The Gospel of Wealth

"The Gospel of Wealth" asserts that hard work and perseverance lead to wealth. Carnegie bases his philosophy on the observation that the heirs of large fortunes frequently squander them in riotous living rather than nurturing and growing them. Even bequeathing one's fortune to a charity was no guarantee that it would be used wisely, because there was no guarantee that a charitable organization not under one's direction would use the money in accordance with one's wishes. Carnegie disapproves of charitable giving that keeps people in poverty and urges a shift toward a new mode of giving that creates opportunities for beneficiaries to better themselves. As a result, the gift would not simply be consumed but would generate even greater wealth throughout the house. In "The Gospel of Wealth", Carnegie examines the modes of distributing accumulated wealth and capital to the communities from which they originate. He preaches that ostentatious living and amassing private treasures are wrong. He praises the high British taxes on the estates of dead millionaires, remarking "By taxing estates heavily at death the State marks its condemnation of the selfish millionaire's unworthy life. It is desirable that nations should go much further in this direction." and that any surplus of money they have is best suited for re-circulation back into society where it could be used to support the greater good. He shuns aristocratic chains of inheritance and argues that dependents should be supported by their work with major moderation, with the bulk of excess wealth to be spent on enriching the community. In cases where excess wealth is held until death, he advocates its apprehension by the state on a progressive scale: "Indeed, it is difficult to set bounds to the share of a rich man's estates which should go at his death to the public through the agency of the State, and by all means such taxes should be granted, beginning at nothing upon moderate sums to dependents, and increasing rapidly as the amounts swell, until of the millionaire's hoard, at least the other half comes to the privy coffer of the State." == Reception ==

When Carnegie Steel Company broke the union in 1892, Carnegie avoided blame by focusing on his new doctrine for the wealthy. The Homestead Strike ended in a showdown between 300 Pinkerton guards and a crowd of steel workers and supporters, which devolved into an exchange of gunfire. This outbreak left seven workers and three guards dead, and many more wounded. It made headlines around the world, and reporters reached Carnegie, who was in Scotland at the time. When questioned, Carnegie called the violence "deplorable" but otherwise pleaded ignorance, stating, "I have given up all active control of the business." Subsequently, he began to focus on his philanthropic work and teaching the Gospel of Wealth. Largely as a result of his philanthropic work, the Homestead Strike did little to mar his reputation. Carnegie's controversial views on wealth sparked a trans-Atlantic debate that argued the nature, purpose, and disposition of wealth. William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone, the head of the Liberal Party in England and a friend of Carnegie's, had some sharp remarks on the publication. Even though they were close friends and had similar political ideals, Gladstone did not agree with Carnegie's paper. Gladstone defended primogeniture, unlimited inheritance, and the British aristocracy. The purpose of Dolliver's article was to explain Hearst's "Gospel of Wealth" and illustrate how she should be viewed as a complementary equal to men like Carnegie. She declared that wealthy women had a sacred and moral duty to give away their fortunes to causes, especially progressive education and reform, to benefit their communities. Like Carnegie, Hearst was very concerned with allowing the lower class to be educated at the same level at which the upper class was educated. Also like Carnegie, she established her own free public library, located in Anaconda, Montana. == Impact on philanthropy ==

in Braddock, Pennsylvania, built in 1888, was the first Carnegie Library in the United States. The article launched the modern philanthropic movement. Carnegie put his philosophy into practice through a program of donations to endow public libraries, known as 'Carnegie libraries' in cities and towns throughout the United States and the English-speaking world, with the idea that he was thus providing people with the tools to better themselves. He stipulated that the municipality must pass an ordinance establishing a tax to support the library's ongoing operating costs after the initial grant provided the costs for building and equipping the library. Each of these organizations had its own endowment and its own board of trustees. Many of them still exist today. After several communities used their grants to build extravagant buildings, Carnegie established a system of guidelines mandating simplicity and functionality. He established the Carnegie Corporation to continue his program of giving after his death. == See also ==