The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-24
TWO VIEWS OF ROCKEFELLER


Ida Tarbell specific charges or refer
to the manner in which he acquired
his immense fortune which is a men,
ace to the business interests of the
world He talks of temperance, of
frugal living, of the strict habits that
| success What he says upon these
important matters is based upon long
| observations. Intemperance and
| love of being a good fellow" have
been the stumbling block in the way
of the success of many young men
and the warning of Mr.. Rockefeller
will be regarded no doubt by some
young men who give heed to what
millionaire has to say who turn deaf
ear to a wise admonitions of the
preacher.
| There have been three utterance'
during the past week in North Caro-
: lima about Mr.. Rockefeller that have
| more than an ordinary interest-all
written by editors who happen to be
Baptists-members of the church TO
which Mr.. Rockefeller belongs and
| to which he contributes literally. The
| first estimate of the richest man in
the world is made by Mr. Archibald
Johnson, editor of Charity and Chill
dren, who says:
"Of course there is no serious
meaning TO the f1ippant references to
Mr.. Rockefeller by the newspapers,
but the onslaughts made upon him by
such ducks as Tom Watson and Ira
NJ Tarbell have done no little to eStab-
! lish his character among right-thlnk-
| ing people. The malignity with which
| they assail him is very good evidence
| that they have axes to grind we
/ have no doubt in the world that the
methods of the Standard Oil Company
are cruel and unjust; that Mr.. Rock
efeller made his money, not in honest
competition with his fellows, but by
| crushing them. He has organized
system that is remorseless and heart
less, and because of its immense pow
er overrides and destroys all VINO
dare compete with it. But while we
believe all this, We have looked IN
vain for any stain upon his private
life. The fact that his calumniators
can point to no weak spot in his per-
sonal character is the strongest tes-
had been a stain you may be sure they
would have found it. The sneer at
Mr.. Rockefeller's devotion to his
church and Sunday school may nave
its effect upon some people, but not
upon those who think. 1t is rare in
deed Nor a rich man to care for the
things of religion, and the fact that
the richest man in the world tlndS MS
chief JOY, according to the woman
hi hn
church, is the highest possible tribute
to his Christian character. We be-
lieye Rockefeller is a Christian, and
we believe it because of what his enc
mics say about him.
To the estimate of the Journal not
word need be added or taken away.
1t is an eternally correct estimate OF
the character and influence of Mr..
Rockefeller-the estimate that this
generation and posterity will put upon
him.
The Monroe Journal copies the
above article from Charity and Chill
dren and using it as a text breaches
this powerful and mighty sermon:
This is the completest case of
Phillip drunk and Phillip sober" that
we have ever seen. This style of hide
and seek, the shuttle cock argument
from mans personal character to
what he does in his business and all
his relations with his fellowmen, is
doing more to weaken the faith of
the masses of the people in the gen
uineneSs of religion than anything
else How on earth a man can violate
the most fundamental principles OF
ChristS teachings in his relations TO
his felloWmen, and still be Christian,
even though he has not been faithless
to his wife nor been a drunkard, and
attend church regularly, we cannot
see If these three points do not sum
up what Charity and Children calls
his personal character, then what
others can be embraced, for the paper
itself says that it believes that he has
not been honest with his fellows, but
has overridden their rights and crush
ed them with his strength? Can a
man who is DIR. Jekyl in business be
Christian, even though he is a Mr..
Hyde at home? Can a man who goes
forth in the day to trample upon the
rights of others, to violate Christs
fundamental law of doing unto others
as he would be done by, be a Chris
tan by merely staying at home with
his wife at night, looking not upon the
wine when it is red because he was
too busy trampling upon his fellow
worms to take time to acquire a taste
for it, and by going to church on Sun
day? II he can, we have the phari-
seeism, against which Christ's most
scathing philippics were pronounced,
revived again in all it's glory. Most
of the Rockefeller apologists deny
that his business has been wrong, and
on that score there may be ground for
an argument that sounds at least rea-
Sonable, but to admit its true CHAR
acter and then take him into the
fold, goes a bowshot beyond what
sensible man should be called upon
to swallow. Our brilliant and always
interesting friend has overreached
himself. He is much further wrong
than those he attacks for talking
about his Christian highwayman. They
admit his pure private life" and only
say that it does not excuse his pubic
rascality, while Charity and Chlldren
also admits both, but says they mar
monize. The true secret of Mr.. ROCK
efeller'S character is that he has
different code of ethics from either