The Elbert County tribune., 1907-09-05

JOun ~. hOCkeIeller, upon whose
oil monopoly the United States gov
ernment has laid penalty of over
$29.000.000 for alleged violations of
the law against rebates. has given
away. up to the present time, more
than s10O.000,0o0 for public good
TO churches. schools, hospitals,
asylums and missions
In an address some years ago be
fore Cleveland religious gathering OF
his own Baptist faith MIR. Rockefeller
told the story of his early struggles.
He said he had always followed the
Scripture rule adopted by him when
poor clerk. which provides for giving
one-tenth of his earnings to charity.
Accepting this statement as true, 1t
follows, from a simple mathematical
calculation, that the oil king has made
during his business career at least a
billion dollars. in order to have given
away a hundred millions, unless per
chance in an excess of zeal for the
public veal he has trespassed on his
capital
1t is the general testimony of those
who have been brought In close con
tact with Mr.. Rockefeller that he has
likewise followed. more closely than
the ordinary public benefactor, that
other Scripture maxim in regard to
the right and the left hand in the act
of giving. He has never, SO far as
known, handed out a list of his dooa-
tions. although 1t is said that such
list has been compiled by one of his
secretaries and is now in the inner
ax-rht -
board Personal gifts and annuitieu
and strictly private charities do not
appear on this list, Notwithstanding
they are said to have absorbed in the
aggregate about $10.000,000 of the
Rockefeller accumulations.
Said to Be an "Easy Mark"
Mr.. Rockefeller's reputation among
professional gift hunters is that of an
easy mark" that is, If approached
cautiously and yet frankly and plaus-
fbly through properly accredited chan
nels he gives up generously and much
more easily than the great steel king
whose benefactions rival those of the
founder and preserver of the Standard
Oil company. Mr.. Rockefeller, say
his friends. is not a man of the world
til ten or a dozen years ago he was
SO engrossed in the development of
the oil business that he knew little of
what was going on. He attended
church and devoted himself to busi-
ness. and that was about as far as he
went
Although he has been compelled to
take more leisure in the last ten
years. on account of his health, and
consequently has been drawn into
other spheres of experience and obser-
walton whereby he has grown interest
ed in the general subject of secular
as well as religious education, he has
nevor crossed the threshold of art, of
liteI ature or of science. Hence the
limited primary scope of his colossal
gifts. From this is to be excepted his
interes. in the Rockefeller Institute
for Medical Research. which was
originally aroused. however by mis-
fortune in his own immediate family,
and not. 1t is said by any general con-
siderations for humanity at large
John d. Rockefeller's charity has as
sumed four great forms of expression:
Church and Mission work. ...... SIS o00, 900
The general and southern educa-
The University OF Chicago .. 100000
The Rockefeller institute.......... 100000
Private gifts to schools. individuals,
churches, parks, hospitals, societies
and reformatory and benevolent insti-
tutions have absorbed the rest of the
800. 100000.
Started with Church Work.
During the first quarter century of
his business career MIR. Rockefeller's
charities did not extend beyond church
and missionary work. He began his
activity in that direction in Cleveland.
where he gradually built up, in con-
junction with other rich Baptists,
splendid1y equipped church and parish.
He has always considered Cleveland
his home city. and has given large
amounts to nearly every one of the
publicly supported institutions there.
Including the parks in his donations.
As the oil king grew in fortune he
gradually became dominant figure in
the Baptist denomination throughout
the United States and gave systemat-
ically to the foundation and main
tenance of Baptist churches through
out the length and breadth of the
country. He early became interested
In the working church" scheme, and
under the guidance of DR.. Judson and
others invested" largely In the new
idea. The working church. it was ex-
planned to him. would solve the indif-
ference of the masses in the great
cities toward the cause of religion.
Mr.. Rockefeller accordingly estab-
sished. with Rev. DR.. Judson. the fine |
religious institution OF that kind on |