The Cordova daily times., 1919-02-28
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1919.
PLANT YOUR TREES.

PLANT YOUR TREES.
 Many years have passed since that delightful child of Dickens, Cap'n Cutie sagely cautioned us to "train up a fig tree in the way it should grow, and when you get old sit under it's branches" but the philosophy of the old sea dog strikes the keynote of truth even today. The planting of trees can with benefit arrest the at tention of the country publisher, the national advertiser, in fact arrest the attention of any man who is affected by the principles of publicity, just as it must command the attention of the man who works upon the land. If John D. Rockefeller in his earlier life had planted a tree of understand ing with the public, he would be the most contented man on earth today. Unfortunately for him he has only few saplings growing in the garden of his Hfe#k They were planted very late. They have not had time to grow to ntheir full height and leaf. When they do they will provide a shade that will last, protection that will grow and grow in strength as the years go by. The Rockefeller trees of understanding should have been planted years before they were. and there should have been mora of them z r Ass T E z s Y s For great many years the New York World had a standing offer of $500 for picture of Mr Rockefeller, but it was found impossible to obtain one. The oil kings face was none of the public's business Newspaper writers were offered large sums of money for an authentic interview with the man of millions, but none was to be obtained. MT. Rockefeller would not talk. His views of life, his theor- ies, his ethics, even matters pertain. ing to his business dealings were his own affairs He would not have him. self familiarized either in appearance or understanding. He lived to him. self alone. He summed the light His business he thought was his own busi- ness and nobody else's business. He was too busy rolling up millions to take account of the public or of what they thought of his activities either private or commercial The sugges- tion of paid advertising, through which the modern Croesus might clear away misunderstanding, never even entered his head as possibility. He even summed free publicity. Per. haps it would be better to scy he tried to shun it. He succeeded only in sup pressing publicity that bore the stamp of authenticity, except where the facts were absolute and obtainable.
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 1t took many years before the folly of this attitude was recognized. But gradually the oil king realized that after all he was only a unit in the scheme of things and that he must acquire the regard and confidence of his fellow men If dollars were to be cashed into happiness and content ment. The public grew resentful of the Rockefeller aloofness. The storm grew in force until the man of mys- tery, the ununderstandable man of millions became the center of hurri- cane of i'll will. The name of Rocke- feller came to be regarded as the synonym of indifference to all things connected with the public good. Even Rockefeller charities such as drifted to public notice were looked at with suspicion. Self was thought to lodge in every action of the man. The pub lie was not unkind. It just didn't understand. Unconsciously 1t object ed to austerity and separation. It knew 1t had contributed to the stag gering mass of millions that fattened the purse of the oil magnate. and it repelled the thought that 1t was not entitled even to passing notice.
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 Gradually, however, the spirit of truth in advertising began to make it's impress on the Rockefeller mind.