MILLIONAIRES AND CHARITY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1354, 3 February 1912, Page 13

MILLIONAIRES AND CHARITY.

A YEAR'S GIFTS IN AMERICA. It is estimated that wealthy Americans living in the United States gave over •C 110,000,000 this year in philanthropy, the list being headed by the following:— Andrew Carnegie, chiolly education and research, .£8,000,000; Frederick Hewitt, hospitals, ,£800,000; Joseph Pulitzer, journalism, musiei and art, .£1)00,000; .1. D. Rockefeller, education mid ifiedical research, .£.'(>00,000 ; James I'atteu, Chicago, lowards iishliup tuberculosis, ,£'100,(100; Michael Valentino, to hospitals, .£100,000; John Burke, for relieving distress .£1(10,000; Henry lb-alter, asylums and colleges, .tSOO.OOn'; and Mrs. Rhinelandor King, to eharilies, .£300,000. The following each gave .£20,000, chiellv for education, hospitals, and ar(-.—Jacob Scliiff, 1?-. A. Long, Kdwin A. Abbey, Armour and Co., Krncst Densmore, (iustave Mehringer, Airs, .M. C. C. Wilson, and Morton Plant. In (he decade since 1!100 (adds the "Daily Telegraph's" Now York correspondent) thcro is a rccord of wealthy Americans giving over ,£200,000,000 in philanthropic works. One-fifth of this sum was contributed by Mr. Carnegie, who itill retains a comfortable income. While, it is tho custom in Amcrica for tho wealthy few to give generously—no country can prodneo such a splendid record—tho average American gives far less than the average Britisher, Frenchman, or German. This is not because the averago American is stingy, but beeauso for years ho has looked to the millionaires to act ns the nation's almoners, and 60 far they have proved satisfactory. All Americans in the millionaire class have a charity bureau, and no application for help has a chanco of success unless it is approved by hardened semtineors. This iact is so wijll known that millionaires in tho United States are far less pestered by begging letters than wealthy Luropcans. Special legislation has been asked for constituting trustees for Messrs. Rockefeller and Carnogio, so that their wives, if tho husbands predecease thorn, will not he burdened with tho task of distributing big legacies and administering those already created. Mrs. Russell Sago still acts personally as almoner for her husband, but she wns 60 worried by applicants that slra has left New York, and now lives in tho country.