There remains, then, only one mode of using great fortunes... Under its sway we shall have an ideal state, in which the surplus wealth of the few will become, in the best sense, the property of the many, because administered for the common good, and this wealth, passing through the hands of the few, can be made a much more potent force for the elevation of our race than if it had been distributed in small sums to the people themselves. Even the poorest can be made to see this, and to agree that great sums gathered by some of their fellow citizens and spent for public purposes, from which the masses reap the principal benefit, are more valuable to them than if scattered among them through the course of many years in trifling amounts. --Andrew Carnegie, 1889

Question

There remains, then, only one mode of using great fortunes... Under its sway we shall have an ideal state, in which the surplus wealth of the few will become, in the best sense, the property of the many, because administered for the common good, and this wealth, passing through the hands of the few, can be made a much more potent force for the elevation of our race than if it had been distributed in small sums to the people themselves. Even the poorest can be made to see this, and to agree that great sums gathered by some of their fellow citizens and spent for public purposes, from which the masses reap the principal benefit, are more valuable to them than if scattered among them through the course of many years in trifling amounts. --Andrew Carnegie, 1889

Answer 1

In this quote, Andrew Carnegie suggests that there is only one way to effectively use great fortunes: to use them for the common good. By pooling the surplus wealth of the few and allowing it to be administered for the benefit of the many, an ideal state can be achieved. Carnegie argues that if this wealth were instead distributed directly to the people in small sums, it would be less powerful in its ability to uplift society.

Carnegie believes that even the poorest members of society can understand and appreciate this approach. He asserts that when great sums of money are gathered by some individuals and then spent on public purposes that benefit the masses, it is more valuable to them than if it had been distributed among them in insignificant amounts over an extended period of time.

In essence, Carnegie advocates for the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few individuals who have the vision and ability to use it for the greater good. He believes that by doing so, society as a whole can be elevated and improved. This perspective reflects Carnegie's beliefs in philanthropy and the responsible use of wealth for the benefit of others.