The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-08

gently to study and went to Rome, where he Is-
ceived education a bishop.
After his education was finished he again re-
turned to Ireland but in different circumstances.
From poor shepherd boy he had become L
Bishop, which in those days very hgh
office. History gives instances Of the power OF 4
Bishop being equal to and greater than that OF
a king
ION his arrival he devoted himself with great
success to the conversion of the people TO CHRIS
tianity. They had hitherto protessed the religion
Of the Druids, but in the space OF a lew yelIs,
nearly the whole island was converted TO the
doctrines of the Gospel as taught by ST Patrick
He was far superior TO them in knowledge and
had great sway over Their minds, they even
thought him to I've n saint. Great stories arc told
of the wonderful things he did, but great many
of them hardly creditahle.
when we take view Of his life we can clear
ly see that he was a man Of no ordinary apiiI'le'
and that there are few men whose names are re-
corded on the pages Of history that have risen
from so low state to such Lights oil farlt and
glory
The astute may find in this schoolboy
composition the germ of at least one of
the ruling ideas of Mr.. Rockefeller's life.
He discovered thus early that there is
such a thing as the power behind the
throne. He had evidently been investi-
eating the matter, and had discovered
that bishop could be even greater
man than a king. This principle he has
applied on various occasions. by donating
large sums of money to religious institu-
TONS Most observers of human affairs
know that in this country man VINO
gives largely to churches and schools can
do almost anything he likes without open
fault being found with him. Perhaps the
young John realized even then that when
a man is regarded by his fellow beings as
far superior to them in knowledge he
may gain such sway over their minds
that he will be canonized; and his youth
full imagination may have held visions of
a like fate awaiting himself.
On the whole Mr.. Rockefellers com
position" sounds rather more as il it
were copied out of the encyclopedia than
Mr.. Hanna's does. The former relies on
acquired and demonstrate knowledge. for
which he can give chapter and verse; the
latter is somewhat inclined to grasp at
glittering political generalities. But, when
all is said and done the thing which most
forcibly strikes the reader of both these
compositions is the goodness of the boys
who wrote them. At that time the young
Hanna and the young Rockefeller were I'M
questionably pure souled, hight minded
boys" full of innocent impulses, ambi-
tious aspirations. and lofty ideals. Even If
Mr.. Rockefeller got the ideal expressed in
his last sentence out of the encyclopedia,
he still possessed it. Now he has become
the richest man and the greatest trust
magnate in the world, and whatever mis-
sionary enterprises he may be engaged
in are undertaken for the purpose of con-
verting the heather to an appreciation of
the blessings of Standard oil. IL st.
Patrick could come back to earth and read
that appreciative biography, written by an
American schoolboy, he would no doubt
be gralfied, for although one sentence
ends with the statement that some OF the
stories told of the saint are hardly
creditable" the probabilities are that the
young biographer meant credible" But
if he were to survey the subsequent career
of the Standard Oil magnate, as it would
be pictured to him by several millions of
Irish voters in this country, it is hard to
say what his impressions would be. Mr..
Hanna. too, was full of the most pious
enthusiasm for the liberating of enslaved
classes races, and nations Who would
imagine that the writer of this compost
tion," so full of triumph over effete mon
arclical systems, so imbued with hatred
for the iron grasp of despotism. would
become the most colossal political boss in
American history-a boss to make the
most astute English politician rub his eyes
and wonder-a Warwick the like of whom
is not to be found in English history?