The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-02
ROCKEFELLER'S EARLY STRUG-
Giles.

dents How He Earned $50 a Month
and Saved.
"Who is the poorest man in the world
to-day? The poorest man | know is the
man who has nothing but money-nOth-
ing else in the world but money-only
hair and an iron-gray most
ache who spoke the words,
and he repeated the last words
with emotion. The man who spoke has
endowed the University Of Chicago with
millions of dollars. He is John D. Rookie
Teller. who Saturday night, at the par
lors OF the Fifth avenue Baptist church
in New York, addressed the young men $
Bible class.
Mr.. Rockefeller held in his hands n
cheap-looking little yelow-backed ac-
count book. ''This is my ledger" he said.
MY first business training was in keep
ing a ledger. 1t was at the time when
l began to spend my first earnings in my
struggle to get a footing. 1t was very
hard struggle. When l put my head on
my pillow the contents of this little
ledger then kept running in my mind
until | awakened the next morning. Be-
sides the accounts | kept in this book
there were memoranda Of occurrences.
In after years I found it. kept it more
than 40 years ago. In declphecing some
writing on the back of it E"re, | see that
called it Ledger A | place great
value upon this little book. It was i'm
portant to me to be particular at that
time about items Of receipts and dis
bursements. | hope you Young men are
all careful. | believe it is a religious
duty to get all the money you can, get
it fairly, religiously and honestly-and
give away all you can. | would not dare
to let you read this book. My children
read it, and say that l didn't spell tooth
brush correctly. | haven't seen this book
for twenty-five years. You couldn't get
it from me for all the modern ledgers in
New York and what they would bring in.
1t reports what | received and paid out
for years Here is an item: Income
from December 26. 1855. to January 26,
1856. $50. And l lived within my in
come. Out Of that | paid my washer
woman, the lady with whom | boarded,
and l saved a little and put it away.
l see that / paid in the Sunday school
every Sunday one cent. 1t was all | had
to give. / had a large increase in revenue
the next year. 1t was increased S25 a
month. | was as Independent in those
days as Mr.. Astor. But when got that
increase l felt guilty. l felt like n
criminal-like a capitalist. We had no
trusts or capitalists in those days. l re-
member the clothes l bought. l didn't
patronize a fashionable tailor. | bought
my clothes from cheap clother. The
clothes were good and such as l could
pay for. Let me give you all a word
Of advice: Live within your means
Curiosity prompted Mr.. Rockefeller
here to ask all those to raise their hands
who came from the country. Nine-tenths
Of the young men raised their hands, to
the evident pleasure of the speaker.
City men haven't had the struggles we
had who came from the country" he
said. 1.-TWO days ago l had a talk with
a carpenter who was going to make a
building comfortable where help were
going to sleep. There were two big
spaces which he closed with mineral
SO the damp wouldn't come in. he said.
Then on the next floor he showed me two
spaces he was going to close with wool
so that as he expressed it, the sleeper
there, a houseman, would not have to
hear the rain drops fall upon the roof"
This seemed to afford Mr. Rockefeller in
finite amusement. why" he said. 1.-THE
carpenters suggestion made me think of
my own experiences when sleeping under
the roof l know that | heard the rain
fall, and when | looked up l could see
the shingles, and in one place big
crack through which the sky was visible.
1t was pretty hot there in summer but
preferred summer on the whole. l
think l was better for that sort of ex-
perience, and my head is full Of sadness
as l contemplate the condition of a num-
Der of young fellows that l know in this
city. Their fathers have plenty Of money,
but the boys have not the ghost of 4
chance in competing with you who came
from the country. They'll go down and
you will take their places"
what is success? Is it to get money?
Well, is that success? The poorest man
/ know is the man who
has nothing but money. If
| had my choice to-day, I'd be man
with little or nothing but purpose in
life. Money is good if you know how to
use it. Let me give you a little word of
counsel. Know just what you receive
and how you spend it. Write down just
what you do with it and don't be ashamed
to let your fathers and mothers see what
you have written down. In year or
two | managed to save nearly $1,000.
Here is an item as to clothes. Ny cloth
ing from November, 1855. to November
1856, cost me just 5000. Here is one
bit of extravaganza which had quite
escaped my memory, pair Of fur gloves,
So Here are other items:
MittenS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. ) shillings.
Given away .So.oS
Missionary cause, November %. -. 10
Ministerial student .............. 10
Night society NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 10
Sabbath school .O5
Present to Sabbath school supt So. %
l was living in Cleveland then, and
must have felt sorry for New York.
Here is an item: Five Points mission,
- cents. We had little paper publish
ed by the Sunday school called the Ma
cedonian. | subscribed to that. There
was a venerable teacher Of my class, a
scotchman, and great Bible student.
He is down for % cents. All these little
things helped me to come into sympathy
with many undertakings, both religious
and philanthropic My opinion is that no
man can trust himself to wait until he
has accumulated a great fortune before
he is charitable. He must give away
some money continually"
LOST AND FOUND.