Andrew Carnegie's The Gospel Of Wealth
Andrew Carnegie, born in Scotland, came to the United States in 1848. Here he started with nothing and turned himself into a self-made man. He was in fact, one of the richest men if this era. In 1889 he wrote “The Gospel of Wealth”. In this essay he discusses philanthropy and explains that with money also comes responsibility. He stated that obedience [to the Gospel of Wealth] will one day solve the problem of the rich and poor, and will bring “Peace on earth, among men good will.” I agree with this statement because the “Gospel of Wealth” claims that everyone is free to make as much money as they can, however, they should not leave it to their heirs and should use it to help mankind. If everyone is free to make as much money as they can,
then everyone will be more motivated. Why try to excel or succeed if society does not allow it? This will help to solve the problem of the poor because more people are inclined to make as much money as they can. Also, no one should leave their money to their children. This will only spoil them. Why try to excel and succeed if you already have everything you want? This will help solve the problem of the rich because it will make sure that everyone has to work hard for what they want and no one can be lazy and rich. Finally, instead of giving money away to charity the “Gospel of Wealth” states that one should give it to institutions or to the public. Carnegie does not believe in giving to charity because he believes that people should not be given anything, everyone should work for themselves. On the other hand, it is perfectly acceptable to help give a start to those who are trying. By donating money to libraries and other organizations that are made to help the public, peace on earth and good will among men will definitely be a more realistic goal. Overall, this is why I believe that the “Gospel of Wealth” approach would work. It seems as though Carnegie had a very good head on his shoulders and hopefully many people listened to his ideas and took what he said to heart. Although solving the problem of the rich and poor is still out of the grasp of humans today, maybe with more time and interest we can continue to take baby steps to resolving this issue.
then everyone will be more motivated. Why try to excel or succeed if society does not allow it? This will help to solve the problem of the poor because more people are inclined to make as much money as they can. Also, no one should leave their money to their children. This will only spoil them. Why try to excel and succeed if you already have everything you want? This will help solve the problem of the rich because it will make sure that everyone has to work hard for what they want and no one can be lazy and rich. Finally, instead of giving money away to charity the “Gospel of Wealth” states that one should give it to institutions or to the public. Carnegie does not believe in giving to charity because he believes that people should not be given anything, everyone should work for themselves. On the other hand, it is perfectly acceptable to help give a start to those who are trying. By donating money to libraries and other organizations that are made to help the public, peace on earth and good will among men will definitely be a more realistic goal. Overall, this is why I believe that the “Gospel of Wealth” approach would work. It seems as though Carnegie had a very good head on his shoulders and hopefully many people listened to his ideas and took what he said to heart. Although solving the problem of the rich and poor is still out of the grasp of humans today, maybe with more time and interest we can continue to take baby steps to resolving this issue.