The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-02
Defense of Mr.. Rockefeller.


Sir: Your editorials are. as rule, ad-
mirable: characterized by intelligence,
calm reasoning. and logical and fair con-
Clusions. Whatever else in the paper
must be passed by through lack of time
incident to stress of work, your editorials
always claim perusal. ON your own page
of yesterdays issue, however ! find an
article which. in its lack of accurate
knowledge, and of it's consequent unfair
ness of treatment, and tendency to mis-
lead the uniformed, is quite unlike what
almost uniformly issues from your paper.
refer to that i'm which you charge John
ID. RoCkafeller with insincerity both as
to certain utterances recently delivered
to Sunday school scholars, and his mo-
tives i'm the distribution of his wealth.
| thoroughly agree with you as to the
principle which you would establish, but
you were very unfortunate in your selec-
tion of an example to illustrate the prin-
ciple.
Mr.. Rockefeller has never even APP
peared to bemoan the fact that he is i'm
mensely rich; he rather is grateful for
the great prosperity which God has CIV
on him, though he was fully as happy in
the days of his early struggles for a
foothold i'm life as he is in this day of
atfiuenCe And the secret is an open Cne
Mr.. Rockefeller has always been a
| years, proportionately to his income, be-
| ing fully as large as his muniiicent gifts
of recent years. In the very address
| which so disgusted you, delivered before
| a young mems Bible class Mr.. Rocka-
| feller, holding up a little book marked
| Ledger A." in which We're kept the re.
| ceipts and expenditures of the early period
| of his wonderful business career, said:
! "Those contributions, small as they We're
| brought me into direct contact witt
| philanthropic work, and with the bene
| fetal work and aims of religious institu
tions. and l have been helped thereby
| greatly all my life. 1t is a mistake fol
! a man who wishes for happiness and t
help others to think that he will wal
| until he has made a fortune before Civ
ing away money to deserving objects.
| These sentences contain no suggestion o.
miserable whining on the one hand, MOI
of ostentation on the other. His words
| and deeds flatly contradict your inslnua
tions as to his making "a show o
wealth." "the twaddle of men of th'
| Rockefeller stamp" and the odious Tex
| ample of many men of means Person
ally he is very dtiident and retiring, no
| SNOWY; he is not loquacious, as "twaddle'
would have us think; and compared will
most linen of means" his charities ar
! princely. He has magnificently endowe,
!
under the broad eXpanse of the heavens
he is constantly giving to churches, t.
worthy individuals and organizations
and even now he makes it possible T.
liquidate the enormous debt of the tw
great Baptist Missionary societies, whicl
amounts to $iSG,0OO by imposing a simpl
yet wise condition, viz: that if the Bap
tst constituency throughout the countr,
will raise S23G,OO0 by July of this yeal
he will pay the balance of S2JO,OOO. |
there is any truth in his remark, as We
as in your own, about happiness in civ
ing, then he IS one of the happiest me
on earth, for on this planet he has feN
peers i'm the largeness and wisdom of hi
gifts In your thunderngs against aVar
| ice, coyetousness ana Pharisaicai oStcu
tation, l commend you; but If you loo
about 100 miles nearer home than Nei
York city, and within the past fey
months or weeks, you will find more fiji
ting examples for the enforcement q
your remarks than I'm the case of Nj
Rockefeller who while living enjoys bot
his wealth and its wise distribution. |
the words of another Christian gentle
man, with traits similar to those of NJ
Rockafeller's, God gave him in an eS
traordinary degree, "a hand to get and
heart to give.' Yours very truly,
w. @. Watkins,
Pastor North Main Avenue Church
, Scranton, April /, 1897