The Washington times., 1921-01-23
Today
mr. Rockefeller Dissatisfied
No Necessity, No Happiness.
The Magnificent Lorenzo.
Silent, Golden Soldiers.
y ARTHUR BRISBANE
Copyright. isfi)

dinner to his Bible class. an
nouncss a gift of one million dol
lars to starving children in Eu-
rope. Il was the younger Rock
fellsr's ewn money, not that OF his
father. ss-r
Coming generations may note
the size Of the gift-nothing un-
usual or striking in the Rockefei-
ler family--wAs less interesting
than Mr.. SRockefeller's casual re-
mark that he envied his father
ssths necessity Of making his way
in the werld. which ! have never
known" n
Nothing more interesting has
been said by any rich American.
In the memory Of this reporter.
In Mr.. Rockefeller's statement
Is contained the mainsprinR Of all
progress. Men are unhappy un-
less they have obstacles TO over.
come. Give man everything that
others have provided and YOU give
him little. Enable him to saw "This
u MY work. / did it, MADE
1t In spite of opposition and you
give him happiness. f.
One little girl with beautiful
dolls that talk. 10 to sleep. and
have ''real hair will be less happy
than another creating her own rag
doll and nursing it.
Mr.. Rockefeller's statement
raises question particularly in
terestinR to Bible class:
How will 1t be in Heaven. where
there Is no effort, no struggle. no
opposition, NO chance for achieve
ment? One block of the beautiful
pavement, of solid gold, would rep
resent more money than the older
Rockefeller ever dreamed Of. But
could Mr.. Rockefeller or anybody
else Be happy there. after trilli0n
trillion years. with nothing to &C.
e0mplish!
In Heaven, among all the other
miracles, one miracle might re-
move restless ambition from the
(, minds of the Inhabitants. They
might still be good angels. But
man as we know him does not
amount to much with ambition
gone. 1ss
Consider John ID. Rockefeller,
Jr., and the young man from War
saw Just starting out with his
pushcart in the poor quarter of a
great city. 1t is easier for the
pushcart peddler than for young
Rockefeller to live life worth
while, full of EXCITEMENT and
, struggle that brings out every
power in u man and that means
REAL LIFE.
I To succeed in spite OF POVERTY
is easy. ennugb,Y You can name
thousands that have done It. But
you must think to name half a
dozen that have sncceeded IN
SPITE OF WEALTH. Wealth,
education, freedom from worry
ought to mean unlimited oppor-
tunity. They mean usually only a
heavy load on the rich mans nn-
fortunate son.
There are, however, in the his
time, exceptions to the rule.
The father Of Alexander domi-
mated all Greece, and wide. terri.
tory beyond the boundaries OF
Greece. His son lived in constant
jealousy of his fathers accom-
plishments, complaining my father
will leave me nothing to conquer
But Philip of Macedonia is re-
membered chiefly as the father OF
Alexander, conQuerer of all Asia
and as much Of the world as he
could cover in his short thirty-two
years. He did not have "the neces-
sity of making his way In the
world" but he had ambition, the
greatest mental power. except
benevolence. And he made his
way.
There was Pitt, son of the great
Earl Of Chatham. The elder
brother. inheriting the title and
estates. succumbed to the fact
that there was no clash of neces-
sity to drive him" The younger
brother. Pitt. lsickly and feeble,
had the ambition that works
WITHOUT necessity. At the age
of seven he said. 81 am glad that
lam not the eldest son. want to
speak in the House of Commons,
like my father" When he was
twenty-three he was chancellor of
the excheuuer. At twenty-four he
was prime minister. He. more
than any other, kept Napoleon out
was prime minister. He. more
of England, taking England safely
through the Napoleonic upheaval
by using the money of England
and the men of other nations.
Then there was the interesting
Roman, Crassus. He made vast
fortune trading in slaves, buying
up the land of those that Sulla had
prescribed. trafficking in gold and
silver mines. and generally prof.
teering. He wanted to initiate the
conouests of Lucullus in Asia, and
mistaking one kind of ability for
apother. went to war. Our prof.