Evening star., 1939-12-03

Trying W duOpt uMlOIcO CIlllOIcu
himself, he was trying to make possible
thousands of individual foster homes
where individual children might grow
up in a normal family atmosphere.
The greater part of Mr. Fields philan-
thropy is directed toward making chill
dren happier. He contributes to the Boy
Scouts, and is chairman of their divi-
sion of operations. He supports the Boys
Brotherhood Republic in Chicago, an ex-
pertinent in government. He gives to
the Kips Bay Boys Club on New York's
East Side, to the boys work camps of
the Society of Friends and to studies in
Juvenile delinquency. Down in Green
wich Village he is chairman of the board
of the Greenwich House, settlement
founded by his good friends, Mrs. Mary
Simkhovitch. There neighborhood boys
and girls can play in the gym, work in
the shops, read and hear fine music.
Partial to Musical Effort.
Because he played the violin when he
was boy CT was lousy" he says, land
the neighbors complained about the
awful noise') he has particularly soft
spot in his heart for the music school of
the Greenwich House. He gives it money,
attends many of the concerts of the
pupils-most of whom are poor kids
from the slums, and goes backstage to
congratulate the boy or girl who gives
an especially fine performance.
There is always the chance that his
congratulations may lead to bigger
things, for he is president of the New
York symphony Society
CT was sandbagged into it," he says of
that job, which is characteristic of the
way he shrugs off the importance of his
community position) but he agrees with
the schools director, Enrique Caroselli,
that few great artists are less to be
desired than q great many children with
music in their lives.
Only an English type country gentle
man could combine Mr.. Fields love OF
music with his passion for outdoor pur-
suits. But then Field is an English type
country gentleman. He studied at Eton
and Cambridge He grew up under the
London influence While over there, he
took to polo and fox-hunting. When he
returned to the United States he con-
tinued those enthusiasms Today he
lives on 2OOo-acre estate, Caumsett, at
Lloyds Neck, Long Island, with private
harbor for his boats on Long Island
Sound and private hunting preserve
where he raises pheasants to shoot dur
ing shooting season he sets himself.
Office on Park Avenue.
He has a private airport on the estate,
where he lands the plane in which he
commutes to business in Manhattan. At
his Office, on Park avenue (where he also
has an apartment) his time is taken up
by his duties as director of Marshall
Field g. Co., Westinghouse Electric and
Continental Insurance, and his position
as one of the three trustees of the Mar
shall Field estate. Since he gave up his
investment banking business Che was a
partner in Field, Glore g. Co. from 1921
to 193D, he has little active interest in
the securities markets. But as trustee
of the estate he is heavily interesed In
real property; most of his money is tied
up in Chicago land and buildings.
Marshall Field III had to think about
money from the time he was years old.
That was his age when his father died,
leaving him heir to millions. Those
millions tied him fast, even when he
was drifting to Europe and back with
his mother during his school years.
The will his grandfather left in 1906
went so far in strait jacketing the first
Marshall Fields fortune that Illinois
and other States passed restrictive leg.
islation to prevent similar perpetuations
after that. The will provided that the
money be kept intact until Marshall III,
and his brother Henry were so years old.
Not until the grandsons were IS were
they even to receive the full income from
the principal. Up to then, increasing
driblets of income were all they were
allowed.
Revolted by Legal Action.
Marshall revolted against this .impasse
In 1920. Then q, he tried to break the
will. Elihu Root, one of his counsel,
argued that further paralysis of the for
tune was against public policy. The
courts let the will stand, although they
added to Marshalls three-fifths share
the two-ffths share his brother would
have received had he lived.
What Mr.. Field would have done with
the money had he got it in 1920 Is a ques-
ton Of profltless conjecture. He might
have squandered it. He might have
hastened the philanthropies he has un-
dertaken in recent years. He could not
have speeded up some of the events that
have made him stand out as liberal.
Only time could bring him into con-
tact with such students Of social prob
lens as Robert Maynard Hutchins, pres
ident Of the University of Chicago; w.
F. Ogburn, sociologist at that school, and
Harold Moulton. economist who is now
head Of the Brookings Institute. All
three are friends Of his. All have in1lu-
enced his thinking.
Only time could bzng-the year 1885,
the anti Communist campaign at the
University Of Chicago, and the oppor-
tunity for Field to create q scholarship
in sociology as an expression Of his con-
fidence In the alleged red" university
the year 1886, the revolt Of the rich
against Roosevelt, and the opening for
Field 70 3olm With q fsw okher business