The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-07-29
THE ROCKEFELLER HA.O.
1t is Now Claimed that He Made His
Fortune by Eliminating the Smell
From Petroleum

Especial to News and Observer
Washington, d. c., July 2S.-The
announcement made a lew days ago
that the United States government was
distributing eulogiStic sketches of
John d. Rockefeller has attra cted a
great deal more of attention, especially
because of the flatterng character of
the biography and the report that it
was especially prepared for the Blu
| reau of Education under John DIS eye.
Perhaps the most interesting PARA
graph in the biography is this: 1T is
of interest that the training of the
family is yielding results like those
displayed in his good character: His
son, a graduate of Brown University,
is already walking in the ways of his
father and the whole public enlists in
ing out and which is promising more
than is already accomplished" If the
true character of John d. is anything
like what the public believes it to be,
the intelligence that his son is pre-
pairing to follow in his fathers foot
steps is disagreeable indeed. The
mulcting of the people by means of
the suppression of competition and
the securing of Illegal rebates from
public carriers in order that a 1.-THE
of the illegitimate gains may be re-
turned to a portion of the people in
the form Of educational benefactionS
does not strongly appeal to Americans
who have not yet learned to kiss the
hand that smites them. Nor will a
certificate of good character from the
Bureau of Education be sufficient to
wipe out the memories of twenty years
of law breaking and the squeezing pro-
cess yet in vogue under which the
poor people who burn petroleum are
compelled to involuntarily contribute
| to education sums of money for whose
| giving John d. Rockefeller seeks to
| obtain credit.
| 1t is noteworthy that the attorneys
| for John d. who now seem to be max
| ing a desperate effort to secure for
him a more favorable opinion from
| the people whom the Standard Oil
| Company has so long and so thorough
! ly oppressed, are preparing to repub-
| lish the biography sent out by the Bu-
| reau of Education of the United States
| governments given of how the
Standard Oil Company came into eX-
| istence He early began to appre-
ciate the efforts to secure cheap light
| ing illumination says this remark
able document. Crude petroleum
| was offensive to the smell. He saw
| what was needed and out of his school
| chemistry he was aided in deviSing
methods of purifying the crude oil.
He said to one of his teachers: 1
| think / can relieve this substance of
it's offensive smell His efforts were
| successful. Whale oil was disappear
ing from the market and the new sub
| stance was soon widely demanded by
| the trade; fabulous results followed
| his efforts" From this it will be OBJ
| served that the charges made against
the Standard Oil Company and John
ID. in particular, have been all wrong.
He made mis- fortune by eliminating
| the smell from petroleum.
| Wishing to preserve in my library
/ the government publication which
contains this touching biography Of
/ the worlds richest man, l sent to the
| Bureau of Education. But, alas.
| There are no copies available for gem
eral distribution. So great has been
the demand from the public schools
| that there are not even enough to sup
! ply these institutions, but no doubt this
| will be remedied by the printing of
| additional copies. It is contained in
| chapter xxx of the annual report
for 1903 of the Commissioner of La
! bor volume 2 pages 31@1-t2. In
view of the demand a circular has
been prepared by Commissioner w. r.
Harris in which it is eXpla nd that
| this volume may be consulted in any
| of the larger public libraries. He
| also remarks that it was prepared
| for the said report by Gen. John Ea-
ton, formerly Commissioner of Educa-
ton" The notice of Mr.. Rockefeller :
occupies two patses, being one of thirty
nine similar sketches treating OF
| Educational Benefactors. | mention
the above so that any one desiring to
| know how truly great and good John
d. is, they can consult the document
in any of the Carnegie libraries