The Object of the Commission
There
are heroes in every walk of life. Every day sees the
performance of some golden deed; but too often the
doers of such deeds remain unknown, and their unselfish
acts of heroism are suffered to be forgotten. Should
not some means be devised by which these heroes of
peace may be duly recognized, and those who are
dependent upon them properly provided for?
Such were the thoughts which actuated Andrew
Carnegie when, on the fifteenth of April, 1904, he
established and endowed the Hero Fund commission. Mr.
Carnegie's gift of five million dollars was placed in
the hands of a commission of twenty-one persons, whose
duty it is "to discover and reward true heroism
wherever it occurs"; but the doing of daring deeds for
the purpose of saving life is to be especially
recognized. Medals of bronze, silver, and gold were
devised to be awarded to all who are deemed worthy; and
for the doers of very notable and unselfish acts
additional rewards are given. In case of death, those
dependent upon the hero are to be duly provided for.
About two years after the establishment of this
commission, a report was made. In this report the
names were given of sixty-three persons, men and women,
boys and girls, whose heroism was deserving of reward
and recognition. Any book of Golden Deeds would be
incomplete without repeating a few of the stories of
unselfish daring which were thus made public. The
half-dozen examples which are presented in the
following pages are fairly typical of the numerous acts
of heroism which were brought to the notice of the
commissioners.
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