The New York herald., 1922-03-02
Big Visioned Philanthropy.

Dig Visloneo FhIlantnropy.
Mr.. RocKEFEILER's gift, through the
Foundation which bears his name, OF
'$6,000,000 to Johns Hopkins Univer.
sity is another magnificent chapter
in the book of this rich mans philan
thropy. 1t Is the largest single gift
made by the Foundation; so large, In
deed, that 1t dips into the principal
Of $171, 100000. For Mr.. RocKEFELLEH
has been giving hard and fast Of late
and, as usual, giving right.
The purpose of the gift is to build
and support the School of Hygiene
and Public Health recently estab
lished at the famous Baltimore col
lege. Through the generosity Of Mr..
RocKEFErLER and It's own wisdom the
school will send into the world
scientists trained in all the lines that
make for general health. No better
institution could have been chosen
for this investment, which will pro-
duce huge returns in the form of
human betterment. Johns Hopkins,
because OF its traditions, its spirit,
the zeal Of it's faculty and its loca-
tion in place well suited to scholar
ship and research, is ideal for the pur.
suit of the knowledge which Mr..
RocKEFELLER sees is necessary for
hygienic advance.
Not that Johns Hopkins is the sole
recipient OF Rockefeller gifts for this
particular purpose. Last year the
Foundation gave more than $4,000, 900
to Harvard toward the same end and
half as much to Columbia. Univer.
sites in Toronto, Manitoba, Prague
and Brussels we're literally helped.
Two years ago the medical school
of Rochester University received
s5,000,000. A week ago the British
Government gratefully accepted the
Foundations offer of $2,000,000 for
building and equipping a school of
hygiene in London.
The Rockefeller hand knows no
boundaries In the distribution of its
bounty. 1t builds a great hospital
and medical training school in China.
1t sends its men to fight yellow fever
in South America and West Africa.
1t combats the terrible hookworm
disease in the Southern States, South
America, India and Australia. 1t
makes war on tuberculosis in France.
Wherever it has seen large commu-
mites afflicted with any plague 1t
has sought to relieve the misery.
In recent years, particularly in the
astonishingly large gifts which have
poured out of the Foundation since
1914, Mr.. ROCKEFELLER has shown
more than ever the width OF that
vision which, once employed to build
up the greatest business in the world,
now seeks to spend the largest for
tune for the greatest good. Once he
was satisfied that he had done his
best to relieve vast areas OF their
most dangerous diseases he began on
the more important task of prevent
ing disease.
The fireman who puts out a fire
is a good servant, but the man who
fireproofs building so that 1t can
not easily catch is even more useful.
So, in medical science, the ideal pur-
sued to-day is not so much the cure
OF disease as its prevention. The
men and women who are trained In
Johns Hopkins, Rochester, Harvard,
London and other places where the
Rockefeller money makes possible
careful schooling In all the branches
of public health service will be the
germ proofers OF humanity. Ending
yellow fever in Guayaquil was good
work, but finding city exposed to
the fever and safeguarding 1t will be
even better.
The other day group OF scien.
tific men in Russia sent a message
W hOmAS ~. rDiSoN pidioihB hiHi
as "the greatest individual benefac-
tor OF mankind" THE New York
HERALD on Mr.. EDrsov's seventy-fifth
birthday, February IL, put the same
idea In these words.
mo other individual has done as
much as EprsoN toward making
physically easier the journey through
this vale Of tears. Since then
he has devised only the. things that
the human race has needed. tho
things that make life more bearabie
10 ali men and women. He has
snatched the thunderbolt from olym-
pus and turned It into kitchen slave,