Famous Givers and Their GiftsBolton, Sarah Knowles
History
Famous Givers and Their Gifts
Bolton, Sarah Knowles
Philanthropists
Mr. Carnegie did not marry till he was fifty-two years of age, in 1887,
the year following the death of his mother and only brother Thomas. The
latter died Oct. 19, 1886. Mr. Carnegie's wife, who is thoroughly in
sympathy with her husband's constant giving, was Miss Louise Whitfield,
the daughter of the late Mr. John Whitfield of New York, of the large
importing firm of Whitfield, Powers, & Co. Mr. Carnegie had been an
intimate friend of the family for many years, and knew well the
admirable qualities and cultivation of the lady he married. He once
wrote: "There is no improving companionship for man in an ignorant or
frivolous woman." Miss Whitfield acted upon the advice which Mr.
Carnegie has given in some of his addresses: "To the young ladies I say,
'Marry the man who loves most his mother.'" Mr. Carnegie now has two
homes, one in New York City, the other at Cluny Castle, Kingussie,
Scotland. He gives little personal attention to business, having
delegated those matters to others. "I throw the responsibility upon
others," he once said, "and allow them full swing." Mr. Carnegie is a
man of great energy, with cheerful temperament, sound judgment,
earnestness, and force of character. He has a large, well-shaped head,
high forehead, brown hair and beard, and expressive face.
Mr. Carnegie's gifts in his adopted country have been many and large. To
the Johnstown Free Library, Pennsylvania, he has given $40,000. To the
Jefferson County Library at Fairfield, Iowa, he has given $40,000, which
provides an attractive building for books, museum, and lecture-hall.
The late Senator James F. Wilson gave the ground for the fire-proof
building. The library owes much of its success to its librarian, Mr. A.
T. Wells, who has given his life to the work, having held the position
for thirty-two years. For many years he labored without salary, giving
both time and money.
To the Braddock Free Library, Mr. Carnegie has given $200,000. Braddock,
ten miles east of Pittsburg, has a population of 16,000, mainly the
employees of the Edgar Thomson Steel Works; and the village of Homestead
lies just opposite. The handsome library building has a very attractive
reading-room, which is filled in the evening and much used during the
day by the families of the employees. There is also a large reading-room
exclusively for boys and girls, where are found juvenile books and
periodicals. The librarian, Miss Helen Sperry, writes: "There is a great
deal of local pride in the library, and it grows constantly in the
affection of the people."
The building was much enlarged in 1894 to accommodate the Carnegie Club
of six hundred men and boys. The new portion contains a hall capable of
seating eleven hundred persons, a large gymnasium, bathrooms,
swimming-pool, bowling-alleys, etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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