The news & observer., 1905-08-06

OF progress ne has rolled across tHe
country-sO many a man who knows
him will say 1t will not matter what
it is. 1t is pitiful--so pitiful that one
cannot watch John Rockefeller sit
through a church service and ever
cease to feel that he is one of the sad
dest objects in the world. For what
god this undoubted power of tchleV-
ment, for what good this towering
wealth, if one must be forever peerlng
to see what is behind?
John d. Rockefeller is very modest
about his speeches One 'aof the pleas
ATTEST tales we have of him is from
young reporter who had occasion. to
report one his Sunday-school talks
once. 1t gives a side of Mr.. Rockefel-
iler which few people see:
Zone Saturday in June, 1888 the
reporter relatesr, the Cleveland az
ternoon paperssaid that John Rocke-
feller would speak the next day
Children's Sunday-in the Euclid-Av-
enue Baptist Chudch. Being a cub
reporter on the Plain Dealer at the
time / was held by the city editor to
be a fit person to send out on an early
Sunday-morning aSSignment-to a
Sunday-School.
1.-THE church was filled when | s;ot
there; but an usher whom / knew put
of the pulpit. / looked for Mr.. Rock
e feller, but couldn't find him. He
wasn't on the platform The people
sang; the minister prayed, and the lit
tie folks gave recitationS. After
while the pastor said the children
would then listen to their beloved su-
perintendent. A man who sat in pew
enar the front stepped forward, syood
directly in front of me and began to
40 alynt n IA H.
let, and, bweing able to, write short
hand, began to take the address YER
batim. Mr.. Rockefeller saw what'l
was doing. He spoke as an eXperlen-
ced speaker does, nervously. his
nervousness was betrayed by slowly
uttered sentences, some of which were
repeated and by short, quick steps.
He talked for a few moments only
simply expressing pleasure at being
among old friends and with the chill
dren. l think everybody was salts
fed and pleased with what he said.
When he had finished he dropped in
to a place by my side. Presently he
leaned over and whispered to me:
"Will you wait a moment after the
service 1 should like to see you.
"At the close of the service he
greeted few friends and then took ma
into a committe room. He asked me
l.
I was on and whether / had his re-
marks verbatim. Then he reasoned
with me in this manner: Now, you
know, I am not an experienced speak
er. I have done little of that sort of
thing. I suppose my address was not
very good. 1t wasn't an address--+just
a little talk. l wish you would say
little about it. And don't print that
speech in full, please. Mercy, no! Make
Il chn Wv q
laughed and / laughed. And he took
hold of my arm and behaved like a.
good fellow / said that l had no de-
sire to write nosense about hfm-and
L hadn't. / told him that my city ed
itor wouldn't print a silly yarn ABOUT
his. slender abilities as a speaker II L
wrote it-and l knew he wouldn't. L
said that 1 had taken his speech in
sorthand simply because l could, be-
cause | got fun out of exercising my
skill-and that was true.
lr-yri otanyk cngm
$50 | went TO the office and wrote
up a quiet account of the meeting. |
fixed up the speech. | did not. how
ever, escape the sin of putting into my
story the fact that l saw him put d
twenty-dollar bill on the contribution
plate. That was because 1 was a cub
[ think Mr.. Rockefeller was much an
noyed when he saw me make notes
after the deacon passed the plate to
him and me on the bench.
1.-TWO months later suburban cleo
trio acr upon which / was a passenger
stopped a couple of miles from Forest
Hill-Mr Rockefeller'S East CleVe-
land home. Mr.. Rockefeller an d his
son got aboard and took seats behind
me Just as young Mr.. Rockefeller
told the conductor to stop at Forest
Hill some one touched me on the
shoulder. l rose and turned to meet
the eyes of Mr.. Rockefeller and his
outstretched hand.
"'Weu,' he said, you are the young
man who wrote up my speech for the
Plain Dealer down at the church on
children's Day. l thought it was you
when l sat down. Well newspaper men
generally treat me rudely. Thank you
very much for what you did. | read 1t
and appreciated it. You fixed THAI
speech up so it was all right-first
rate. Thank you. Good day.
There is no doubt that his charities
are many of them personal and never
known outside of his immediate circle.
There are three or four old ladies in
Cleveland, friends of his youth, to
whom he gives monthly income.
Unfortunate Baptist ministers, worn
out teachers and missionaries in great
numbers are helped by him. mhile the
poor of all grades receive much d.
rect help. OF course, he gives much to
his church, but he has never made any
church the object of an affectionate
and lavish giving He SENS never to
have ben willing to give more than
what he considered his share. {.
1t has been computed that Mr.. Rock
efeller's entire gifts, public and pri-
vate charities, amounted to about
36,000,000. 1t would be fair to call
the aggregate $40.000,000, and that
would probably do Mr., Rockefeller full
Justice. 1t is not a great sum, consid-
ering mr.. Rockefeller's vast income.
Probably his dividends form the STAN
dard Oil Company alone in the last
three years would cover it. And the
Standard Oil Company is only one of
! Mr.. Rockefeller's dividend earners.
1t is quite probable that the man
would give more money if he could
give it without doing, from his point
of view, more harm than good He
hates waste and shiftlessness. He must
| have seen long ago that money given
| freely is more often than not admins
| tered carelessly. He must have seen
| how charity to individuals often en-
| 0pn0PrS dpn6O0pOca and rIlipS self