t been burdened by the
responsibilities which attend the possession of wealth. We shall have no
antagonism between classes when that day comes, for the high and the
low, the rich and the poor, shall then indeed be brothers.

No millionaire will go far wrong in his search for one of the best forms
for the use of his surplus who chooses to establish a free library in
any community that is willing to maintain and develop it. John Bright's
words should ring in his ear: "It is impossible for any man to bestow a
greater benefit upon a young man than to give him access to books in a
free library." Closely allied to the library, and, where possible,
attached to it, there should be rooms for an art gallery and museum, and
a hall for such lectures and instruction as are provided in the Cooper
Union. The traveller upon the Continent is surprised to find that every
town of importance has its art gallery and museum; these may be large or
small, but in any case each has a receptacle for the treasures of the
locality, which is constantly receiving valuable gifts and bequests. The
free library and art gallery of Birmingham are remarkable among these,
and every now and then a rich man adds to their value by presenting
books, fine pictures, or other works of art. All that our cities require
to begin with is a proper fireproof building. Their citizens who travel
will send to it rare and costly things from every quarter of the globe
they visit, while those who remain at home will give or bequeath to it
of their treasures. In this way these collections will grow until our
cities will ultimately be able to boast of permanent exhibitions from
which their own citizens will derive incalculable benefit, and which
they will be proud to show to visitors. In the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in this city we have made an excellent beginning. Here is another
avenue for the proper use of surplus wealth.

_Third_--We have another most important department in which great sums
can be worthily used,--the founding or extension of hospitals, medical
colleges, laboratories, and other institutions connected with the
alleviation of human suffering, and especially with the prevention
rather than the cure of human ills. There is no danger of pauperizing a
community in giving for such purposes, because such institutions relieve
temporary ailments or shelter only those who are hopeless invalids. What
better gift than a hospital can be given to a community that is wit