The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1912-06-21
THE FINAL ROLL CALL
By Elizabeth Towne in The Nsuliius

Sat the final roll call which name
would you prefer to answer to-
Father Damien or John d. Rookie
feller?"
1t all depends upon what was
inside of these two men. AS far
as the outside is concerned John
d. Rockefeller has done more
good for more people then Father
Damien ever saw, let alone helped.
1t was John d. Rockefeller who
said, Let there be more light"
and there was more light. Like
wise cheaper light. And it is John
ID. Rockefeller who has shown the
world how to conduct its business
on an efficiency basis. The Stand
ard Oil furnishes to the world the
best and biggest example of an
efficiency in government-Owned
business, and municipal public
utilities. When the smoke has
rolled away Rockefeller will be
hailed as a world benefactOr.
Not to mention the good he has
done though endowing a few uni
versities and things. And who can
calculate the good that is coming
to this world through the thous-
ands of students whose lives are
enlarged, enriched and better
directed through attendance at
schools made possible by John d.
Rockefeller
But when John d. Rockefeller
stands up at the tOot of Gabriel's
horn he will not think of the good
things he has done on earth. He
will think of things that trouble
his conscience.
To my mind it is quite possible
that John d. Rockefeller has no
things to trouble his conscience
then Father Damien. Ida Tarbell
thinks he has, but Ida's father was
one of those who couldn't see that
his own best financial interests lay
with Rockefeller instead of against
him. So far as we can learn he
was one of those who clinched his
fists and stood up straight in the
path of the juggernaught.
Rockefeller was called of God"
to do a cetain work. To me it is
quite thinkable that he did that
work by the the best efficiency
methods he could devise at the
time. He may know better now
He probably does But suppose
he didn't know better at the time
le Was doing those things. And
why assume that he did krOw bet
ter when at the same time. in
those benighted days of for y
years ago, all other business men,
big and little, were doing the
same competition-crushing things
in the same way, but on a smaller
scalel
May be when John d. Rock
efeller appears before the judg-
ment throne, the Judge will say
to him: John you did some pref.
ty rotten things down there. you
deserve to fry for a considerable
length OF time. But you did the
best you knew how, didn't youl
And you know better now. That
is the chief thing-that you have
learned better. And anywsy-to
err is human, to forgive divine. |
am div,ne-go thou and get a harp
and learn to sing"
And when Father Damien
comes up before the Great Judge
he also will not be likely to re
member the good things he did.
He, to, will remember the things
that troubled his conscience. 1t
may be that the motive which led
Father Damien to a leper colony
is the SHINE identical motive that,
possibly, led Rockefeller to en-
dow universities aud things-a
sneaking desire to buy off God, so
he will not punish them for the
things that trouble their conscien-
ces.
And If the Bible tells the whole
truth it is a great joke on the