Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-05
MRS. SAGE'S FORTUNE
MORE THAN S70,00O,00O
Quit Teaching School to Wed
Young Banker Who Accumu-
lated Great Wealth.

New York, Nov 5.-The richest
woman in America, who died Yesterday,
had a quiet and uneycntful life, despite
her great fortune, one who knew her
writes
Margaret Olivia Sage. until she reached
middle life, had only the meager income OF
a school teacher and then IN day she
found hcrseli mistress ot one ot the largest
fortunes in America Her early DAYS were
devoted to scrnplng together enough money
to give herself n fair education, and hcr
last davS were spent in developing HE
science of giving money away. During the
last seven wears of complete stewardship
of the s70,OOO, 900 left by her husband,
Russell Sage, she returned nearly s30.0O0-
600 to the public by systematic phllan-
thropieS.
'.NiV experience has taught me, she
had said recently. that successful pcoplo<
are those who take what comes TO hand'
and. It ii rc small wait and work Tor
something better The root OF failure hes
often in the thought that YOU can do but
one thing and must DO that or nothing,
woRKED WAY rHRoUGH sCnonl.
This practical philosophy dcvclopeu when
She was a girl IN Syracuse, y. y, her
BIRTHPLACE Her father, Joseph Slocum was
81 reduced IN circumstances 10y the panic
al 1887 that the daughter, ut the agc ni
only nInc wears, was obliged TO help III the
upkccp ol The household At the age of
IL She started Tor Mount liolyokc college
,Xl,cctIne Ia work her WAY for four wears
l,v llouscwork hut sickness oVcriook her
on her WiN aud she NaN ColnprhCd 20
stop AT IN uncic- house III Troy Later She
was induced to enter Emma Willard ;
Seminary al Irol md alter hard battle
tur ~ci-suppori she Was graduated ana
became Il school teacher Tor nearly 70
wears aficruard ~ltn continued her battle.
Irachlrc school ~ Philadelphia, Syracuse
ami IroN until ~ the lgc II 81 Years. She
h,,..ru, Ii" wife u Russell sage. then 2
Ila.r4l hankcr ~ NbcrVict. y !.
Their home iifc was simple, despite thcr
prtat ut4lth Mrs sage took rllch deep
interest IL her husbands affairs that hr
turned uvr, to hrr five Years bf"rc ms
death cnnplct, coutrol 81 his business and
fns.nd that h.~ falth VaS borne ont by hri
successful nptl:siIons But she was proudCet
cf her ability te~uPpart herself altogether
iudco,adcut 81 wealth, anj q her house
kccInn@.
coUfD 10 own COMING
IA my cook should leave nc TODAY.
-rc ua.... slitl II coui "a tho work nNsoh
u41hau running ali over thc rlfy i"E
another glrI before Wc had utitHuI
ac.tt I!u~eVurk Is one II the best ~
tl.natipn9 | know. C'Ifl- should take 'H
hoY4cwork. even rs -cyant~. rather than
Wurts III thu stores. II ! had daughter
.l. va~ chliIt.~~ She would hayc hcou
taught ta cook and soy and hc - some com
tort 10 lar parents Some cIrlS nowadays
arc ID oi more comfort to their parents
than II they did not cNiSt.
VA 4 WOMAN WOMAN.
Mrs sage ua~ 4 woman woman
ami her chartIc, were largely directed to
tEcaId 81 women and children She hccam,
vldc.s known a~ Il lady houujiiHl and
was = heSiegcd With requests for uoncy
tia; Size had 70 retire finally ~ scclu~ton
Hceglug letters have been received At hcI
fIft't Avenue home al the rate ot aCo day
some III tie writers threatening 9uIci,
and Others t. do her bodily harm II thou
petItlos.~ were lot Needed. - inslstcnt
were the hordcs that they sometime.
gathered in numbers about her doors
MADE MANY LARGE GIFTS.
Mrs. Sage was n little woman and cv-
tremclv .seIi-controlcd She gave, and gay,
literally but was 80 determined that hcl
giving should hc done wisely that short \
after her husband death She established
the Russell Sage oundatlon WITH >Iubu-
600 for the lnpro1 ement oi social anc
living conditions in the United States
OutsId 81 thu ~hc had made large giit-
including 81 0nN0n0 ~ the Emma Willard
Seminary. Sl.m0000 to Rensselaer,
Polxicctnc Institute S5500 00Ofothc y NJ
and " T. \ Sl500H} u the American
Seaman Institute, Sl5O,000 80 tht
Nor. hacd, Mas Seminary, S}00.oN
to the >agc In- itl.tc Of Pathology Of til,
NeV York City Hospital. $25Ou00 for :
homo for i,.diccnr women and. Sl00O0O L
syracuse | n,ver>i'y.
>hc was born sept. 5. lS2S. eighth il
dk,crn' through her father. from Nic:
~tandi~h. and on hcr maternal side
d,~c.n ..ilt oi Col Henry Picrson oi -,
narhor \ y founder II the pubii'
school ,z-retu III America IN l7H1.