The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-08-19
JOHN y, ROCKEFELLER.
Study of Character, Motive and Dsty. &
BY W. G. JoHRNs, IN THE ARENA.

IN THE ARENA.
sadly lacking in all that goes to make
the lovable, the benevolent or the up
| right man. Here were no generous
| promp tings or conscientious scruples to
interfere with business" no feeling of
fellowship or affection, none of the Or
binary human instincts to stay the
hand of ruthless spoliation. Cold, keen,
selfish calculation almost brutal in its
| Indifference to moral law or human
veal or woe, planned the attack and
| aimed the fatal blow. No consideration
save that alone of ultimate safety be-
fore the law; no scruple between him
and the desired end, to attain which
| hallowed any means.
But John D. Rockefeller had one vul-
| nerable point ,to-wit: his religious
| instanct. Dissimulator and hypocrite
| by nature, the so-called development
I of generation is nevertheless plainly
| marked Combined with his practical
! and intensely sord1d nature, it natural
| y runs more to the form than the sub
| stance of religious thought and prac-
| tice. He early neutralized any restrain
| ing moral influence from this direction
| by hypocritical self-hypotism of as
sumed righteousness; but the outward
| observance has stuck to him to this
day. This peculiar bent of Mr.. Rookie
feller's mind sheds light upon the ac-
tive participation of himself and fam
lily in church-work and the several do
! nations for so-called religious purpos
! es that have from time to time come
| to public notice, though all these, we
may be sure, have received the same
| thoughtful and cold-blooded calcula-
ton of debit and credit that so thor
| oughly marked his transactions in the
more material affairs of everyday life.
Mr.. Rockefeller's peculiar, If distorted,
religious instinct also explains why, for
once, indignant moral protest has stung
this otherwise strangely calloused man
to the quick. The church, she,. only
though it be to him, is John D. Rookie
feller's only connection with the high
er life. If 1T should turn against him.
| it's gilded patron, for his many grievous
sins and spurn the unclean money that
! he offers to purchase responsibility
among men and perchance in an at
| tempted bride of Eternal Justice, 1t
would strike him a hard blow in a
| tender spot; but it might bring this old
man, with one foot already in the
grave, to serious counsel with himself.
1t is not likely that it would, and yet
it might prompt John D. Rockefeller
| to make amends before it is too late,
| before he is called to face his Maker
and to answer for his sins.
| On the church, at the present mo-
| ment, rests a great responsibility. Not
to the time -servers; the weak and timid
and the fawning sycophants within her
doors is given the divine power of the
solution of this problem, but to those
of manhood and courage who are sthe
true disciples of the Nazarene. Their
honest protest has not been in vain. 1t
will yet be heard. The sophstries of
the worshipers Of the Golden Calf'
may be intended to obscure the issue;
but they delude' no one. The world
knows that John D. Rockefeller comes
with unclean hands It is useless and
idle for his apologists and hirelings to
deny it. It is a great moral crime to
talk, in this connection, of John D.
Rockefeller's generosity and low"
AS yet his donations are nothing but
a bribe, and the willing bribe-takers
are his apologists. If by some miracle
Rockefeller repented of his sins against
God and man and came with contrite
heart to make amends, it would not be
for his fellow-man to judge too harsh
! ly or too nicely on the measure of his
repentance. Even then, however, he
could best make his peace with God
by Fighting first so far as in his power
lay. the economic wrong that he has
done his fellowman. If thereupon
Rockefeller came to the church, no good
man would vail at his Offering, for it
lis the spirit and not the substance of
the deed that must evermore determine
| the value of it.
Rockefeller, however, IL not repent
ant The sordid curse still rests upon
him and his kind. At least there is no
i convincing evidence that a single ray
of the light Of God has as yet entered
his soul. To all intents and purposes,
so far as the world can Judge from
what he has done and what he has left
unddne, he remains the same abject and
benighted slave to Mammon that he
ever was. Enormous wealth of the ma
terial kind is his; but the grace of God
| is not with him. He has sacrificed all
on the altar of Greed and the eternal
curse is upon him evermore. The YER
| lest hod-carrier is truly rich In COM
parison, for the hearts of his fellow
men, in his limited sphere, beat In
| friendly unison with his. Rockefeller
is the most cordially hated man in
America and for him there are no
heart-beats but those that come in
answer to the click Of coin. Poor, old,
I wretched billionaire! TO. him apply
with startling force the burning words
| of the Savior:
For what is man profited, ii he
shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul?"
BUT what shalt be said Of the apollo
gists in clerical garb who are masque-
rading as servants of the Lord? How
can they be sincere. and, If not, how,
/ in their heart Of hearts and between
themselves and their Maker, can they
possibly justify themselves? Has