The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-03-03
What's ASitatinS People These Days

Defense of Joseph's policy of effecting corner
nj has been the topic of John D. Rockefeller, Jr,
in his talk to his Bible class for several Sundays and
the insistence with which the leader justifes Jo-
sephs actions is construed as an attempt to form
parallel with the Rockefeller fortune and defend his
fathers policy of monopoly.
Members of the class, however, do not seem to
enjoy these talks of Josephs business sagacity, fear
ing the newspaper comment that would follow, one
member saying:
"The way some of the newspapers making
fun of everything that good young says is dis
graceful and other members of the class sincerely
hope that our leader will not talk about. Josephs
transaction, for fear of the unmerited rdicule
that would result"
Young Mr. Rockefeller took up the subject again,
though, last Sunday, and during his discourse said
81 have studied this part of Josephs life very
carefully and cannot anything about his con-
duct to criticise. Joseph foresaw that years
of famine to follow the seven years of plenty.
He set about laying up an ample supply of corn. In
this he showed commendable thrift and business
smartness. Most people are not sensible enough to
put by something for a rainy day. Then, again,
there are many who not able to do it.
"When the famine those who without
corn came to Joseph the thrifty. He demanded
their land in exchange for the corn. 1t was a per-
fectly justifable business transaction. What would
you have expected him to do? You wouldn't have
expected him to give away his corn for nothing,
would you? No ruler has ever given his people free
food in time of famine. Joseph could not be
pected to do that.
"But look you on what liberal terms Joseph took
the peoples land. He did not take it away from
them altogether. He allowed them to occupy the
lands after they had traded them for his corn
They simply paid him rent and became tenants in
stead of landlords. Surely that was generous We
find that the people were thoroughly satisfied with
the bargain, and had nothing but praise for Joseph
after the famine had passed"
Considering the well known religious zeal of John
D. Rockefeller he evidently takes this bit of Biblical
history divine approval of his methods of money
getting nor is it strange that his should drag it
forth with ample explanation thinking perhaps of
producing favorable effect upon the public mind.
The Philadelphia Record, however, is moved to
shed additional light on the subject, saying:
1--WE are perfectly willing to give the Patriarch
Joseph the benefit of the maxim, de mortuis nil nsi
bonum But in view of the fact that John d. Rookie.
feller Jr., improved the occasion last Sunday to
extol the wisdom and humanity of Josephs operations
in corn and real estate, the character and magni-
tude of which could not fail to interest an heir of
the Standard Oil Company, we feel moved to direct
attention to few points to which the beneficiary
of the greatest monopoly on earth paid no heed.
"Joseph's resources for acquiring corn during
seven years of large crops could only have been the
public revenues; consequently the people of Egypt
paying for the breadstufs accumulated against
the seven years of famine. But when the grain was