Endowment Fund — Memorial Tablet
“Many cities sustaining an orchestra are greatly aided by the work and philanthropy of one or two men, but in the case of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the burden of making up the yearly deficit is distributed among a number of people.
“The Committee of fifty Chairmen who will meet tomorrow at the ’get-together luncheon’ are each pledged to turn in for his Committee a sum of $20,000. Each Chairman has a group of co-workers, including prominent social and philanthropic leaders of this city.
Orchestra’s Value to City
“The campaign to save the Orchestra for Philadelphia has set loose a flood tide of arguments as to the value of this organization to the city’s life. To business men the argument that the Philadelphia Orchestra is a great advertisement to the city will make the strongest appeal, while to the great number of people interested in the artistic life of the city the argument that its pre-eminent place in the world of music merits their greatest support will naturally serve to stir them to action.”
“The realization that the possession of an orchestra of high standing is a great commercial as well as a great civic asset to a city, has caused a number of cities to build up an organization similar to the one Philadelphia already possesses.”
Ranks With World’s Best
“By a most consistent plan of development under the direction of Alexander Van Rensselaer, the Philadelphia Orchestra, now in its twentieth year, has earned the reputation of being ‘the first orchestra in America.’ No less a critic than H. T. Parker, of Boston, writing in the Boston Transcript says, ‘there can no longer be any doubt that the Philadelphia Orchestra is today the first of all American orchestras. In fact, it may be said now to rank among the five great orchestral organizations in the world.’ Mr. Ossip Gabrilowitsch, famous no less as a conductor than a pianist, says that ‘it is now a most important factor in the musical life of this country, and has set a standard of excellence which all other symphony orchestras in America, no matter how famous, must bear in mind, if they wish to maintain their places in the front rank.’”
“Under Stokowski the Orchestra has made a rapid step forward. The first performance in America of the Mahler Symphony, using a chorus of over one thousand singers, made the whole country ‘sit up.’”
“One element that the committee in charge of this endowment fund campaign must combat, is the confidence that the $1,000,000 can be easily raised. This is unpsychological. This same notion has frequently spoiled some of the best organized campaigns for endowing other worthy institutions in this city.”
The publicity for the campaign was brilliantly conceived and executed by Mr. Bok.
In the spring “The Orchestra News” began to appear monthly, with the idea of making the story of the organization much more widely known than it had heretofore been. Its pages were “instructive and entertaining” as the expression was in old times. So were the various folders and leaflets sent out during the campaign itself. Persons of importance in the business world helped with the publicity as well as with large contributions.
“THE ORCHESTRA NEWS
“Published Every Once in a While in the Interests of
the Philadelphia Orchestra at the
Pennsylvania Building, Philadelphia
“Why I Came to Philadelphia
“Because—America was fast becoming (and has since completely become) the great music-making country of the world.
“Because—Fritz Scheel (with his instinct for choosing exactly the right artist for each position in the orchestra) had laid the foundation of a wonderful orchestra. Since then many fine artists have been added but the main structure of the personnel remains as Scheel created it.
“Because—I felt in Philadelphia the existence of a warm hearted and genuinely music-loving public which I believed would grow. This it has done amazingly in the last few years.
“It is my ardent hope that this development will continue, and that we may soon welcome among us the great number of music lovers in Philadelphia, who have not yet come to us.
“Leopold Stokowski”
“To The Business Men of Philadelphia
“We are convinced that the Philadelphia Orchestra is entitled to the support of the business men of Philadelphia. The Orchestra is now the leading symphony orchestra in the United States, and has become a distinct civic asset of signal value to Philadelphia. The impression made by the Orchestra in the largest cities in America which it visits and where it plays before 100,000 persons during each season has been proven to be of the most pronounced advertising value to our city. To place this Orchestra on a permanent financial basis such as the Endowment Fund of One Million Dollars now asked will accomplish, is a distinct investment for the business interests of the city. To compel so valuable a municipal asset to be discontinued for lack of this fund cannot be considered.
“We ask, therefore, that the business men of Philadelphia will join us in the support of the Orchestra in this campaign.
| “Samuel Rea | “W. W. Atterbury |
| Effingham B. Morris | E. Pusey Passmore |
| John Gribbel | John H. Mason |
| Samuel T. Bodine | James Crosby Brown |
| Samuel M. Vauclain | Samuel S. Fels |
| Cyrus H. K. Curtis | Ellis A. Gimbel |
| William A. Law | William P. Gest” |
“We Do It In New York
By Otto H. Kahn
“A business man should realize that he makes a definite investment, yielding interest to him and to his city in civic and business advantage, when he supports a worthy art organization in his community.
“In New York we have come more and more to realize the value, the merit and the obligation of such investments.
“The Metropolitan Opera, for instance, and our several symphony concert organizations were started and have always been and are now being supported financially by business men.
“These and similar art enterprises have become not only genuine assets in the lives of the people who support and patronize them, but distinct and profitable business assets to the city.
“Of late, another organization, the Philadelphia Orchestra, has entered into friendly and successful rivalry with the old-established symphonic organizations of New York.
“The public and press of New York are one in acknowledging gladly and cordially that Philadelphia has now in its Orchestra, under its eminent leader, one of the greatest organizations of the kind in the United States, or, indeed, anywhere.
“Its visits to New York are welcomed and looked forward to.
“It has taken an honored place in the musical life of New York.
“In what it has achieved, it has served and proclaimed Philadelphia.
“It carries the message of Philadelphia wherever it appears: a high and fine message of credit and renown to the city which gave it being and supports it.
“The civic value and the business value of the investment which is represented by the Philadelphia Orchestra are definite and great.
“The eminent position and conspicuous reputation which it has attained are assets of great price to its home city.
“The business men of Philadelphia should take pride in coming forward unhesitatingly and generously to the full support of the splendid musical organization which bears the name and enhances the fame of Philadelphia.
“Otto H. Kahn.”
The newspaper publicity was very fine and the programme books were also pressed into service, to further the campaign. Mr. Bok’s and Mr. Stokowski’s clever appeals kept the subject well in the minds of the audiences during that month by the following appeals:
“A Personal Invitation
“Much as we would like to do so, we cannot naturally reach personally every resident of Philadelphia for their contribution to the Million Dollar Endowment Fund to save the Philadelphia Orchestra.
“In case we have not reached you, will you regard this as a personal invitation to help in our efforts to save our beautiful Orchestra by filling in the blank below and mailing it to the address given?
“Please remember that not a penny of your money will be spent: every dollar is carefully invested, and will work year in and year out, for all time, only the interest being used to pay the expenses of the Orchestra. Your subscription, therefore, is a legacy to yourself, your children, the Orchestra and the city.
“The Philadelphia Orchestra Endowment
Campaign Committee.”
Programme, October 17th, 1919:
“A Personal Message From Mr. Stokowski
“We are facing two possibilities today:
“One: Shall we continue the Orchestra as it is?
“The other: Shall we reduce it?
“Let me tell you exactly what these two things mean,
so that we will know exactly what we are leading to.
“Suppose we reduce the orchestra: which we must do if we do not raise this Endowment Fund. That means that your first men in the orchestra, the chiefs of each section, would not remain, because there are orchestras being formed all over the country now, and these orchestras will naturally take away the splendid first men that we have in our Orchestra.
“You would naturally have to replace those men with second-class men. You would have to do this because the relation of supply and demand of orchestral players is tremendously intense. There is far more demand than there is supply of really great players. Having second-class men in those positions—I must speak frankly to you now—you would have a second-class orchestra.
“Now, whoever you have for conductor cannot possibly give you really first-quality results if he has a second-quality orchestra. That is impossible.
“Then you could not allow such an orchestra to go outside of Philadelphia. You could not permit a second-class orchestra bearing the name of the city to travel to the West, to New York, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and the various places where we play. It would be too much to our shame. We could not do it. So all the tours would have to be cut out.
“In Philadelphia itself we should not be able to give concerts of the first quality, and you would naturally become dissatisfied. And after these second-rate concerts had gone on for one or two seasons, you would say to yourself, this must stop; we must have again an orchestra like what we used to have; we must have a first-class orchestra. You would begin all over again to rebuild your Orchestra once more, and do you realize how long it takes to build or rebuild an orchestra?
“Do you realize that it took me personally all the seven years that I have been in Philadelphia to get three first-class artists for just one section of the Orchestra? And you have ninety-seven men in your Orchestra! That gives you just an idea of the work involved.”
“Will Philadelphia give its Orchestra its needed fund, avoid the calamity I have tried to outline and let the Orchestra go on as it is, and as the generations go on, and we go from this life, we will have the feeling that its influence will go on; that it will accumulate tradition; that it will go on maturing; and that it will become more and more beautiful.
“Leopold Stokowski.”
“P. S. In the above I have tried to tell you what must happen if the Orchestra fails to secure the Endowment Fund for which it asks.
“In the programme for next week’s concerts, I want to tell you what will happen if we do get the Fund; the plan that we have so long had in mind for the Orchestra and Philadelphia.”
“To the Friends of
The Philadelphia Orchestra
“We have reason to believe that it is in the hearts of a number of the friends of the Philadelphia Orchestra to leave a legacy in their wills to the Orchestra. Appreciative as we are of this beautiful thought on the part of these friends, we hope we may not be misunderstood if we suggest the thought that were such legacies now given to the Endowment Fund when the Orchestra stands at the cross-roads of its career, and when the next fortnight must determine its continuance or its dissolution, the service rendered would be greater than may be possible at any other period in its history. If ever the Orchestra has need of the kindliest thoughts of its friends it is at this time when the prestige of this superb organization may be maintained, its present excellence continued, and its strength conserved: when it is here to support and when the generosity of those who believe in it can save it and make it the permanent institution of Philadelphia that it deserves and should be.”
Programme, October 24th-25th, 1919:
“It is not a campaign-slogan:
it is the truth when we say:
Save the Orchestra
“If the Endowment Fund fails, this will be the last
season that the Orchestra can remain at its present
strength of excellence.
“Is that to be your gift to it on its twentieth
birthday?”
“What Will Happen If We Succeed
By Leopold Stokowski
“In last week’s programme I tried to tell you how we would have to curtail the Philadelphia Orchestra, if we failed to get the Endowment Fund for which we are all striving; how we would have to let our best artists go; how we would, for very shame, stop traveling to other cities because we had a second-class orchestra. All this is absolute.
“Just as absolute, however, is the other side of the picture if Philadelphia will give its Orchestra this fund.
“We would naturally not only continue the Orchestra as it is, but we would go on developing it every season to a higher quality, for in art there is no end, since, as soon as you reach the horizon which you saw a year ago, new horizons appear and new fields of beauty. The end never comes, because you are never satisfied; that is the wonderful thing about art.
“Let us in Philadelphia go forward; not backward! Let us carry this fund through.
“We are not asking for a fund that is raised and spent. Not a penny of the Million Dollars is to be spent; every dollar is to be invested and put away. Twenty, thirty, forty years from now it will still be there, always working, bearing interest. And only this interest is to be spent.
“Is this not a good investment for yourself, your children and your city?
“Upon this twentieth anniversary I plead for this birthday gift to the Orchestra.
“Leopold Stokowski.”
The appeal sent to telephone subscribers ran as follows:
“The Present You Can Make With Two Dollars
For Yourself and Children
“A handful of people, for nineteen years, have paid all the bills of the Philadelphia Orchestra; until now the foremost artists and the leading music critics have proclaimed it to be the greatest orchestra in the United States, and one of the five great orchestras of the world.
“The expense of the orchestra is now too great for a few to continue to pay. This year the orchestra will be twenty years old, and, as a birthday present, it is now asked that the people of Philadelphia, as a whole, will make the orchestra permanent by completing its Endowment Fund, each contributing only two dollars, making it in a true sense the orchestra of the people.
Your Two Dollars Will Never be Spent
“It will be carefully invested, and only the interest used for the Orchestra. Your gift is, therefore, one for all the years to come: a permanent gift to a permanent institution.”
In December two concerts were given for these contributors who numbered several thousand.
When October 31st arrived and the million dollars was neither in hand nor in sight, the campaign was extended for one week. The appeals became more and more urgent.
Programme October 31st, November 1st.
“For Lack of Help the Campaign may Fail!
“Owing to a lack of sufficient workers, the Million Dollars necessary for the proper Endowment of the Philadelphia Orchestra has not been raised.
“Tired, but full of courage, those who are working have decided to extend the campaign for another week.
“Campaigns usually fail because the money cannot be had. Here the money is in sight, but the friends of the Orchestra have not come forth in sufficient numbers to collect the funds.
“Is the campaign to fail for this unusual reason?
“Will you not, man or woman, give a day, two days of this extra week to help us collect the last $250,000 necessary to complete the fund?
“You cannot, at this time, render a greater service to the Orchestra. You can, at this most critical time, do your part to
Save the Orchestra.”
“Will You Not?
“May we ask you, as a final appeal for the Orchestra, to give to it
Just One Liberty Bond
of any denomination, as your contribution to save the Orchestra for yourself and the city at this critical time in its history?
“Whether you have given previously or not, will you not do this one more act?
“The Bond you give will not be sold: it will not be spent. Not a penny of it. It will be put away under a Deed of Trust, and only the interest on it will be used to maintain the Orchestra.
“Could you put a Bond in a better, more permanent place?”
“Face to Face
“We now stand face to face with the question whether our Orchestra is to be preserved as it is or reduced to a second-class orchestra.
“The Million Dollars necessary for its preservation have not been raised.
“The campaign will, accordingly, be extended for one week.
“But the question, after all, is—Will you give? Will you help?
“We need some $250,000 more.
“The workers have done their best. Hundreds of the friends of the Orchestra have not done their part as yet. Less than 5000 have contributed!
“Is the truth clearly realized without the mincing of words: If this remaining sum is not raised, the Orchestra must be reduced; it cannot remain the glorious thing it is today.”
“The Truth Is Simple and Direct
“We must tear down the beautiful Orchestra that has been so patiently and skilfully built up unless the Million Dollar Endowment Fund is raised. Only one week remains in which to do it. Whatever that tells is the answer.”
Finally the goal was won and the event was celebrated by a great dinner at which there was much enthusiasm and rejoicing, when it was announced that $1,100,000 had been contributed.
The twenty-eight women Chairmen expressed their appreciation of Mr. Bok’s leadership in the following letter, which was read:
“Philadelphia Orchestra Association
Committee of Fifty
“Edward Bok, Esq., Chairman,
Twentieth Anniversary Endowment Fund Campaign Committee
“Dear Mr. Bok:
“The Women Chairmen of the Committee of Fifty desire to express their appreciation of your leadership as Chairman of the Twentieth Anniversary Endowment Fund Campaign for the Philadelphia Orchestra.
“The luncheons alone, as arranged and presided over by you, have been the most unique and inspiring series of affairs ever conducted in Philadelphia. But these have been only a part of your labors and a detail in the large plans which you have undertaken and carried out.
“We thank you for your unfailing courtesy toward us and for your words of encouragement at moments when the result of the battle seemed to be in doubt. Your imagination and enthusiasm have led us to victory and it has been a pleasure to co-operate with you in the important work of placing the Philadelphia Orchestra on a permanent foundation.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed)
| Helen Warren Allen | Katharine E. Newcomet |
| Elizabeth H. Arnett | Marie R. Robins |
| Mary L. H. Ashton | Countess of Santa Eulalia |
| per E. V. W. | |
| Maretta Vernon Carver | Irene H. Snellenburg |
| Elizabeth Conway Clark | Florence Lewis Slaughter |
| Martha G. Cryer | Marian M. Thayer |
| Margaretta S. Dixon | Lois C. Thayer |
| Nellie Andrews Gazzam | Caroline Clark Weatherly |
| Alice Griswold | Letitia White |
| Sallie Houston Henry | Louise Chandler Williams |
| Cora Baird Jeanes | Frances Anne Wister |
| Nina Lea | Adèle G. Yarnall |
| Helen C. Leidy | Hortense L. Zeckwer |
Matinee Musical Club,
Clara Barnes Abbott, Chairman
Motor Messenger Service,
Natalie J. Elwyn, Chairman
Victory Dinner, Philadelphia
November 10th, 1919.”
The campaign under the able leadership of Mr. Bok was inspiring and exciting to a degree. He gave time and money, but best of all, he gave ideas, and he proved himself an accomplished beggar and a clever general.
The Association was not unmindful of his masterly achievement. At a meeting of the Board of Directors held November 26th, 1919, this resolution was passed:
“Whereas the Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association recognize that the splendid services of Mr. Edward Bok, Chairman of the Campaign Committee of the Philadelphia Orchestra Endowment Fund, were largely responsible for the triumphant success of the Campaign,
“Be It Resolved that the Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association place on record such belief, and, further, their appreciation of the energy, resourcefulness and self-sacrificing devotion with which he led the Campaign to success, together with a real expression of their regard for him.”
Also this one passed at the Annual Meeting of the Association, May 25th, 1920:
“Mr. Edward W. Bok as Chairman of the Twentieth Anniversary Endowment Fund Campaign Committee was successful, in October, 1919, in procuring from the people of Philadelphia and vicinity, a fund of One Million Dollars for the Philadelphia Orchestra. This fund, when added to the Endowment Fund of 1916, will place the Orchestra on a permanent foundation.
“In no piece of work hitherto undertaken by Mr. Bok has he shown more decided talents of leadership, executive ability and resourcefulness, than in this brilliantly executed campaign. Future generations, only, can measure the value of the establishment of a great orchestra in this city, but certain it is that the raising of this magnificent sum for music is an achievement the like of which Philadelphia has not previously witnessed.
“Therefore be it Resolved:
“That the thanks of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association be hereby expressed to the Chairman of the Endowment Campaign Committee, Edward W. Bok, together with our appreciation of his great service to the Philadelphia Orchestra, to the cause of music, and to the people of Philadelphia.”
Gifts ranged from one penny, given by a blind child, to $100,000. Many men and women of moderate means deprived themselves of necessities in order that the orchestra might live. Others gave time and others again gave both time and money, but never one word of regret has been heard.
The Chairman’s parting shot appeared in the programme book a week later:
November 14th-15th, 1919:
“THANK YOU!
“The Million Dollar Endowment for the Philadelphia Orchestra has been secured with the goal passed by a generous margin. The result ensures not only the permanency of the present Orchestra but the expansion of its influence.
“To each and all who worked and gave and encouraged, we extend, individually and collectively, our heartfelt thanks.
“We asked you to save the Orchestra!
“The Orchestra IS saved!
“Thank you!
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Endowment Campaign Committee
November 14th, 1919.”
Thus the creation of an Endowment Fund was achieved by the most extraordinary campaign ever conducted in Philadelphia, and through the contributions of more than 13,000 people who wished to place a Philadelphia musical institution on a permanent foundation.