r'T 'w?'-
-'--
The Commoner.
5
'AUGUST 11, 190S
ROCKEFELLERS GOVERNMENT "O. K."
Champions of John D. Rockefeller 'Point With Pride to the Tribute Paid Him In an Annual Report Published by the Interior .Department
i T,tjr
The widely discussed tribute paid to John D.
Rockefeller in a government report will be found
on pages 1340, 1341 and 1342 of the report of tho
commissioner of education published in 1904 and
issued under the form of the r.nnual report of
the department of the interior.
The government's tribute to Rockefeller is,
In full, as follows:
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER
"John D. Rockefeller was born in Richford,
Tioga, county, JNf. Y July 3, 1839. In 1853 his
family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where, at the
age of fourteen, he united with, the Erie Street
Baptist church. The family, the school, and the
church were the centers in which his character
was formed. In his home prudence and econ
omy prevailed; the Christian virtues were culti
vated. Time was not wasted. At nine years of
age he was raising turkeys and loaning money
at 7 per cent. The alertness of his life began
to be developed. In the church he was careful
to attend the services not only upon the Sab
bath, but midweek also, and he sought to stimu
late others to fulfill religious obligations, es
pecially to pay off a church debt. In school ho
came under the influence of such, teachers as
Miss Chamberlain (afterward Mrs. Lyons), Prof.
B. White, Prof. Andrew Freese, teacher and super
intendent. With these teachers the unfolding of
his character became Indicative of his future ca
reer. Finding that his circumstances demanded
his leaving school before the high school course
was finished, ho found difficulty in securing the
employment desired, and so anxious was he to
have an opportunity for work that he engaged
with Messrs. Hewitt & Tuttle without the assur
ance of a definite amount of pay, but only that he
had an opportunity to try. He accomplished the
tasks assigned him so well that he received
some $4 per week for the time employed. The
next year he won a reward of $25 per month,
and at the end of fifteen months was given the
position of bookkeeper and cashier at $500 per
year. Before he was nineteen he had decided
to undertake business for himself, and, with a
few hundred dollars of his own, aided with $1,000
loaned by his .father, for which he paid 10 per
cent, he launched out, trusting to his industry,
his energy, and Divine favor. He enjoyed no
advantages but those afforded to like effort in
the same community. Before he had begun to
control capital largely he needed a small
loan, which the banker, Mr. T. P. Handy,
accorded him in his confidence of what he had
already done and on the promise he gave. He
ma his obligations faithfully and adopted the
habit of living within his income. Nothing was
allowed to come within his observation which
he did not question for some lesson for himself.
-He early found out that what he was to be
must come out of his own ability and attainments
and opportunities afforded him. His qualities
were early manifested; he discriminated between
the real and the false. He early became super
intendent of his church Sunday school and re
mained in that responsibility thirty years. His
fondness for children was very manifest. His
ow experience had taught him how It might be
used.
"It is unfortunate that there is no more in
literature to indicate more of the growth of his
mind and o! Wb methods of business and prin
ciples which he has adopted. He early began
to appreciate the effortB to secure cheap lighting
illumination. Crude petroleum was offensive to
the smell. He saw what was needed, and out
of his school chemistry he was aided in de
vising methods of purifying the crude oil, saying
to one. of his teachers, 'I think I can relieve this
substance of its offensive smell.' His efforts
were successful. Whale oil was disappearing
from the market; the new substance was soon
widely demanded by the trade; fabulous results
followed his efforts.
"At the age of, twenty-five Mr. Rockefeller
married the daughter of H. B. and Maria 'Spel-
man, Miss Laura C. Spelman, with whom he had
become acquainted in school as a girl of ex
cellent sense and refinement and marked scholar
ship, with like home training as himself.
"As his income increased he began to use
It according to the fundamental principles upon
which his character was based. At first his
benefactions were limited to his church denomina
tion, but later his gifts have been freely bestowed
outside of his church limits in aid of worthy
objects. His methods of giving may be said to
be discriminating. In order to quicken tho gifts
of others, he often promised a half of what was
called for If others would give the other half. In
this way ho has added greatly to the benefactions
for different objects. No effort is made here to
trace the variety of his gifts. There has been
a natural recognition of relations. A worthy
teacher who married a minister receives unan
nounced annual gifts together with a house for
her residence. In a multitude of unseen wnys
like these has his aid been bestowed on worthy
objects. Unostentatiously he pays the expenses
of a reunion of his school associates. Mr. J. G.
W. Cole, president of the chamber of commerce,
when announcing Mr. Rockefeller's gift to tho
city of Cleveland, remarks: 'His modesty is equal
to his liberality, and he is not hero to share with
us this celebration. The streams of his benevo
lence flow largely In hidden channels, unseen and
unknown to men, but when ho founds a uni
versity in Chicago, or gives a beautiful park to
Cleveland, with native forests and shady groves,
rocky ravines, sloping hillsides and level valleys,
cascades and running brooks and still pools of
water, close by our homes, open and easy of
access to all of our people, such things can not
be hid. They belong to the public and history,
and the gift Itself is for the people and for
posterity.'
"A considerable number of citizens afterwards
called at the Rockefeller residence, and in re
sponse to their expressions of gratitude Mr.
Rockefeller said; 'This is our centennial year.
The city of Cleveland has grown to great propor
tions and has prosperity far beyond any of our
anticipations. What will be said by those who
come after us when, one hundred years hence,
this city celebrates its second anniversary and
reference is made to you and to me? Will it
be said that this or that man had accumulated
great treasures? No; all that will bo forgotton.
The questica will be. What did we do with our
treasures? Did we or did we not use them to
help our fellow-men? This will be forever re
rtiembored.' "He has appeared to discover the possibilities
of Chicago as a great center of civilization in
need of a great university to lift its interests.
He is said to have reached the amount of $15,
000,000 in his gifts to that institution. Among
other benefactions may be mentioned his gifts
of $200,000 to medical research; at one time to
Brown university, $500,000, besides smaller sums;
Mount Holyoke college, $50,000 for a hall of resi
dence and $2,000 for a skating rink; Granville
university, $200,000; Vassar college, for general
endowment, $25,000; for a building for recreation,
$100,000; for Strong hall, $35,000; for Davidson
house, $110,000, besides several thousand dollars
for sundry objects connected with the college;
for Spelman seminary, Atlanta, which bears the
name of his wife's father, nearly $285,000, and
during the last year a loan of over $94,000; Barn
ard college, $250,000; Columbia university,
$100,000; Horace Mann School, $50,000; Tuskegee,
$10,000; Rochester, $100,000; Newton Theological
seminary, $150,000; Des Moines, $50,000; Wel
lesley, $100,000; and in aid of education in the
south recently, $1,000,000.
"It is of interest that the training of the fa.a
ily is yielding results like those displayed in his
own character. His son, a graduate of Brown
university, is already walking in the ways of
his father, and tho whole house enlists in the
plan of benefactions which he is working out and
which is promising more than is already accom
plished." DID ROCKEFELLER WRITE IT?
Referring to "the government sketch of Rock
efeller," the Springfield (Mass.) Republican, says:
"The laudatory biographical sketch of John
D. Rockefeller which the United States govern
ment has lately been accused of publishing in
an alleged document entitled 'Educational Benefac
tors,' has been run down and definitely located.
It may be found in the bulky cccond volume of
the last annual report of the United States com
missioner of education, beginning on page 1340.
A score or more sketches of men who have given
large sums of money to education are printed,
and among them is the sketch of Mr. Rockefeller.
The authorship of the entire lot is credited in
the volumn to John Eaton, formerly United States
commissioner of education. The article on Mr.
Rockefeller possesses uncommon Interest at this
time, whon sevoro attacks aro made upon hla
charactor, and for tho bonoflt of the reader sub
stantially tho whole of It Is reprinted' in another
column,
"The radical difference botweon Mr. Eaton's
sketch of tho oil millionaire and tho blistering
articles on tho same subject that have lately ap
peared In a well-known popular magazine scarcoly
needs to bo pointed out. Tho government publi
cation is blissfully innocent of the fact that Mr.
Rockefeller's collection with oil n America is
tho foundation of heated controversy. 'It la un
fortunate,' says tho government wrltor, 'that thero
Is no more in literature to Indicate more of tho
growth of his mind and of his methods of bust
rtoss and principles which ho has adopted.' Yet
tho late Henry D. Lloyd's 'Wealth versus Com
monwealth a book devoted entirely to tho Rock
efeller 'methods of business,' had been published
fully ten years heforo this wonderful sketch was
produced; and as for Miss TarboIPs work in ox
position of Standard Oil practices, principles and
ethics nothing need be said, for thero remains an
abundance of 'Hteraturo' concerning Mr. Rocko
'ollor's activities in business to be found In stato
and federal reports of official investigations into
tho goings-on in tho oil trade tho past thirty
years. Tho drollery of tho pnssnge on tho build
ing up of the Rockefellor fortune Is thus doubly
apparent, coming as It does from a solemn and
heavy government report. The paragraph do
serves to becomo a classic:
It is unfortunate that there Is no moro In
literature to indicato moro of the growth of
his mind and of his methods of business and
principles which he has adopted. Ho early
began to appreciate tho efforts to secure
cheap lighting Illumination. Crude petro
leum was offensive to tho smell. He saw what
was needed, and out of his school chemistry
ho was aided In devising methods of purify
ing the crude oil, saying to one of his teach
ers: "I tlifnk I can relieve this .substance of
Its offensive smell." His efforts were suc
cessful. Whale oJI was disappearing from tho
market; the new substance was soon widely
demanded by the trade. Fabulous results fol
lowed his efforts.
"No one would dispute tho fact of the 'fab
ulous results,' but is it not a bit inadequate to
sum up tho history of tho dearly beloved Standard
Oil company as a mere case of smell and tho
young Rockefeller, armed with his chemistry text
book? It is a beautiful little story tho youth
saying to his teacher that ho could render petro
leum odorless and the United States govern
ment may be congratulated upon its discriminat
ing effort to reveal Mr. Rockefeller as one of
the great scientific discoverers of the ago. Yet
was that all?
"It would, perhaps, be cruel to criticise this
extraordinary sketch at other points. Yet one Is
tempted to inquire whether It was actually written
by a man who was once United States commis
sioner of education, or whether the 'copy' carno
from Mr. Rockefeller's own hand. There is some
thing in its literary style that smells of the oil
king. Is it probable that John Eaton would havo
used the words, 'he launched out, trusting to his
industry, energy and divine favor?' Mr. Rocke
feller was always trusting, to 'divine favor' in his
business enterprises, and the employment of tho
oxpresslon, which so much reminds one of his
addresses in Sunday school, raises the suspicion
that Mr. Rockefeller was tho real author of this
sketch. The article, too, is written so olumsily
thai one hesitates to believe that Mr. Eaton actu
ally composed it. Hero Is a passage that In
creases our reluctance to hold Mr. Eaton prima
rily responsible: 'He early became superltendent
of his church Sunday school and remained in that
responsibility thirty years. His fondness for chil
dren was very manifest. His own experience had
taught him how It might be used.' How what
might bo used? His fondness for children? Such
awkwardness of expression could hardly havo
emanated from John Eaton.
"It has been Intimated somewhere that Mr.
Rockefeller furnished the 'material' of this
sketch. Will not the bureau of education inform
us kindly whether the sketch was printed in the
very language that Mr. Rockefeller himself used
in shaping the 'material' that be sent to the gov
ernment officials. If wo have here a real auto
biography Its value can not be overestimated."
