Somebody has, through Sir William Savory, given the great sum
of £100,000 to London, and done it in a sensible way. He has limited the object of his charity so that his money may really accomplish something definite. It is to be expended in establishing a Convalescent Home near London where patients treated in two of the London hospitals may recruit their strength, and where those who are to undergo severe opera- tions may be a little built up in constitution so as to bear their sufferings in safety. That is a work of mercy if ever there was one, and one which may be indefinitely extended by other gifts. The donor, who keeps his name concealed, hoped at first that other rich men would have joined him ; but the hope was not fulfilled, society not having yet reached the point at which rich men will give on the colossal scale, yet consent to be merged in a charitable co-partnership. Individualism influences even benevolence, and though men will give largely in secret, as this donor has done, they like to be separate in giving, even if it be only to their own minds. That is a valuable little glimpse into human nature, and suggests that Socialists have powerful foes to overcome besides the Decalogue.
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