Andrew Carnegie’s decision to help with library construction developed through his personal experience. Born in 1835, he spent his first 12 years on the coastal town of Dunfermline, Scotland. There he heard men read aloud and discuss books borrowed within the Tradesmen’s Subscription Library that his father, a weaver, had helped create. Carnegie began his formal education at age eight, but wanted to stop after only 3 years. The rapid industrialization for the textile trade forced small businessmen like Carnegie’s father out from business. For this reason, family members sold their belongings and immigrated to Allegheny, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Andrew Carnegie’s decision to help with library construction developed through his personal experience. Born in 1835, he spent his first 12 years on the coastal town of Dunfermline, Scotland. There he heard men read aloud and discuss books borrowed within the Tradesmen’s Subscription Library that his father, a weaver, had helped create.http://www.cover-letter-writing.com/cover-letter-editing/ Carnegie began his formal education at age eight, but wanted to stop after only 3 years. The rapid industrialization for the textile trade forced small businessmen like Carnegie’s father out from business. For this reason, family members sold their belongings and immigrated to Allegheny, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Although these new circumstances required the young Carnegie to attend work, his learning failed to end. After the year in the textile factory, he was a messenger boy with the local telegraph company. A number of his fellow messengers introduced him to Col. James Anderson of Allegheny, who every Saturday opened his personal library to the young worker who wished to borrow a book. Carnegie later said the colonel opened the windows whereby the sunshine of knowledge streamed. In 1853, if your colonel’s representatives attempted to restrict the library’s use, Carnegie wrote a letter with the editor of your Pittsburgh Dispatch defending an appropriate among all working boys to have fun with the pleasures on the library. More valuable, he resolved that, should he ever be wealthy, he makes similar opportunities designed to other poor workers.
Across the next half-century Carnegie accumulated the fortune that could enable him to fulfill that pledge. Throughout his years as a good messenger, Carnegie had taught himself the art of telegraphy. This skill helped him make contacts using the Pennsylvania Railroad, where he attended just work at age 18. During his 12-year railroad association he rose quickly, ultimately becoming superintendent on the Pennsylvania’s Pittsburgh division. He simultaneously invested in a number of other businesses, including railroad locomotives, oil, and iron and steel. In 1865, Carnegie left the railroad to handle the Keystone Bridge Company, which has been successfully replacing wooden railroad bridges with iron ones. By 1870s he was focusing on steel manufacturing, ultimately creating the Carnegie Steel Company. In 1901 he sold that business for $250 million.
Carnegie then retired and devoted the remainder of his life to philanthropy. Just before selling Carnegie Steel he had begun to consider how to deal with his immense fortune. In 1889 he wrote a famous essay entitled The Gospel of Wealth, where by he stated that wealthy men should live without extravagance, provide moderately because of their dependents, and distribute the rest of their riches to help the welfare and happiness with the common man–with all the consideration that can help solely those who would help themselves. The Perfect Fields for Philanthropy, his second essay, listed seven fields in which the wealthy should donate: universities, libraries, medical centers, public parks, meeting and concert halls, public baths, and churches. He later expanded this list to add in gifts that promoted scientific research, the actual spread of information, along with the promotion of world peace. Several organizations always this present day: the Carnegie Corporation in The Big Apple, for example, helps support Sesame Street.
Due to his background, Carnegie was particularly curious about public libraries. At some point he stated a library was the very best gift to get a community, simply because it gave people a chance to improve themselves. His confidence was in accordance with the outcomes of similar gifts from earlier philanthropists. In Baltimore, as an example, a library offered by Enoch Pratt had been used by 37,000 individuals twelve months. Carnegie considered that the relatively few public library patrons were more value in their community than the masses who chose never to take advantage of the library.
Carnegie divided his donations to libraries within the retail and wholesale periods. While in the retail period, 1886 to 1896, he gave $1,860,869 for 14 endowed buildings in six communities in the nation. These buildings were actually community centers, containing recreational facilities which include pools plus libraries. During the years after 1896, referred to as wholesale period, Carnegie do not supported urban multipurpose buildings. Instead he gave $39,172,981 to smaller communities which had limited entry to cultural institutions. His gifts provided 1,406 towns with buildings devoted exclusively to libraries. Over half his grants were cheaper than $10,000. Although almost all towns receiving gifts were with the Midwest, in total 46 states taken advantage of Carnegie’s plan.
Andrew Carnegie stopped making gifts for library construction using a report built to him by Dr. Alvin Johnson, an economics professor. In 1916 Dr. Johnson visited 100 from the existing Carnegie libraries and studied their social significance, physical aspects, effectiveness, and financial condition. His final report figured that to always be really effective, the libraries needed trained personnel. Buildings have been provided, however right now the time had come to staff them pros who would stimulate active, efficient libraries in their own communities. Libraries already promised continued to be built until 1923, but after 1919 all financial support was turned to library education.
When Andrew Carnegie died in 1919 at age 84, he had given nearly one-fourth of his life to causes wherein he believed. His gifts to varied charities totalled nearly $350 million, almost 90 percent of his fortune. Carnegie regarded all education as a method to strengthen people’s lives, and libraries provided one among his main tools that will help Americans generate a brighter future. Questions for Reading 1 1. How did progress and industrialization affect Carnegie, both when he was young, and later in life? 2. Just how much formal education did Carnegie have? What factors contributed to his involvement with books and reading? 3. What did Carnegie believe wealthy people need to do with regards to their money? Why did he believe? Does a person agree? 4. How did supporting libraries match Carnegie’s past with his fantastic beliefs? Reading 1 was compiled from George S. Bobinski, Carnegie Libraries (Chicago: American Library Association, 1969); Andrew Carnegie, Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie, reprint (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1920 1986); Barry Sears, On the Trail of Carnegie Libraries, Antiques and Collecting (February 1994); Gerald R. Shields, Recycling Buildings for Libraries, Public Libraries (March/April 1994).
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