The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-08

" feller against attacks which have been made on that very prosperous gentleman. They are gener- ally we'll written and the points made by them are often strong.
 It is not our function, however, to take 1 up the defense of MT. Rockefeller. He has many compensatons for such hard ships of life he may be called on to endure. He Is the richest man in the world and steadily growing richer. If he should advertise for somebody to take his place-to take his money in spite of the attacks on it and the methods of its accumulation and management-he would have to send drays to the postoffice to carry away the mountain of letters he would receive from people eager to get the job.
 How many men in this country" asks one of the correspondents, "who had Mir Rockefeller's business opportunities and | the abilities and energies necessary to make the most of them would have done more for their fellow-men and less for themselves? Probably the number Is not considerable. Everybody would get rich l be independent. Even the pure philan- thropist would want to make more money to give away. Some people. it is true, might not relish the vexation of man. aging an income of fifty millions a year, for example, and would prefer less cum bersome gains. They would have stopped | the accumulations before their capital became so great. At least, so they think; | but the mania for money-makng n- creases the more the more the money made. Very rich men may growl about enormous income imposes on them, but in their hearts they enjoy their posses sions. Of course they do. They like | the distinction.
 At any rate, they are not pitiable hu- man beings Their sorrows do not compel public compassion. If they are strict re- lieious believers. like MT. Rockefeller, for example, there Is a parable told by Jesus which might make them uncomfortable concerning their future state. The riches of Dives were poverty relatively to the accumulations of MT. Rockefeller. The yearly income of the Standard Oil mill
 
 of the rich men whom Christ typifed as Dives.
 | The correspondent from whom we have quoted attributes to envy the aspersions cast MT. Rockefeller, and says that those who write and print them would have done as he did in accommodating his money if they had known how. Very likely Nor can we truthfully answer except in the negative this question: Are his business misdeeds disproportionately bad as compared with those of men of financial distinction contemporaneous with him?' But that constitutes no argument in his favor Because other men do i'll is no justification of your misdeeds. Moreover, according to Baptist doctrine, professedly believed by Mr. Rockefeller. there will come an accounting at the day of judgment, and not even thousand millions of money will help out man there. Lazarus the beggar rested in Abraham's bosom in heaven, but Dives went to hell
 That is, this whole matter must be left to the mans conscience. If MT. Rocke- Teller accumulates his money in violation | or the restraints of public sentiment ex- pressed in laws, he can be punished right here; but as no penalty is imposed on him by the law, the presumption is that his methods are sustained by public senti- ment.
 The abstract moral law? How is it going to be enforced except by the in dividuars conscience? There is no req I n ID fu troubled by his conscience. He is a mem- Der or the Baptist church in good stand ing-the richest Baptist in the world. we print today from religious source. an account of his activity in a Sunday school in Cleveland and his assiduous att tendance at prayer meetings.
 | under such Circumstances why should we go out of our way to defend MT. Hockefeller against the attacks made on Tor defense and consolation. Why