THE BEGGING EVIL. Soliciting Alms from Carnegie.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 191, 27 February 1904, Page 6

THE BEGGING EVIL. Soliciting Alms from Carnegie.

WHAT has become of the spirit of sturdy independence upon which our fathers were wont to plume themselves? Has the breed become degenerate under the warmer skies and pleasant surroundings of these balmy isles ? Has the accursed thirst for gold sapped our sense of honour and made us a sordid race? The questions are pertinent in view of the eagerness with which the municipal bodies of New Zealand are going down on their knees to Andrew Carnegie, the Scotch-American millionaire, to importune him for money wherewith to furnish themselves with public libraries. * * * The Lance promptly raised its voice in protest when the first begging appeal went forth to Carnegie from this colony. That was when a certain well-known citizen of Dunedin took it upon himself to write to the Pittsburg multi-millionaire asking him to be generous enough to spare a few of his dollars to< help his poor, expatriated bnther Scots in Presbyterian Dunedin to save their own bawbees by providing them with a free public library. We fondly imagined that the public spirit of Otago would resent end promptly disavow so ignoble a petition. Not a bit of it. Directly Andrew Carnegie produced his purse and began to loosen the strings thereof, the Dunedin authorities showed themselves only too ready to humble themselves and accept the millionaire's dole with becoming gratitude. • • ♦ The pity of it is that this example of successful begging has turned so many of the local bodies throughout New Zealand mto beggars also. In their corporate capacity they see no shame m pursuing a line of conduct which, as individual colonists, they would starve rather than enter upon From end to end of the colony we find public bodies, small and great, appealing to this distant capitalist, who has never seen New Zealand and has no concern with it, to graciously grant , them a few hundred or a few thousand pounds to enable them to start public libraries. What an ignominious spectacle ! They might as well go down on their knees to him individually, and, m tones of whining; supplication, ask him to be

kind enough to tluow them a £100note out of his superabundant wealth. * * * Is there no sense of honour or decency amongst our public men that they will humiliate the colony m this way ? Surely to goodness we have not reached such a depth of abasement that we are content to pose as beggars ' Why cringe to or fawn upon Andrew Carnegie, or any other gold-bug, for favours whether dispensed in the form of public libraries or any other like gift 1 If we want books and libraries let us pay for them like men. Don't let us lower ourselves and teach our children a lesson of mean dependence by acting as suppliants far the bounty of a man m America who happens to have amassed great private wealth. * * * In years to come these libraries that are beginning to start up in the country with the money which Carnegie has been importuned to give us, will be looked upon with scorn by a proud and independent people we hope. Tins page m our history will be read with feelings of disgust. There is, at any rate, some consolation in the leflection that Wellington has not ranged herself with the other beggars. Whatever municipal institutions we possess are our very own, and procured at our own expanse. We are beholden to no multi-millionaire's bounty Thank Heaven, we haven't yet lifted up the mendicant's voice to beg for a gratuity. May that disgrace be spared us as a city