The evening times., 1897-03-29
THE OIL KINGS STRUGGLES.
Rockefeller Tells Young Men How
He Started i'm Life.
HE ALWAYS KEPT A LEDGER
The First One Produced as an OBJ
Ject Lesson-It Is Mans Duty to
Earn All PossibIe-But 1t Must
Be Gained Honestly and Given
Away Literally.

New York, March o9.-"wko is the poor
est man in the world today" The poorest
man l know is the man who has nothing
but money nothing else in the world but
money only money"
These were the words of John D. Rookie
young mems Bible class at the Fifth Ave
nue. Baptist Church. Mr.. Rockefeller held
III his hands q cheap-looking little yellow
backed account book.
This Is my ledger" he said. my
first business training was in keeping a
ledger. 1t was ut the time when 1 began
to spend my first earnings in my first
struggle to get footing
1T was very hard struggle When 1
put my head on my pillow the contents OF
this little ledger then kept running in my
mind until l awakened the next morning
BESIDES the accounts l kept in this
book there were memoranda ofoccuTrences.
In after years 1 found it. / kept 1T more
than forty-two years ago In decipheTing
Some writing on the back Of it here Il see
that 1 called it Ledger A place great
value upon this little book
Mr. KocEefelIer's hands trembled as he
turned the pages of the little volume which
he had taken from a big envelope in his in :
side pocket.
1T was important to Iue to he particular
at that time about items of receipts and dis
bursements,' he continued Il hope you
young men ale all careful believe it is a
religious duty TO get all the money you can,
get 1t fairly, religiously and honestIy-and
give away all you can.
Il would not dare to let you read this book
My children read it, and said that didn't
spell toothbrush 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 all
would bring in.
1T reports what received and paid out
for several years Here is an item: In
come from December 26, 1855, to January
26, 1856, $50
"And lived within my income. Out OF
thatI paid my washerwoman the lady with
whom boarded land saw ed little and put
1t away
Il see that paid III the Sunday school
every Sunday one cent 1t was all had to
give. / had large increase in revenue
month.
Il was as independent in those days as
Mr.. Astor. But when l got that increase
felt guilty / felt like a cIimInal-like a
capitalist. We had no trusts or capitalists
those days.
Curiosity prompted Mr.. Rockefeller here to
ask ali those to raise their hands who had
come to New York 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.
Two days ago l had talk with carpen-
ter who was going to make a building
comfortable where help were going To sleep.
There were two big spaces which he closed
with mineral wool so the damp wouldn't
come in, ne said. Then on the next floor
he showed me two spaces he was also go
ing to close with wool, so that, as he ex-
pressed il, a sleeper there, a houseman,
would not have TO hear the raindrops fall
upon the roof. f"
This seemed to afford Mr.. Rockefellerin-
finite amusement.
why he said, 1.-THE carpenters sug-
gestion made me think of my own expert
that / heard the rain fall, and when Il
looked up could see the shingles, and in
one place a big crack, through which the
sky was visible.
II think | was better for that sort OF ex-
perience, and my head is fun of sadness
as l contemplate the condition OF num-
ber of young fellows that l know in this
city. Their fathers have plenty of money,
but the boys have not the ghostof chance
in competing with you who came from the
country They'll go down and you'll take
their places.
Well. is that success? The poorest man /
know is the man who has nothing
If had my choice today, L dbe man with
little or nothing but purpose in life.
''It's not the money itself thatis so miser-
able Money is good il you know how touse
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.
"AIl these little things helped me to come
into sympathy with many undertakings,
both religious and philanthropic. My .opin
ion 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
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