The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-08-11

Peace palace at The Hague, which was
dedicated in 1913 He gave $750,O00 for
the bureau Of American republics at
Washington.
His love OF music moved him to equip
hundreds of churches and institutions
with pipe organs. He never gave direct
ly any large sum to religious purposes
OF his organ gifts he said he would hold
himself responsible for what the organ
pealed forth on the Sabbath, but not for
what might be said in the pulpit One
of his very earliest gifts, as far back as
1861, was the Carnegie Music hall in
New York, at cost of $4,000 900, and
as president of the New York Philhar-
monte society he spent his money liberal
ly in furthering its ideals. He also lib.
orally backed the Pittsburg orchestra.
To the Allied Engineers societies he
gave S2,000,000 His small gifts to col
leges amounted to some $20,000,000. No
man left at his death such an unique
and such scattered series of monuments
to perpetuate his memory.
Tn the background of these Is years of
philanthropy there is the familiar story
of Scotch thrift, a little luck, and steel,
which made such generosity possible.
Was Son of Poor Man.
Andrew was u when his father a
master weaver, was brought almost to
destitution. The steam looms drove him
out of business. The family numbered
four, including Andy" and his younger
brother, William. The parents decided
to emigrate to America, whence some
relatives had proceeded them with sue
cess. They settled at Allegheny City,
Pa, across the river from Pittsburg, in
lS4s. The father and Andrew found
work in cotton factory, the son as
bobbin boy. 1t was his first work. The
salary was $l.20 week. He was soon
promoted, at a slight advance, to engi-
neer's assistant. He stocked the boilers
and ran the engine in the factory cellar.
In those dingy quarters; where he
worked IL hours day, came the inspir.
alton that later led to his library bene.
factions, he said. A Colonel Anderson,
possessed of some 400 books, announced
he would open his library every week
end and allow boys to borrow any books
they pleased Carnegie was one of the
most eager readers. g
"Only he who has longed asj | did for
Saturdays to come" he has kaid, "ean
understand what Colonel Anderson did
for me and other boys of Allegheny. 1t
is any wonder that | resolved, if ever
surplus wealth came to me, would use
it initiating my benefactor?"
At IA Carnegie emerged from the en-.
gine cellar and became telegraph mes
senggr. j. Douglas Reid, a Dunfermlne
man, who had come to America early,
was head of the office and he made An
drew his protege. Telegraphy was then
almost new thing. Nobody ventured to
read the dots and dashes by sound. They
were all impressed on tape. Carnegie
is said to have been the third operator
in the United States to accomplish the
feat of reading messages by sound alone.
He practiced mornings before the regular
operators came around
"One day death message signal
came" he has related, ''befcre the oper-
ators arrived. in those days death mes
sages were the most important messages
we handled. ventured to take this
one"
He did it correctly and delivered the
telegram before the regular force was on
duty at all. It won him promotion to
the key and sounder When the Penn
sylvania railroad put up telegraph wire
of its own he became clerk under Divi-
sional Superintendent Thomas A. Scott.
His salary jumped to S35 a month "Mr.
Scott he observed, was then receiving
$l25 month, and used to wonder what
fContinueh on eighth naUel