The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-02-12
Shall We See More Big Fortunes

i he small fortune disposed by the late Mr.. Car
negie's wil-"small" for a multmillionare of Mr..
Carnegies cass-ustfes the assertion by his lawyers
that he substantially fulfilled his promise of many
years ago dvest himself of his wealth during his
lifetime for the benefit of mankind" 1t is unique
distinction to have at ones death but $25,000,000,
after having given away $350,000,000.
1t is not necessary, however, to insist that Mr..
Carnegie died "poor man." for that would be
species of mockery. Yet enjoy certain
donc humor inherent in the situation Do the best
he could to die poor, Mr. Carnegie mserably failed
Unless this So the end of the Carnegie chapter
tablishes social standard in the world to-wit,
that of "dying poor" for of his wealth,
leaving than 100000.
If this sort of comment seems bit of foong, it
because of the reducto ad absurdum involved in Mr..
Carneges effort to divest himself almost entirely of
his vast fortune during his own life 1t was too big to
dispose of by the simple process of giving away. Long
before he had reached the minimum of subsistence for
of his acquired and social and public position
the process broke down. The obligations he had
sumed in so many directions his long private pension
list his several households both sides of the ocean,
had brought him to the virtual limit of his philan-
thropy when millions were still at his disposal.
There is atmosphere of the unnatural of the
abnormal about it all, which becomes the note
worthy reflects upon the accumulation and the
final distribution of the Carnegie estate 1t
impossible that the time should when great
individual fortunes should be that solid
block of wealth of the dimensions of Mr.. Carnegies
would fail to impress the ordinary human imagination
something mysterious enough to suggest of two
explanations in accounting for its origin-magc or
plumber. That could ever legitimately
such sum as $375, 100000 the human mind will
fuse to believe, probably, to the end of time. One
might legally accumulate it, but how could one actual
ly earn it
Private fortunes of the highest magnitude, such
America has afforded exceptional opportunities for
accumulating will probably disappear entirely in a
generation two, possibly again to be known
mankind. Mr.. Carnegie in reality has testified, by
his sincere if somewhat humorous effort "die poor
his inner consciousness of the sharp challenge
which society as a whole directs, and must always
direct, such boards of private wealth. They fail
work. pragmatically speaking, for they excite the
resentment of the mutitudes of the poor and under
mine the established social order thus they revol
utonary in their effect despite the campaigns of phlan
thropy organized by their on tremendous
scale.
The Carnegie fortune is finally scattered Its
founder and distributor with kndliness of heart,
benevolence of purpose and shrewd instinct for the
good will of his contemporaries surpassed, per-
haps by great business mind has done his utmost to
vindcate the Croesus age; yet it is exaggeration
say the existence of these huge private of
wealth has played omnously large part increatng
the menacing social and industrial discomfort of the
time; and consequently, they stand approved by
their consequences but everywhere questioned and in
creasingly condemned Stringfeld (MassJ Rebu6H-