Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-07-27
ROCKEFELLER A LIVING
MUMMY"
1dn THrbell Concludes Her Character
sketch Of the OF Mngnate with .
CUuattc Pen.

sketch Of the OF Mngnnte with .
Cnustir Pen.
Miss Ida Tarbcll, the arch enemy OF
John D. Rockefeller and the Standard
Oil company. concludes her scathng at
tack upon tho corporation and tho man
| in the August issue of McClurcs Mag
| azinc. Her last effort is Il character
sketch of the magnatc, and. quoting tho
late Mark Hanna she says of him:
| Money mad; money mad: sane in every
other respect: but money mad
| rho writer apologies for the "brutal-
, ity inherent in such "a study as this by
stating that Mr.. Rockefeller is not the
only one of his kind. She calls him the
type prominent in tho public mind of
| tho militant business man of the day.
and adds:
"I'rom bankers down to street vendors
VIC have in operation the code which he
has worked out so perfectly. and to which
he has given tho sanction Of picty. And
this code, rcp'ienant to the sense Of
fair play and SO dcinoralizing to intel
! lcctnal honesty. has worked it's way into
every activity ~ life. until with grow
ing element of tho country success is the
| justification of any practice. until no
| price is too great to pay for winning.
"a LIVING MUMMY"
The graphic description of Mr.. Rookie
Teller follows:
"The impression he makes on ono who
sees him for the first time is ovcrwhem-
ing Brought face to face with Mr.
Rockefeller unexpectedly. and not know
ing him, the writer's immediate thought
was, This is the oldest man in the world
"A living mummy But there is no sense
Of fccbleness with the sense of age;
| indeed there is one Of terrific power
The disease which in the last three or
four years has swept Mr.. Rockefeller's
head bare of hair. striped away even
eyclashcs and eyebrows. has revealed all
the strength of his great head. Mr..
Rockefeller is a big man, not overtall
but large with powerful shoulders, and
il neck like that of a bull.
'rhe head Is wide and deep and dis
proportonately high. with curious bumps
made more conspicuous by tho tightly
drawn. dry. naked skin. The interest Of
the big face lies in tho eyes and mouth.
Eyes more useful for "A man of Mr.
Rockefollcr's practices could hardly be
conceived. They arc small and intent
and steady, and they are as expression
less II wall. They see everything and
reveal nothing. II Is not shift eye
not Il cruel or lcering one. 1t is some
thing vastly moro to he feared-a blank
eye, looking through and through things.
and telling nothing of what it found on
tho way.
HIS EXPRESSIVE MOUTH.
"Fsut IL the eyes say nothing the mouth
tells much It's former mask. the full
mustache Mr.. Rockefeller has always
worn, is now completely gone. Indeed.
the greatest loss Mr.. Rockefeller sus-
tanned when his hair went was that it
revealed his mouth. II Is only slit
the lips are quite lost. as II by eternal
grinding together Of the tccth-tceth set
on something he would have. II is mt
once the cruellcst and most pathetic.
for tho hard. close-sct line slants down.
ward at the corners giving look of age
and sadness. The downward droop is
empha sized by deep. vertical burrows
running from each side Of his nose. Mr..
Rockefeller may have made himself tho
richest man in the world but he has paid.
Nothing but paving ever ploughs such
lines in a mans face. ever sets his lips
to such n melancholy angle.
'The big checks are puffy. bullying UNI
pleasant under the eyes. and the skin
which covers them has a curously un-
healthy pallor. 1t is this pufflness. this
unciean flesh which rcpels. as the thin
slit Of mouth torrifes To the whole
face q certain distinction is lent by the
nose. which is small and fine, rising like
a thorn from between the heavy checks
nose whose nostrls might vibrate were
not the man much the master of his
features"
Miss Tarboll turns to the "othcr man,
the other side Of Rockefeller.
"rherc is" she says. "rrobably not n
public character in the United States
whose private life is moro completely
concealed than Is said Of John u. Rookie
Teller. The club never sees him. He Is
almost never numbered among the ban
aueters at great celebrations. Tie never
appears on the platform when mon o
] public Importance gather 10 discuss public
!, | questions or stimulate to action In pub
lie causes His opinions on great issues
are never quoted.
A SIMPLE PRIVATE LIFE.
| There is little doubt that Mr.. Rookie
fellcr's chief reason for playing golf Is
" that he may live longer in order to make
:, more money lie has two ambitions, 4
I lifelong intimate OF Mr.. Rockefeller one,
q said. TO be very old and to be Yer!
rich He Is sixty-six years old now.
"The daily life on his great estates Il
studiously simple Mr.. Rockefeller reg
3 ulates his household as he does his bust
ness. Family and servants are trained
r in the strictest economy. There Is ~
more gas burned than ~ needed. no un
necessary heating. no wastcful provid
q ing. There In nothing for display. moth
ing squandered In the senselcss Ameri
can way to prove you are rich. so ricl
you need not care.
"He Ia not great man." she con
cludes. mot IL human man. He is
machine--a money machine-strippcd b.
his overwhelming passion OF greed o
every quality which makes u man wor
thy of citizenship. lie has not mad
. good. lie cannot make good. 1t is no
! in him"