The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1896-05-14
JOHN D., THE BAPTIST.
LAY DELEGATE ROCKEFELLER
AND TIE GREAT PROVIDENCE
CONGRESS.
Church Work Very Fascinating 70
the Modern Aladdin Who Started
Life at s. a Week and j. Now
Worth a. Least sl25,oco,ooo.

Worth al Least s-25, 100000.
Virgtntan
The modern Aladdin who ha. rubbed
Sl25 900 900 out Of the wonderful kero-
sene lamp was a delegate to the
great Baptist congress in Providence
Nov. -. He began life as a clerk on d
salary of So q week and is the richest
Baptist on earth His name ls John
ID. Rockefeller, and be is famous the
world over as the master mind Of that
gigantic corporation, the Standard Oil
company. The Rockefellers who we're
the ancestors OF John D. were closely
identified with the Baptist church, and
the CrEsus Of the family emulates their
good example. For years he ha. been
an earnest, interested worker in the
denomination and has gwen millions
Of dollars to churches and educational
Institutions. He is almost Purit2nical
in his ideas Of living. His name Is
never seen on the list of subscribers to
the grand opera session in New York
and he never goes to the the2ters for
the reason that he believe. them an ally
of the prince OF darkness He is never
seen in society, and no great social
functions are ever held at the Rocke-
feller mansion.
In short, business and church work
seem to wholly engrOss the mind OF this
Midas OF the oil trade. His wife and
his daughters are plain, unassumlng,
quiet people like himself and are as
fond of church going and missionary
labor as he is Most Of the callers at
the Rockefeller mansion are people in
terested in church matters, and no
deserving congregation, struggling IN
der a load of debt has ever asked of the
oil kings bounty and asked in vain, 1t
is said. He is as unOstentatlOus in his
giving as he Is in every other act Of his
life No millionaire on earth is appar-
entlv more anxious to shun observation
and notorlety than Rockefeller, and
although he is without doubt the rich
est man in America comparatively little
i. known about his private life. Re
porters can not interview him Not
one man in 20 IN Wall street even
knows him by sight. Many Of the
clerks in the great white Standard OIL
building near the Battery, New York
see quiet, modestly dressed, unassum-
ing gentleman come and go for months
before they accidentally learn that he
Is head and front of the great trust.
Not many years ago when he was de-
voting six days week to securing a
grip Of steel upon the entire oil business
Of the globe he devoted part Of the sew
enth day to teaching a Sunday school.
While other mlllionaires were seeking
recreation in yatching, coaching, pic
tuIe collecting or horse racing the man
whom jay Gould called the most re-
markable business genius OF the centu
rv' found peace and rest and perfect
content in the dutie. Of Sunday school
superintendent.
John d. Rockefeller's biography will
not be found in many encyclopedias.
but it seems to be pretty we'll establish
ell that he was born in Oswego, n. Y,
July S, 1889. AS boy he went to
school with Benjamin F. Tracy and
Thomas C. Platt, and when . years old
accompanied his parent. to Cleveland.
Upon leaving school he accepted a pO-
sition as clerk in a Cleveland commits
sion house and received 50 per week for
his services. He saved what little
money he could and at an early age
displaved rare executive ability. At %
he was the head OF little commission
house OF his own and was the pOs.essOr
of about $4,000, it IS said Th. sum
he embarked in the oil trade and built
a small refinery in Cleveland. Seeing
the vast possibilities OF the business, he
began to echeme to control 1t. With
masterful skill he and his associates
some Of whom aided him with money
when money was most needed, gradual
ly crushed out all opposition worthy OF
attention. and be has since SO rapidly
added to his original 81, 900 that he was
able to testify before an investigating
committee a few years ago that he could
not tell WITHIN S1l2, 900, 600 what his
| fortune was. He has always made II
a point to completely divorce bushes:
| and reli igiOn, as many church worker:
From. Journal 1lcS 3rnSir&.