That free reading-room has been the
inspiration of five hundred free reading-rooms. Great reservoir of
American beneficence!
Again, Peter Cooper showed what a wise thing it is for a man to be his
own executor. How much better is ante-mortem charity than post-mortem
beneficence. Many people keep all their property for themselves till
death, and then make good institutions their legatees. They give up the
money only because they have to. They would take it all with them if
they only had three or four stout pockets in their shroud. Better late
than never, but the reward shall not be as great as the reward of those
who make charitable contribution while yet they have power to keep their
money. Charity, in last will and testament, seems sometimes to be only
an attempt to bribe Charon, the ferryman, to land the boat in celestial
rather than infernal regions. Mean as sin when they disembark from the
banks of this world, they hope to be greeted as benefactors when they
come up the beach on the other side. Skinflints when they die, they hope
to have the reception of a George Peabody. Besides that, how often
donations by will and testament fail of their final destination. The
surrogate's courts are filled with legal quarrels. If a philanthropist
has any pride of intellect, and desires to help Christian institutions,
he had better bestow the gift before death, for the trouble is, if he
leaves any large amount to Christian institutions, the courts will be
appealed to to prove he was crazy.
Pages:
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393