The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-08-14
cARNEeIE's MARVELLOUS CAREER
Found 1t Easier to Make Millions
Than to Give Them Away.


Than to Give Them Away.
Until he was septuagenarian. An
drew Carnegie believed that he was
born in 1887. Then on return visit
to his native town in Scotland he
learned that the date 1887 in the
church records merely meant that the
records were commenced in that year
and he was listed as living child n
the first census. He announced his
correction of the date OF his birth by
clicking the news to his brother teleg
raphers on a miniature telegraph in
strument at his place at the dinner
they were giving in his honor, supDos
/ ing it to be his seventy-irst when il
was really his seventy-third birthday,
i He was born Nov. %, 1885, in Dun
fermine, little manufacturing town
in Fifeshire, Scotland, at that time
noted for its weaving, His father
+ and his ancestors for long way
back had been weayers, and ut the
time of Andrews birth the elder Car
negie owned three or four hand looms
one of which he operated himself,
and hired extra hands for the others
as the trade required Andrew was
to have been a weaver too, but new
inventions were soon TO abolish the
industry, and William Carnegie, his
father, was the last OF the weaving
line
81 owe a great deal to my mother"
he wrote in 1914 She was com
panion, nurse, seamtress, cook, and
washerwoman, and never until late in
life had d servant in the house Yet
she was a cultivated lady who taught
the most of what | know"
He earned his first penny by rech-
ing Burns long poem, Man Was
( Made to Mourn, without a break.
There is story that in Sunday
school, being called upon to recite
some Scripture text, he astonished
the assembly by giving this: Look
after the pence, and the pounds viii
take care Of themselves"
Estimates of Mr.. Carnegie's wealth
made yesterday put ii at possibly
$500 100000. When he retired in
1891 he sold his securities OF the Car.
negie Steel Comapny to the United
States Steel Corporation for $3O3 40
600 in bonds Of that company He
was possessed OF large interests in
addition to those bends When he
started in 1901 to endow his great
benefactions he made inroads into
his capital for several years in gifts
TO libraries, for peace propaganda,
and TO other philanthropic causes.
The fortune of $303.450, 900 in 5 per
cent bonds, if allowed to increase by
the accumulation OF interest and rein
yestment since 1901 would amount to
about a billion dollars today. but his
numerous benefactions prevented
this. According to financial authori-
ties. however. the ironmaster's ambi.
ton to die poor was not realized. and,
despite the scale of his philanthropy
les, II was believed that his fortune
was at his death as large as it ever
was
Elihu Root, jr son of former Unit
ed States Senator Root, whose father
for years has been Mr. Carnogie's
counsel declined, yesterday to~e dis
cuss Mr. Carnegie's affairs. other
than to say chat he was a citizen OF
New York City and to admit that his
will doubtless would be probated
here.
When he was u years cid the steam
ICONS drove his father, the master
weaver. out of business, and reduced
to poverty, the family emigrated to
America. There were four, the par
ents and two boys, Andrew and
Thomas. They settled at Allegheny
City Penn, across the river from
Pittsburgh, in 1S4S. The father and
Andrew found work in a cotton fac