The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-16
BROTHERHOOD

A notable pamphlet has just been issued, entitled Brother
hood of Men and Nations" which contains an address delivered
before the Civic and Commercial club, of Denver, Col, in June
last, by John D. Rockefeller, Jr, with a foreword by himself.
1t is a remarkable dehVerance-nOt so much because Of its
content as because OF us authorShlP' for long we nave oeeh
given beautiful word paintings of the glorious day when the
Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood Of man is established on
earth. 1t has been the dream of the dreamers, but a dream that
was always shattered when 1t came in contact with the rugged
scarp OF human ~seliishness, which sought to get everything and
give nothing. Divisions among the people existed, and the
Chasm between the classes and the masses was wellnigh impos-
Sible, and, apparently, ever widening, This was especially true
as between real persons and those artificial persons called cor
porations, that looked upon the people as legitimate prey to be
hunted and exploited, and the hostility between these forces was
often very bitter. This, Mr.. Rockefeller explains, was because
OF the absence of personal contact between the officers OF cor
porations and the people. They did not know each other, and
hence were d1Strusttul, suspicious, quick to IND fault ana ready
to believe i'll rumors, however groundless and untrue. 1t is the
common experience that the very worst man in the world is the
one you do not know; when YOU know him, you find that he is
not nearly SO bad. Contact and acquaintanceship remove many
false impressions and introduce new ones and true ones IN their
stead. Those who are brought in close contact with CRIMINALS
in prisons and penitentiaries often find much in them to admire
and respect. To the president OF a corporation a laDorlng mar
who sought to better his condition and that of his fellow work
men, was a ranting anarchist whose proper place was the pent-
house, and the president of a corporations to the Iabor1ng man
was a tyrant, compared to whom Nero was a humane and gentle
ruler. With such false ideas existing, passion was easily
in1amed, with the result that bitterness led to strikes, lockouts
and other labor troubles and industrial perturbations. MR.
Rockefeller has devised and put i'll operation a plan that LOT
three years has preserved tranquility and good feeling IN the
great mining and other corporations OF the West, ana the pan
is being adopted widely throughout the country.
This plan, in brief, comprehends greater personal contact
between corporation officers nd"ther employees, and III order
that a better understanding may exist the workers elect certain
OF their own members to represent them in conferences with
representatives OF the corporation, who meet in committee OF
the whole to consider, not the state OF the nation, indeed, but
the state Of the particular industry and those engaged in it.
At these meetings discussion is free, and both sides of every
case are presented, and experience has shown that where a
wrong exists it is speedily righted, The w~orkingmen are
amenabe to reason, and are disposed to be fair, and the corpora
tons are found to possess neither horns nor cloven feet. The
human element enters into every controversy, and interests sup
posed to be antagonistc are found to be sympathetic and more
disposed to cooperation than conflict,
Each side respects the rights of the other, while maintaining
its own.
To work out this plan required much thought and labor,
and it was based on firmly fixed principles OF right and justice.
The son and ~namesake OF probably the richest man in the
world was not driven by necessity or sclf-interest to engage in
this enterprise, lie could afford to let things rock along in
their wonted way as we'll as anyone in the world, and the fact
that he has given time and thought TO the improvement of
conditions for the many thousands Of working men employed
by the various corporations i'll which he is interested shows that
the possession OF much money does not necessarily dry up the
fountains of human sympathy, He has set an example which
others may we'll follow,
Jethro, the Midianite, established our system OF courts when
he induced his son-in-laW, Moses, to appoint Judges of 50, of 100,
of 1000 and so on, and the courts thus established have lasted
until this day. 1t is quite within the domain OF probability
that the tribunal created by Mr.. Rockefeller for the prevention
and adjustment OF industrial disputes will last for many wears to
come. There was need for it, and it required a man OF vision.
of intelligence and OF heart to create and develop it. Mr.. Rookie
feners constructive genius has produced something that will
name far beyond the utmost reach of his millions, and he
deserves all manner OF credit for it.
KAHN FOR SpEAKER