xviii THE LIFE AND CHARACTER 



organizations; for his keen sympathy with human suffering 

 caused him to be ever responsive to the needs of the un- 

 fortunate. His charitable work, like his generous activity in 

 other directions, was by no means restricted to his own race, 

 although he was of course especially devoted to associations 

 which had as their object the improvement of the lot of the 

 great mass of Hebrew poor in New York. He was president 

 of the United Jewish Charities Building, a member of the 

 American Jewish Committee, a trustee of the Jewish Theologi- 

 cal Seminary of America, and was at one time president of 

 the Jewish Agricultural and Industrial Aid Society. He was, 

 moreover, president and one of the founders of the Solomon 

 and Betty Loeb Home for Convalescents, erected in mem- 

 ory of his parents. 



Another enterprise demanding much of his time was The 

 Chemists' Club of New York, the welfare of which he did 

 much to promote. Here again he was characteristically earn- 

 est in his effort to help in every possible way those for whom 

 he felt himself especially responsible. Twice he was vice- 

 president and twice president of the club, and it was during 

 his first presidency in 1909 that the idea of housing the 

 club and its admirable library in a dignified building first 

 took shape. He not only gave outright many things to the 

 unique building which rose under his direction, but also was 

 one of the chief stockholders in the enterprise. His generous 

 bequest of all his holdings of stock in the building to the 

 Chemists' Building Company for cancelation cannot but do 

 much to fortify the future of the Club and help towards its 

 permanent existence. 



In 1908 he was appointed one of the committee of the Har- 

 vard Overseers to visit the Chemical Laboratory. As usual he 

 entered very faithfully into this new responsibility and, unless 

 in foreign lands, attended every meeting of the committee, 



