Gospel Of Wealth
The Gospel of Wealth is a book written by Andrew Carnegie that displays his ideology surrounding charitable donations, along with Carnegie’s view of how the rich should behave towards the rest of society (particularly those who have less than them). Carnegie begins with his examination of inequality throughput the time human history, he defends property and stands opposed to those who seek to the fruits of his and others industrialists labor1. Carnegie goes on to state those who are “rich” have a higher duty than those who aren’t as wealthy, Carnegie views the wealthy as a sort of “trustee” to the poor serving wisdom and experience that they can’t get elsewhere 2. However, on his view of charitable donations, Carnegie prefers giving to those who will help themselves (pull up their bootstraps in a sense) instead of giving to people who would use the help to promote “vice”3. This is seen in Carnegies’ quote “He is the only true reformer who is as careful and as anxious not to aid the unworthy as he is to aid the worthy” 4, he further believes that rewarding vice through charity would do more damage than making America more virtuous through his philanthropic acts5. While vice is a problem in America during the time of Carnegie, he doesn’t think it should distract wealthy Americans from donating their money to help out and make the county more virtuous. Later Carnegie scolds the rich for giving to a beggar and not an institution that could be trusted not to engage in vice (Carnegie pg. 20), this further shows Carnegie’s somewhat distrust and compassion of those who are lesser fortunate than he is.
While the Gospel of Wealth, shows Carnegie as a progressive philanthropist, and explains his standards for how the wealthy in America should behave and give back to their communities. It was written by Carnegie himself, and therefore could have some unreliable elements to the writing, Carnegie had his critics (as shown in other exhibits) and they have every right to question if he truly was an example those in the “lower classes” should look up too. For every free library that was put up out of the “generosity” Carnegie showed fellow man, there existed a Homestead Strike where men were treated like disposable labor. Regardless, The Gospel of Wealth shows a more compassionate and progressive side of Carnegie, one that is dedicated to the bettering of society, and holding those who have wealth to a higher societal standard.
1 Carnegie, Andrew, and Andrew Carnegie. Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie: With the Essay the Gospel of Wealth. Compass Circle, 2018 pg.3-5
2 Carnegie, Andrew, and Andrew Carnegie. Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie: With the Essay the Gospel of Wealth. Compass Circle, 2018 pg.11
3 Carnegie, Andrew, and Andrew Carnegie. Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie: With the Essay the Gospel of Wealth. Compass Circle, 2018 12-14
4 Carnegie, Andrew, and Andrew Carnegie. Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie: With the Essay the Gospel of Wealth. Compass Circle, 2018 pg. 20-21
5 Carnegie, Andrew, and Andrew Carnegie. Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie: With the Essay the Gospel of Wealth. Compass Circle, 2018 pg.25