NOVEL-PHILANTHROPY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13501, 27 July 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

NOVEL-PHILANTHROPY.

Four roubles, Russian currency (about two da liars), ''■■> were the sole capital of Abraham Gordon when he married in Russia at the age of fifteen. That, however, was over twenty-five years ago. . In the meantime, according to the New York Sun, Gordon has prospered, and when his eldest daughter married in Boston he gave her a dowry of 2000 dollars, set his son-in-law up in business, and then began looking around to see how he could further celebrate the event. We read of his novel philanthropy: — Having an establishment in Med way,-' Mass., Abraham Gordon happened to know there were a good many poor girls in those parts, working for four dollars or so. a week, who wanted to get married, and had been wanting to do so for varying whiles. But they couldn't; not for ;lack, of fellows, for 'that wasn't the trouble, but. the need' of 'a few'dolte'r!*' necessary to start up housekeeping. ''^ Gordon, remembering his hard-won ' four roubles, and how useful they had proved, realised, that about 25 dollar* would help' a girl to avoid a long and wearisome wait, and perhaps•; would bring about a marriage that might never have come to pass. So when his girl Rosy's wedding guests were gone and his three other daughters had put the house in order, he wrote out several 25 : dollar cheques and sent them to town treasurers in Milford, Medway, and Halliston, Mass. More than one poor girl has benefited by'the offer of the cheques, and one of the girls even had some money left over and wanted to travel to New York on it and see Gordon in his store at 32. West Twentieth-street, to thank him. He was pleased with the intention, but he did not advise her to spend the rest of the money that way. . .'-_ Gordon says that he isn't any Rockefeller or Carnegie, but that he has ft pretty positive opinion that those philanthropists could spend their money in ways that would come a great deal nearer getting right home to where it is needed. He says that anybody who has " hegun pretty small"'- will find lots of ways to make his gifts really count. He doesn't see why experts Should be needed to find proper ways of giving money away. " When your three other daughters are married will you repeat your bridal endowment scheme'"" Mr. Gordon was asked. "Well," he answered, "that depends how the world treats mc. 1 hone to do better when the other girls get married."