Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-12-14
John D. Rockefeller Will be the
First in the World.
is ONLY IS YEARS OLD,
Yet He is the Richest Man in
the Universe.

teller, says: John D. Rockefeller,
who will probably be the first bill
Iionaire in the worlds history, is
only IS years old and takes as good
care Of his health as he does of his
dollars. He is already the richest
man in the world.
1t is easy to say or write bill
lion dollars, but it is impossible to
realize what such sum means.
When Rockefeller has billion Ct
dollars he can fight war like the
recent one with Spain, pay all the
expenses of both nations, all indem-
mites, pensions and damages, re-
place destroyed ships and pay the
widows of the killed $4,000 each,
and remain among the richest men
In the world.
A billion of dollars is as much as
the total assessed value of propelty,
real and personal, in all New Eng
land, leaving out Massachusetts.
A billion dollars is all the
gold coin in the United States and
nearly all the silver on top of it.
There are only half a dozen nations
in the world whose debts amount
to more than billion dollars. A
billion dollars in three times as
much as the total revenue of the
United States of America during
any ordinary year.
Even as be is now, Mr.. Rookie
Teller could have every European
sovereign On his pay roll, and, with
out cutting their present salaries,
could settle with them all, from the
Gar and Queen Victoria, to the
smallest prInceling il the Caspian
district, and not use up all his in
come.
When he is worth a billion he
can pay all the En- perors, Kings,
Presidents, Sultans aud other heads
of governments in the world their
stipeuds and retain larger income
than any of them. With only his
present fortune, Mr.. RoCkefeller's
daily income is more than the
United states pays Its President tor
year. .
He could ply President Mckin-
ley his Yearly salary of $50, 90
every day sud then his remaining
income would be a million and a
half dollars year.
IF he would talk about himself
he would say his greatest desire
was to live Christian gentleman
and get his reward in Heaven. To
the forms of religion lie is devout
sub ,criber. He IS regular Attend
ant at church and gives literally to
his own faith. He has built Bap-
fist churches for congregations he
has never seen, and given hu dreds
ofthousandS of dollars donations to
Baptist missions. Even when he
was a book keeper on salary OF
$50 a month he gave pennies to the
church and nickels to the missions
Then there are the millions Mr..
Rockefeller has given to the Chica.
go University that indicate no.
ton of duty other than to himself.
Still, there is that incident of Brown
University, when he made the trus-
tees discipline President Audrew VS.
for exp essing views on finance con-
trary to his own by threatening to
withhold a promised million dollar
donation. That mitigates against
the likelihood of any great, broad
altruistic work on the part of the
coming Millionaire.
Russell Sage doesn't believe
there is going to be any Millionaire.
He said so yesterday. He insisted
that at least for 200 years no man
would be worth a billion dollars.
Poor Mr.. Sage will never be the
millionaire. He knows that, strive
how he may, he car never be able
to climb out of the respectable pow,
.erty to which a hundred millions is
the far horizon, so he denies that
there is anything possible beyond
that horizon, but with Rockefeller
today worth $500, 1000, 900 and all
invested and paying at least $40
100000 year, with possibilities in
the way OF reinvestment and COM
pounding, it ought not to take him
long to prove that Uncle Russell is
lacking in faith, a pessimist Of
Wall street. .....s p.
Most people think that a billiob-
aire would be source of evil, a