HOSPITALS BUILT WITH BOOKS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 304, 19 December 1908, Page 3

HOSPITALS BUILT WITH BOOKS

—i Queen Alexandra in deciding to dovote to the cause of charily the proceeds of the sale of the book she is about to publish is only following in the footsteps of many other authors and authoresses, royal and otherwise. Carmen Sylva, Queen of Koumania, lias practically built one hospital by the sale of her stories, and has largely benefited several others. jCauon Fleming handed over the whole of tile money he received for the copyright of certain sermons to the British Hospital for Incurables and the Gordon Boys' Home.

Miss Charlotte Yonge built a school at Pett, near Winchester, out of the proceeds of "The Heir of liedelylTe"; while the profits from another of her books, "The Daisy Chain," sufficed to found and partially endow St. Barnabas College, Norfolk Island, for the Melanesian Mission. The 'immense Xorthficld Schools and Colleges for the training of missionaries and preachers were erected out of the profits derived from the sale of Moody and Saukev's '' Sacred Songs and Solos." Miss Ada Ellen Bayly ("lidna Lyall") built .St. Peter's Church, Eastbourne, with part of the money she received for "Donovan" and "We Two." She also presented a fine peal of bells to the neighbouring church of St. Saviour, and christened them after the heroes of her /books—"Eric," "Hugo," and ''Donovan." As a writer for charities, however, Count Tolstoy comes out an easy first. The profits from almost his first complete book, "What Must We Do Then?" were devoted to relieving the poverty of the dwellers in the Moscow slums, and since then ho has consistently refused to benefit in any way whatsoever by the sale of his numerous works, preferring to devote the whole of tile proceeds to philanthropic purposes.