The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-01-08


his swag would scarcely seem to
atone for his rapacity and extortion.
And If General Villa in an after-day
Of philanthropy should give away
half Of his fortune. while some hard
pressed Mexican. whose misfortune it
had been to swell Villas golden
hoard, should find himself unable to
give not one mite to charity. should
the latter be drawn into unfavorabIe
comparison?
Mr.. G. B. Shaw In his inimitable
manner has castigated this practice
of linking up gross material conduct
with spiritual ends. In his Man of
Destiny he says: "When an English
man wants thing. he never tells
himself that he wants it. He waits
patiently until there comes into his
mind no one knows how. burning
conviction that it is his moral and re-
ligious duty to conquer those who
have got the thing he wants. As the
great champion Of freedom and ma
tional independence he conquers and
annexes half the world, and Calls it
colonization. When he wants new
market for his adulterated Manches-
ter goods he sends a missionary to
teach the natives the gospel Of peace.
The natives kill the missionary. he
flies to arms in defense of Christian
ity. fights for it. conquers for 1t. and
takes the market as a reward from
heaven. He boasts that slave is
free the moment his foot touches
British soil, and he sells the children
of his poor at six years of age to
work under the lash in his factories
for sixteen hours a day. He
does everything on principle. He
fights you on patriotic principles. he
robs you on business principles. he
enslaves you on imperial principles.
he bulhes you on manly principles. he
supports his king on patriotic princi-
pies, and cuts off his kings head on
republican principles. His watchword
is always duty; and he never forgets
that the nation which lets its duty
get on the opposite side from its in
terest. is lost"
Now. Mr.. Shaw can scarcely with
hold his admiration for the efficiency
of the Englishman rs lie sets himself
to get outlying lands and markets
and to manipulate domestic concerns
in trade and industry. out IL stirs his
wrath when the Englishman seeks to
s,,, ,vAs kar tfe
own consumate efficiency. Why con-
meet this highly admirable material
conduct with benevolent ends? Mr..
Rockefeller in game where the
sharpest wits and the strongest wills
were pitted against him took of the
lions share of the stakes. So much.
so good! If any one thinks this oily,
suave. silent old man was not astute.
resourceful. far-seeIng. he has yet to
learn about him. MIR. Rockefeller as
a finaDcier arouses one's intellectual
But Mr.. Rockefeller as
Q Heaven-chosen steward well, that
Is different!
The writer's own view Of the mat !
ter Is: That Mr.. Rockefeller is a
kindly. benevolent old man; thas his
gigantic fortune was made possible
by economic conditions. which he was
shrewd enough to take advantage Of.
and by economic practices. which per
haps never were in good repute but
are now utterly disgraceful; that he
has now probably seen the iniquity Of
the old. devious. heartless competi-
tion. and that he really wishes to
bless the world with that which his
cool nerve. his busy brain and untir-
ing hands amAssed. He is not alone
responsible for the taint in his mil
lions. The moral and business stand
ard Of the past generation was not
sharply set against cut-throat meth