The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-26

quate knowledge of the number or smaller, yet princely, gifts being made right along by wealthy and weii-to-do American citizens. And this numper Is increasing very rapidly.
 Look also, at what Is now done at Christmas in most American cities. In no country do the ordinary people con tribute half so generously to funds TOT bringing Christmas cheer to the less fortunate members of society. The New York American, alone, for example. raised S150O00 by it's Christmas relief fund last year and the final total this Christmas promises to be almost as large, while another fund sponsored by the leading organized charitable or ganizations may reach consideraoly larger figure. There are doubtless smaller cities where the relative show ing Is even better.
 During recent years there has devel- oped in this country a movement of a character entirely unknown in other parts of the world: namely, the hand ing over of privately owned business concerns to faithful employees, either as outright gifts or under an arrange ment which enables the workers to pay for the. business out of the profits. In other cases businesses are bequeathed to employees.
 Then consider what is now being done in the way of distributing Christ mas largesse to employees. Much crit icised Wall street has always taken the lead. It is estimated that Wall street institutions and firms have this sea son distributed in the form of Christ mas bonuses between $50,000,000 and S75,O0O000. One very important house is understood to have handed over a full years salary to each employe.
 The whole relationship between em- ployers and workers Is undergoing a change for the better in this country. Most concerns are very careful when they institute profit sharing plans, bo- nuses. free insurance, pension funds, etc, to emphasize that their action is inspired solely by the conviction that 'it is good business" Naturally, al truism is not the underlying motive in many, perhaps most cases. But l per sonally know employers who have been a lead in such plans, not from any mer- cenary motive, but simply because they were sincerely anxious to do more for their people, In other words, they ac- cepted the Biblical dictum that they are their brothers keeper.
 A larger number of gifts of generous amount have been made during 1924 than in any previous year of our his- tory. And for every $25,0O0 and $1OO,- 900 gift that becomes known, there are probably 20 about which the public learned nothing.
 I talked the other day with man interested in a worthy movement and he astounded me by enumerating some of the gifts and the givers-practi- cally all of them busy men of affairs some of whom are not pictured by the public as possessing any notable streak of generosity.
 Such gifts as the following have been coming out lately in rapid succession: $500 OOO to University by the sons of the late Isidor Straus, of New York; $1, ,500, 900 worth of land to the Chicago Community Trust by James A. Patten; $475,O00 to Harvard university by the family of the late F. c. Converse. of New York; $5O0,000 to Wellesley college by Col Edward H. R. Green and his sister, children of the late Hetty Green; a fund sufficient to yield an annual income of S25,000 to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York by MT. and Mrs. Felix w. Warburg; $25,00O to St. Johns Episcopal church of New York by Charles Steel, of J. P. Morgan & Co.,; $1OO,OOO to Stevens Institute of of Tech nology by Edward s. Hardness of New York; S5000.O00 to Harvard and other munifcent gifts by George F. Baker, New York banker; fully $1,o00.OOo to a hospital in Chester, Pa. and other large gifts by Pierre DuPont of New York; various sums ranging from $10,- GOO to $50,000 by Col. Michael Fried sam of Altman foundation, New York; additional gifts to Huntington, l.. l., by August Heckshear, New York phil anthropist.
 There is no space to enumerate more.
 Yes, the spirit of Christmas does abide In Americans of high as well as low degree. We are recognizing more and more that we are our brothers keeper.