The Nation: It Is Not Always Better to Give

One would think that a philanthropist deserved the right to give his money, then sit back and take some small satisfaction in the pleasure it provides others. Or, if he prefers, just forget about it. Not in New York City. Millionaire George T. Delacorte (Dell Publishing Co.) financed an Alice in Wonderland sculpture for Central Park, then watched vandals assault it. He spent thousands on the mechanical animals that twirl in the park’s zoo clock tower—and then much more on crews to repair the almost weekly breakdown of the machinery.

Delacorte’s latest project, a $350,000 fountain that draws water from the East River and shoots it 400 ft. high, has proved even more painful. After the fountain began propelling its plume to beautify the skyline, the city board of health complained that the river water was polluted and thus the fountain was contaminating the air. At considerable expense, that was fixed, but now Delacorte has learned that New York State wants the fountain moved because it sprays brackish water on a part of Welfare Island where a park and plantings are planned. But Delacorte, at 76, is not discouraged. He still finds it worthwhile for men of means to “give things of beauty” to the city. He has offered to build a 125-ft. stainless-steel obelisk in front of New York’s Hunter College.