The mirror., 1910-02-03
about Gold9n
Rue Jones


Preached and Good Results
Followed His Efforts. /
Paper Read Before the Cha,tduqua Circle.
In Toledo there once lived man call
ed Golden Rule Jones. Ofcourse that
was not his name. You see he became
tainted with the material in which he
worked and folks called him by the
name his actions gave him. His real
name was Samuel NJ, his folks called
him Golden Rule. At first the name
was flung at him in derision. "Why,"
eaId the wise heads of Toledo, "the idea
Of man trying to pre- sch the Golden
Rule in these commercial times"
At first the good citizens of Toledo
were shocke l-that is, some of them
were-the rest just tapped their ht ais
knowingly-snd laughed. They tho't
he was crazy. Well, perhaps he was.
If being possessed of an idea that busi-
ness could be conducted according to
the Golden Rule is sign of craziness,
why, then Jones was fullfledged can
didate for the padded cell. OF his
younger days few words will suffice.
He was a man who had had to struggle
for his daily bread and he knew what
it was to look into the face of poverty.
He had been an emplOye and knew
what it was to have hard task master
over him. At the age of twentynine
Jones invented a special pump for use
IN the oil regions. Through this in
vention he became wealthy but instead
of living the high life he chose to fol-
low the advice given in the Sermon on
the Mount. He started in business for
himself, manufacturing his special
pumps. Under him were hundreds OF
workmen. He saw that they were
doing the work which enabled his bank
account to grow. Without him they
could do little-withont them he could
do less. Their interests were Identical.
He depended upon them and they upon
| him. Be realized that those grimy
workmen in his shops were his brothers
ard that any act of his which bettered
their conditions, that made their lives
more happy, more wholesome, would
have its reaction upon himself. He
studied the relations which existed be-
tween his workmen and himself and
came to the conclusion that they were
his brothers, not aliens, and he wanted
to do something for them. But the
i place to start reform is with the indi'
viduai and Jones was wise enough to
realize that before he could hope to re-
form others he must first reform him
self. So he improved himself.
/ Walt Whitman, the Good Gray Poet
did much for Jones, just as he will dt
much for others who will only take thu
trouble to read him understandingly
j Walt Whitman stirred the strings O
the heart of .rones with his chants O
democracy and universal brotherhood
and Jones grew to feel toward hi
fellowmen as he would have them fee
toward him. In their pay envelope
he placed letters of encouragement
t"letters of love and labor" they wer
afterwards called. Many of the mel
| laughed at this and trampled the letter
: under foot, but others read them an
through them learned to love the Oh
+ Man. These few gathered in th
EGolden Rule hall and discussed way
and means for rendering service to Oh
: another. Often Jones met with ther
and talked with them, mot as employe
Ito employes) but as brother to brothe
all laboring for the common good. B
and by the lessons learned in the G0lde
Rule hall leaked out and Jones becam
t la public character. The newspape
cartoons pictured him with hall
!. and the paragraphers made merry q
. they penned pungent bits that mad
8 the crowd laugh.
But by this time the people began
Z see in Jones man of sterling worth,
|. man who had indeed hitched his WACO
to star and they called upon him *