The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-04-16
HOW ROCKEFELLeR BEGAN.
A Pamphlet BY Himself Said TO Have
Been Distributed.

JODn u hoCktlclltIs Or HdH pltHhiCO
the following pamphlet, with cover
like a ledger, which he distributed TO
member ri his sons Bible class at the
Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, New lork:
was trained IN business affair, and
Was taught how TO keep a ledger. The
practice Of keeping n little personal led
ger by young men just starting IN Du-l.
ness. and earning money and requiring
TO ltarn it's value, is, | think, ago"d one.
la the first ruggle tO get "A fOOting-
aud if you feel ~ did am sorry for you
although | would not be without the
memory of that struggle kept my ac-
counts in this book. aud also some mem
oranda of little Incidents tha. seemed 10
me important In the after years found
that book and brought it to Nsw York.
IL is more than ~ years since wrote
what il contains callit Ledger 4, aud
now | place the greatest value upon IL.
have thought il would be little help
10 some OF you young men II gave one
or two extracts from this ledger
EVIDENCES or EXTREME ECONOMY.
When | found THE book recently !
thought il had no cover, because saw II
utilized the cover To write upon. la
those days vas economical, even win
paper. When read it through IL
brought TO my mind remembrance OF
the care with which | used tu record my
little items OF rece pts aud Disbursements
matters. think, which many a. you
young men are rather car, lees about.
believe it j. IA religious duty D get all
the money you can. fairly and honestly;
to keep all you eau aud TO give away All
you can | think that il prObltm that
you are all famiI a With. ! have tolI
you before what pl assure this ltile bou@
gives me dare not let you read II
through. b' cause my cbiiurrn, who have
cad {. sly that dii not spell tooth
brush correctly. But then. Juu 81 ION,
we have made great progress IN our
Spelling. and | suppose some changes
have taken place sluce thOse d0y. had
not seen this book for - years lt does
not look like modern ledger, does IL
But you could not yet that book ir m
me for oil the mOCern lrdeers IN New
York, nor for all that they would brlng
liz always brings tears to my eyer
when read over this little book. ani 1t
flls me with sense Of gratitude that
cannot express. lt shows largely what
received and what | paid out during
my first years Of business IL shows that
from September 20, lSjj until January
.lS5G' received $50 Out oi that |
paid nv washer wOman and the lady !
boarded with, aud | saved little money
to put away am OF ashamed To read
il over TO you.
Among other things, find that gave
a cent to the Sunday school every Suo.
day. That is not very large sum Il II .
But that was all the money had To give
for that particular Object. was also
giving to several other religious objects,
and what lcould afford TO give regular
/ ly. a. | was taught TO do, and 1t has been
a pleasure to me all my life 20 do 20.
| had a large increase 10 my revenue the
next year. IL went up to so a month.
/ began TO be a capitalist, and had ! re-
garded myself then the same way a. we
would regard capitalists now ! ought TO
have felt like criminal because | had 50
much money. But We had no trusts or
monOpOlies then, paid my own bills,
and always had little something To
give away and the happiness OF saving
some. la fact, am not so Independent
now as | was then. 10 il true / could
not secure the most fashionable cut OF
clothing. | remember | bJught mine
then of a cheap clOthier. lie sold me
clothing cheap, clothing such a. | could
pay for. and it was great deal better
than buying clothing that ! could not
pay for. | did not make any obligations
/ could not meet lived within my
means. and my advice TO you, young
men. is TO do just the same.
STRUGGLES or COUNTRY BOYS
To nv mind there is something unfor-
tunate in being born in the 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 pcrOwdiDg you
out here--yOu who have wealthy fathers
Theee young men from the country are
turning things around and are taking
your city. Women from the country are
willing to do more work. We were pre-
pared by our experience to do hard work.
remember q little time ago ! was in
the country and saw q carpenter plac-
ING mineral wool under the roof of city
servants bedroom so that the man
sbouId not feel the heat OF summer or
hear the patter OF the raiddrops on the
roof. | could not at that time help re-
calling the experience OF my bOyhood
when slept under roof. | could see
the shingles and remember | could
peep through the cracks in them. Ii was
pretty hot 10 the summer up there too,
can tell you. Bat 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 me-
times fuI OF sac ness as contemplate the
condition Of a number of young fellows
in this city whom | happen TO know
well.
They are in the embarrassing position
that their faith re- have great sums of
money, and those boys have not ghost
Of a chance TO compete with you who
come from the country and who want TO
do something in the world. You are IN
training now to shortly take the places
of those young men. suppose you can
not realize how many eyes are uponyou,
and how great is the increasing interest
| tnat IL lAktu III JOus ANu g
think that when you are lonely and ma
it difficult TO get footing. But it is
true that in place like this true interest
is taken in you When left the school
house went into a place similar to this,
where associated with people whom IL
was good to know. Nothing better
could have happened to me.
THE MAN WHO Is REALLY POOR.
spoke just now of the struggle Tor
success. What lie success2 Is 1t money
Some OF you have all the money you
heed to provide for your wants. Who is
the poorest man in the world | tell you
the poorest man know of Is the man
who has nothing but money, nothing
else in the world to which to devote hie
ambition and thought. That sort oi
man coneider to be the poorest man in
the world. Money is good If you know
how to use it.
Now. let me leave this little word OF