Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919; Industrialists -- United States -- Biography; Philanthropists -- United States -- Biography
In 1891 President Harrison went with me from Washington to Pittsburgh,
as I have already stated, to open the Carnegie Hall and Library, which
I had presented to Allegheny City. We traveled over the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad by daylight, and enjoyed the trip, the president being
especially pleased with the scenery. Reaching Pittsburgh at dark, the
flaming coke ovens and dense pillars of smoke and fire amazed him. The
well-known description of Pittsburgh, seen from the hilltops, as "H--l
with the lid off," seemed to him most appropriate. He was the first
President who ever visited Pittsburgh. President Harrison, his
grandfather, had, however, passed from steamboat to canal-boat there,
on his way to Washington after election.
The opening ceremony was largely attended owing to the presence of the
President and all passed off well. Next morning the President wished
to see our steel works, and he was escorted there, receiving a cordial
welcome from the workmen. I called up each successive manager of
department as we passed and presented him. Finally, when Mr. Schwab
was presented, the President turned to me and said,
"How is this, Mr. Carnegie? You present only boys to me."
"Yes, Mr. President, but do you notice what kind of boys they are?"
"Yes, hustlers, every one of them," was his comment.
He was right. No such young men could have been found for such work
elsewhere in this world. They had been promoted to partnership without
cost or risk. If the profits did not pay for their shares, no
responsibility remained upon the young men. A giving thus to
"partners" is very different from paying wages to "employees" in
corporations.
The President's visit, not to Pittsburgh, but to Allegheny over the
river, had one beneficial result. Members of the City Council of
Pittsburgh reminded me that I had first offered Pittsburgh money for a
library and hall, which it declined, and that then Allegheny City had
asked if I would give them to her, which I did. The President visiting
Allegheny to open the library and hall there, and the ignoring of
Pittsburgh, was too much. Her authorities came to me again the morning
after the Allegheny City opening, asking if I would renew my offer to
Pittsburgh. If so, the city would accept and agree to expend upon
maintenance a larger percentage than I had previously asked. I was
only too happy to do this and, instead of two hundred and fifty
thousand, I offered a million dollars. My ideas had expanded. Thus was
started the Carnegie Institute.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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