The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-02-16
now JOSEPH DID 1T.
Baltimore Sun.


Mr.. John d. Rockefeller, Jr., has
disclosed the secret of the marvellous
success in life of the Rockefeller
family. ''It pays to do right" young
Rockefeller told his bible class last
Sunday, and, doubtless by doing right
the young gentleman's father has be-
come one of the richest men in the
world. This well-to-do young Sunday
school teacher directed the attention
of his class to Joseph, who, he de-
clared, is a splendid type of the young
business man, advising his class to
emulate his methods of thrift and
ability to resist temptation. In the
latter quality the son of Jacob is en-
titled to one of the highest and most
prominent inches in the temple of
fame. As shrewd and thrifty and
sagacious man of business he was en-
titled at the early age of SO years to
rank in the same class of which the
elder Rockefeller has so long been a
conspicuous ornament. The business
methods Of the two men, Joseph and
John D., Sr., are not entirely dis
similar. In point of fact, Joseph may
he the model which the oil king ad-
opted at the beginning of his remark
able business career. In one transac-
tion, however, there is difference.
There is no record that this modern
Joseph ever put anybody's bundle Of
money back into the spout Of his oil
can.
Let us examine some of Joseph's
business methods. Through Pharoah's
dream he got tip on the wheat
market, and then proceeded to work it
to the limit. The seven good crop
years he kept his own counsel and
bought wheat. He knew what the
market was going to do. "And
Joseph gathered corn (that is to say,
wheat) as the sand of the sea, very
much until he left numbering it, for
it was without number" !" And then
the seven years of short crops began
to come. All the available surplus
was in possession of Joseph, who, as
we have said, was the John d. Rookie
feller of his day. The stock in the
hands of the farmers, in the hands of
dealers-in short, the visible supply
was soon exhausted, and then the op-
portunity of this thrifty young bust
ness man came. And when all the
land of Egypt was famished the people
cried to Pharaoh for bread, and
Pharaoh sent them to the thrifty
young business man, who did them
strictly according to Standard Oil
methods. And Joseph opened all the
storehouses and sold unto the Egypt
ians; aud the famine waxed sore in
the land of Egypt because that the
famine was sore in all lands. Sand
Joseph gathered up all the money that
was found in the land of Egypt and in
the land of Canaan for the corn
which they bought Aud when
money failed in the land of Egypt and
in the land of Canaan all the Egypt
ians came unto Joseph and said: Give
us bread, for why should we die in thy
presence? for the money faileth. "
And Joseph said: "Give your cattle
and l will give you bread for your
cattle, if money fail. " And they
brought their cattle unto Joseph,
and Joseph gave them bread in ex-
change for horses and for the flocks
and for the cattle of the herds and
for the asses. The cattle brought
enough corn for one year, and then
the people came to Joseph again and
told him they wanted more bread, bnt
the money was gone and the cattle
was gone. Then Joseph took their
land aud gave them bread for another
year. Finally this thrifty young
business man made the people sell
themselves and become servants to
Pharoah in exchange for wheat. That
was business transaction calculated
to make the mouths of all the Rookie
fellers water. No wonder they take
Joseph for model and declare that
he was fine young mani