lock and key. Many OF tne
millionaire widows are as succeSSlui
financiers AS their deceased nus
bands and have added greatly to thelr
wealth, says in article In the iiua
oelphia North American.
The "country's richest woman Is
the title that is given to many OF the
country's wealthy widows, for as soon
as a financier dies his widow Is I'M
mediately designated thus. Iherc IS
hardly q question, however, tnat the
fortunes of Mrs. T.. IL. Hartman, Mrs
Russell Sage and Mrs. Hetty Green
stand high above the others. jErS.
Green has the distinction OF building
up a larger fortune by her own ef-
forts than any other person OF her
sex While it is true she lnherIled
$1,000 900 from her father in lS6',
that sum is small compared to her
present tremendous fortune which
mas nCeu cOItlnudDy -t,At
ing the last half century.
Mr.. Hartman showed his ialIh IN
his wife's executive and business
ability by leaving her his fortune out
right, despite the fact that the couple
were blessed with five children. The
estate was estimated at $149,OOO.OO0
Mrs. Harriman's pet philanthropy
deals with eugenics. Last year she
gave large sums Of money to the
nr6 nfG "
toward furthering it's work, and dur
ing the previous year she gave sub
stantial donation to this eugenic rec
ord. office in Cold Springs HarbOr,
Long Island.
Mrs. Sage's Gifts.
Mrs. Sage has no family, and judg-
ing from the generous gifts she has
given toward philanthropic and chari.
table purposes, there is hardly q
question that she will bequeath much
of her fortune for public needs. One
OF her greatest acts was in the estab
lishment Of the Russell Sage founda
tion for research work into prevailing
conditions, for which she set aside
310.0O0,000. In making the founda
tion, Mrs. Sage opened field o
philanthropic survey that had beer
long neglected. The great amour
of good accomplished by the expert
and the number Of movements in
augurated for the public welfar
show the remarkable clear-sighted
ness OF this woman, who is now i
her eighty eighth year. Hardly
year passes that Mrs. Sage's benefac
tions do not amount to several hun
dred thousand dollars, and anon
her comparatively recent gifts was tn
sum OF 100000 to Princeton UniveT
Gity for the erection Of a new hall.
Probably the most active of tn
wealthy widow in the field Of charit
is Mrs. Marshall Field, OF Chicago
She not only gives largely Of her fol
tune for the relief Of the poor and tn
social workers Of Chicago. She take
keen interest in civic al
fairs, and several years ago she wa
appointed head of the civic healt
commission Of her city, with entfl
charge Of the new bureau of milk il
spection. Mrs. Field made a speci
investigation into the impure ar
adulterated milk conditions. HUI,
breads Of deaths among infants ha
been attributed to these causes.
Mrs. Field Is one of the wealthie
widows of the middle west, for 81
was married twice and both Of h
husbands were rated as millionaire
Morever, she was left million or tv
by her father, wealthy harwa
merchant Arthur Cation, the fir
husband, died in 1904, leaving +
widow several millions The folio,
ing year Mrs. Cation sailed for EuroK
and Mr.. Field, her next-door neig
Dor. followed shortly afterwards T
pair were married quietly in Lond
and returned to this country il
mediately. In five months Mrs. Fie
was again a widow.
While Field left an immense fc
tune. only $1,00O,000 was bequeath
to his widow, but the ante-nupt
contract was said to have been
much larger sum. This and the fl
tunes left by her father and form
husband. with their accumulation
are said to amount to close to Sc
100000. Mrs. Field has no childr'
She is an aunt of Spencer Eddy, w
Is we'll known in diplomatic circl
Mrs. Palmer's Activities.
Another Chicago woman who
tremendously wealthy is Mrs. Pot
~v