The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-01-31

liShment and
m a intenance " -,
of one or more "
educational institutions for the
education of boys and girls of
Derry Township after they are
graduated from high school. Mr..
Hershey has endowed the fOun-
dalton with 5000 shares of stock
which has a present value Of
S4OO, OOO."
saw it and my thoughts went
back to a day in the late fall of
1923, to Derry Township in Dauph-
in county, Pennsylvania, to a
rambling house of red brick and
white timbers and to short,
stocky man whose hair and
brisk mustache were iron grey.
whose eyes were blue and whose
complexion was ruddy.
The house was his, the seven
year-old automobile in front of it
was his, in fact everything in that
particular part of the township
for a mile or two around was his
or had been his.
GIVES FORTUNE
And it was Milton S. Hershey
the man who had just given
away $50 100000" to make easier
the road for orphans, born in
Dauphin and nearby counties,
then for orphans born in the
State of Pennsylvania and then
for orphans in the United States.
Why had he done this?
''Well, 1 was just fond of boys.
We hadn't any children. 1 felt
I'd like to give orphan boys a
chance. Girls get taken care
Of"
AS the interview continued it
came out that he figured his time
was short, he was sixty-Six years
old, and he spoke of passing on. "
He looked quite healthy at the
time, which was attributed to his
visit Of that summer to Carlsbad
where he had taken the treat
ments and had left ten pounds
behind.
How did it feel to give away
100000?
He hadn't done exactly that.
Actually he had turned most OF
his fortune, matter Of Is million
dollars in stock, into a trust by
which an industrial school for the
orphans would be established and
maintained. But that Is million
dollars worth of stock earned
such dividends that it was easily
equivalent to so million dollars
in average investments.
He had gotten no particular
thrill out of his action, explain
ing that when you are used to
having a lot of money and
handling a lot of money, you
don't seem to notice these
things particularly. It's merely
a matter of signing papers"
Milton Hershey hadn't always
been used to handling a lot OF
money. He was born on a farm,
which is part of his estate. He
got his schooling in a one-room
schoolhouse which he now owns,
too.
He went to work as a boy in a
print shop and lost his job. Twice
he tried the candy business and
twice he failed. He turned to
making chocolate and in that he
was a success. Fortune began at
40 for him.
There is much in Milton
Hershey's career like that of
Henry Ford, whose senior he is
by seven or eight years.
Born on farms, going to work
as boys and having the same hard
struggle up until the 40-year mark,
they have shared a dislike of os-
tentation and wild extravaganza.
They preach work and they prac-
tice it and they have in common
a belief in the industrial training
of youth.
Hershey made a town, which
bears his name, for his $500
workers, but they weren't COM
PEELED to live in it.
1--WE don't interfere with
them in any way" he explained.
They've got right to do as
they please. If man wants
to take a drink he can take it.
If he gets drunk he gets fired"
Remember, he was talking in
1923 when there was something
called Prohibition.
CHILDLESS WHOEVER
A childless widower and a man,
not at all impressed by his own
Importance, Milton Hershey
passed out of the public gaze soon
after his enormous gift in 1923
for the benefit Of orphan boys
between the ages of four and
eight"
Only one other mention of
consequences preceded the cur
rent notice of his 100000 trust
fund for higher education. That
mention was in 1882 when the
dedication occurred of a COM
munity building, a $2,5OO,OOO gift
to the people of Hershey.
A visitor to the dedication de-
scribed it's indoor beach lighted
with Sun-ray lamps, its theater
an library. He told how from it
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