Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 May 1893 — SOME WEALTHY GIVERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SOME WEALTHY GIVERS

AFEW OF AMERICAS GENEROUS MILLIONAIRES. Mon Who Believe that Great Wealth Imposes Imperative Obligations—John D. Rockefeller, James E. Scripps, Enoch Pratt, J. J. Hill, and Many Others. Notable Benefactors. There are some notable instances among the multi-millionaires of the country that great wealth imposes

imperative obli ga - tions, but unfortunate.y the instances are , not numerous. Perhaps no man’s recognition ; of his opportunity to serve society in bis own iife;ime has ever produced results so manure and so extensive

in so very short a time as John D. Rockefeller’s recent gifts to the Chicago Unibersity. About 188(1 it was announced that Mr. Reckefeller would give S6OOIOOO toward the resuscitation of the defunct ChicagoUniversity if others would bring the sum up to a million. The task was undertaken and the million was in due time secured. By this time the ideas of Mr. Rockefeller about the university had expanded, as had those of the people of Chicago, and ir. September, 1890, Mr. Rocksfe.ler gave another million in cash. In February, 1892, he gave still another million, and at Christmas he endowed the university with another million in "gold bonds. Such giving, had an Infectious quality so that around Mr. Rockefeller’s original offer of $600,000 there has accumulated like magic a total of seven millions, and there is now in full operation a university doing work of the highest character and instructing 600 students. Other notable contributors to the university were Marshall Field, $250,000; William B. Ogden, $500,000; C. T. Yerkes, $500,000. Besides this Chicago has been the beneficiary of another princely benefaction from a millionaire still in the

vigor o f business life. Some years ago one of the Armour Brothers left at his death SIOO,000 to be used in e/ecting a building for mission purposes to benefit the poorchildren of Chicago. It devolved on Philip D. Armour to carry otR the idea, and it has grown

upon his hands into an institution of diversified purposes, adapted precisely to the needs of the young people of the poorer and working classes. The institution involves an expenditure by Mr. Armour of about $3,000,000, including a large amount of productive property, given for purposes of perpetual endowment. It is interesting to turn from Chicago to other cities and note the benefactions made by other millionaires. Cleveland, Ohio, has sixty-eight millionaires and of these twenty-eight have to some extent recognized the responsibility of their wealth. The largest benefaction was that of W. J. Gordon, who gave a park to the city valued at $1,000,0u0. Of the seventy millionaires of Cincinnati twenty-one*belong to the class of liberal givers. St. Louis has forty-five millionaires and ten of these are liberal givers. The most conspicuous philanthropist of the city was the late Henry Shaw, who founded

the world-famed Shaw’sgarden,and left two or three million dollars for its maintenance. Detroit has fortytwo millionaires, of whom ten are philanthropists. Gen. R. A. Alger is said to give 20 per cent, of his yearly income to

beneficiaries, and James E. Scripps, the well-known newspaper publisher, is another generous giver. A short time ago he erected a church in Detroit at a cost of SIOO,OOO, all of which he bore himself. Of the twenty-eight millionaires of St. Paul only nine are at all liberal. Of these James J. Hill, ct the Great Northern Railway, has given $1,000,000 for a Catholic Theological Seminary, and has also been a liberal giver to Protestant institutions. Fourteen of the forty-four millionaires of Minneapolis are noted for their the millionaires and .multi-millionaires of California the name of James Lick is perhaps the most known. The largest,

and now the most widely famed of California ‘ millionaires’ gifts to the public, is the Leland Stanford, Jr., University. The value of Senator Stanford’s gifts and, endowments for his university is variously estimated at from $10,000,000 to

$20,000,000. Another millionairephilanthropist of California is Adolph Sutro, of San Francisco. Baltimore has fifty-five millionairesThe large endowments of Dr. Peabody, Johns Hopkins, and Enoch Pratt are familiar to the public. The most recent benefaction in Baltimore is that of Miss Mary E. Garrett of $350,000 to the Johns Hopkins University. Philadelphia’s millionaires are mostly all philanthropic. Among them may be mentioned Mr. Drexel, Charles C. Harrison, HenryC. Lea, John B. Stetson, I. Z. Williamson, George W. Childs and William M. Singerley. New England has many millionaires, but it is not noted for many large benefactions. It Is customary among the Bostonese to leave bequests to Harvard and some of the general hospitals of the city. In Worcester Jonas G. Clark founded the Clark University and still maintains it unaided. Among the people of smaller means in New England there is systematic appropriation of money out of current income for educational, religious and benevoleut causes. The State of New York, exclusive of New York City, has 405 millionaires, of whom about 175 live In Brooklyn.

J. D. ROCKEFELLER

J. J. HILL, ST. PAUL.

J. E. SCRIPPS. DETROIT.

ENOCH PRATT.