The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-29
A Multi-Millionaire on Wealth.

Inc 1ullnB spirit Ill tle oldHuuIu ci |
company, John ID. Rockefeller, to whom |
common report, very likely with GUS
tomary eXaggeration ascribes the
ownership of more than 500, 900
and who certainly is one of the four or
five wealthiest and most influential
business men in this country, deliV-
cred a speech on Saturday in the Fifth
Avenue Baptist church of New York,
to young men. In it are some points
of universal interest The feature of
it was the production of and quotation
from Mr.. RocRafelers first ledger, or
the book in which. as Il young man,
just beginning business career, he
made entry of each item of his person
al income and expense 1t was little
book with figures and writing on the
back showing that in those days its
owner was economical, and among its
entries was one which gave the Rocka-
Teller income from Sept. 26, 1855, to
Jan. l, 1856, as $50. The speaker add
| ed:
| had large increase in my revenue
! the next year. 1t went up to SO month.
! / began to be capitalist and had | re-
| garded myself then the same way as We
| regard capitalists now, / ought to have
| felt like criminal because had so much
money. But we had no trusts or mono
| poles then. paid my own bills, ana
| always had a little something to give
away. and the happiness of savins some.
In fact, / am not so independent now as
| / was then. 1t is true could not secure
| the most fashionable cut of clothing. !
remember | bought mine then OF Jew.
| He sold me clothing cheap. clothing such
as | could pay for, and 1T was "A great deal
better than buying clothing that ! could
not pay for / did not make any oblga-
| tions | could not meet | lived within my
means, and my advice TO young men is to
do just the same.
At this point Mr.. Rockefeller asked
those of his hearers who We're born in
the country to hold up their hands
Fully quarters of the number
did so, whereupon the speaker said:
To my mind, there is something unfor-
tunate in being born in a city You have
not had the struggles in the city that we
have had who were reared in the country.
Don't you notice how the men from the
country keep crowding you out here
you who have wealthy fathers? These
young men from the country are turning
things around and are taking your city.
We men from the country are willing to
experience to do hard work. ! remember
q little time ago l was in the country,
and l saw carpenter placing mineral
wool under the roof Of city servant )
bedroom, so that the man should not feel
the heat of summer or hear the plttcr
of the raindrops on the roof. | could not
at the time help recalling the experience
of my boyhood. when slept under roof.
While | could not see the shingles, ! re-
member / could peep through the cracks
in them. 1t was pretty hot in the sum
mer, up there, too, | can tell You. But
| think | was better for all that sort Of
experience, for having been reared in the
: country in that sturdy, practical way, and
, my heart is sometimes fun of sadness as
| contemplate the condition of number
e | of young fellows in this city whom | nap
t pened TO know well. They are in the EN-
q barrassing position that their fathers
| have great sums of money, and those
boys have not a ghost Of chance to com
| pete with you who come from the coun
/ | try and who want to do something in the
/, world
. In concluding a most interesting tall
n the great capitalist said: Il spoke
|. just now of the struggle for success
!, What is success? Is IT money? SOM
a of you have all the money you neeC
S to provide for your wants. Who i
e. the poorest man in the world? I tel
n you, the poorest man | know of is tn
man who has nothing but money
/. nothing else in the world upon whicl
d to devote his ambition and thought
9 These words are in no sense new, AM
J. the idea in them has been told and re
q told a thousand times: but somehoy
|, in Mr.. Rockafellers telling of ther
II there is the ring of conviction. w
# shouldn't be much surprised If h
3 would be glad to exchange his lot tC
l. day as perhaps the wealthiest man /
u tie United States for the freedom an
a peace Of those happy days, forty yeal
e ago, when he earned $25 a month CAV
y penny to Sunday school purpose
~ each week, bought hand me- dow
,e clothing and closed the years ledge
k with debts all paid and something t
u spare.