New-York tribune., 1919-12-25

| would like to ask. would like to
know how many Of you come from the
city and how many came from the
country. (Mr Rockefeller asked as a
personal favor If all those present in
the room who came from the country
would raise their right hands. Fully
three quarters of the number did so.)
Now, what story that tells!
"'To my mind there is something
You have not had the struggles in the
city that we have had who were reared
in the country. Don't you notice how
the men from the country keep crowd
ing you out here-you who have
wealthy fathers? These young men
from the country arc turning things
around and are taking your city.
"'We men from the country are will
ling to do more work. We were pre-
pared by our experience to do hard
work. I remember little time ago
| was in the country and saw a car
penter placing mineral wool under the
roof Of q city servants bedroom, so
that the man should not feel the heat
Of summer or hear the patter Of the
raindrops on the roof.
"T could not at the time help recall
ing the experience Of my boyhood when
I slept under a roof. could see the
shingles, and | remember l could peep
through the cracks in them
Better Off for Experience
"It was pretty hot in the summer
up there, too, can tell you. But
think / was better for all that sort of
experience, for having been reared in
the country in that sturdy, practical
way, and my heart is sometimes full Of
sadness as | contemplate the condition
Of number of young fellows in this
city whom | happen to know we'll.
"'They are in the embarrassing posi-
tion that their fathers have great
sums of money, and those boys have
not ghost of chance to compete
with you who come from the country
and who want to do something in the
world. You are in training now to
shortly take the places of those young
men. l suppose you cannot realize how
many eyes are upon you and how great
Is the increasing interest that is taken
in you. You may not think that, when
you are lonely and find it difficult to
get footing. But it is true that in a
place like this true interest Is taken
in you.
Poverty in Riches
"'When | left the schoolhouse I came
into place similar to this, where l as
sociated with people whom it was good
to know. Nothing better could have
happened to me.
81 spoke just now of the struggle
for success. What is success? Is it
money? Some of you have all the
money you need to provide for your
wants. Who is the poorest man in the
world? tell you the poorest man
know Of is the man who has nothing
but money, nothing else in the world
upon which to devote his ambition and
thought. That is the sort of man l
consider to be the poorest in the world.
Money is good if you know how to
use it,
"'Now let me leave this little word
of counsel for you. Keep a little
ledger, as l did. Write down in it
what you receive, and do not be
ashamed to write down what you paw
away. See that you pay it away in such
a manner that your father or mother
may look over your book and see Just
what you did with your money 1t will
help you to save money, and that you
ought to do.
When | spoke of the poor man
with money spoke against the poy-
erty Of that man who has no affection
thing else but money. That kind Of
man does not help his own character.
nor does he build up the character of
another
Before l leave you I will read a
few items from my ledger. / find in
looking over it that l was saving money
all this time, and in the course of a
few years | have saved $1,000.
Now as to some OF my expenses.
see that from November "a. 1855, to
April, 1856, paid for clothing $500.
am inclined to think is extravaganza,
because remember [ used TO wear
mlttens.. The item is pair of fur
gloves, for which PAID S2ov In the
same period l find l gave away S5 So.
IN one month [ gave to foreign
r, 'sslors 10 cents; to the Mite Society,
so cents, and there is also a contribu-
tion to the Five Points Mission
| was not living then in New York,
but I suppose felt that it was in need
of help, so | sent up 12 cents to the
OF my class / gave 35 cents, to make
him present. To the poor people Of
the church I gave 10 cents at this time
and in January and February following
gave 10 cents more and further 10
cents to the foreign mission.
Those contributions, small as thew
were, brought me into direct contact
with philanthropic work and with the
beneficial work and aims of religious
institutions, and I have been helped
thereby greatly all my life 1t is a
mistake for man who wishes for hap
piness and to help others to think that
he will wait unit he has made a for
tune before giving away money to de-
serving Objects"