The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-05-24

mouse on the lake front. He cele-
brated the anniversary all the resi-
of his life.
He did not know what his pay
would be when he took the Job.
At the end of the year he was
handed $50 for q lite more than
three months work The next
year he drew $50 a month, and
the following year $50. 0
From the day he drew his first
pay he kept an exact record Of
every cent received and paid out.
The famous Rockefeller ssledger
A., an account book kept by the
future muItimiIlionaire at about
that time, revealed his early habit
to distribute wealth as well as to
accumulate wealth. Entries show
ed such items as $50 cents to a
poor woman and s.25 cents TO .
poor man."
For his employers he worked
hard. audited scrupusously every
bill that was paid or collected and
succeeded in collecting some old
balances that had been regarded
as hopeless.
When ne was Is years old his
pay was raised to S7o0 a year. He
asked for $500, but could not get
it. He had saved nearly $1,000.
so, after a careful look around,
he invested his savings, plus ST.
900 borrowed from his father, in q
partnership with Maurice B.
Clark, an Englishman 10 years
his senior. and they opened a
commission business
Eve were prosperous from the
beginning" Mr. Rockefeller said
later. "We did business of S45,-
900 the first year. Our profit
was not large-I think 81, 400"
Although he was the junior
partner and under age, he thor
oughly organized the business. He
practiced the most rigid economy,
drove c,ose bargains and lived as
frugally as ever, putting most OF
his profits back into the business,
''to grow"
Young Rockefeller daringly as
sumed large financial obligations
to carry the firm through business
deals. He borrowed all his father
could lend, needed more and,
summoning up all his courage.
asked a banker for a loan of ST.
900. The banker let him have it
on his own warehouse receipts.
The lad of 10 walked out of the
bank elated. He felt that he was
a man, full grown. Indeed, his
fellow merchants called him 'sMis-
ter Rockefeller" long before he
was 81.
A bank president warned him
one day that he had borrowed
nearly all the money in the bank.
"0ur directors want to see you
and talk with you," he said.
I''ll come right down." Mr..
Rockefeller replied. 'T'H come
right away. for / want to borrow
a great deal more"
During these early years he
became known to the business
community as a self-eontained,
frugal young man, free from had
habits, reliable and a steady at.
tendant at church and Sunday
school.
Joined Baptist Chureh
In his fifteenth year he had
Joined the Erie Street Baptist
church in Cleveland, now the
Euclid Avenue Baptist church.
It was then a poor, struggling mis-
sion, with a $4,000 mortgage on
its building.
When the pastor announced one
Sunday thst the house was 70 be
sold to pay the debt, young Rookie
feller stood at the door and begged
a contribution from everyone who
passed. Some could give only 10
cents a week, few as much as 81,
but he begged for months until
he raised the $4,000 end saved
the church. Later he became sup
erintendent of the Sunday school.
a position he held for more than
80 years.
A Bible class for men which he
organized and led became one of
the largest of its kind in the
country. 1t attracted young and
old of every degree of affluence.
"The religion of man is his most
important possession" he said.
There is nothing in the world
than can compare with Christian
fellowship; nothing that can salts
fy brt Christ"
When Drake struck oil in Penn
sylvania, in 1859, there was a rush
to the. new fled of wealth from
al parts of the county. But the
young merchant stayed out, ques-
tioning and studying, for more
than two years. Then he and his
partner Joined with Samuel An
drews, who had learned the art OF,
cleansing and refining petroleum.
Under the title OF Andrews, Clark
& Co., they organized separate
firm to refine oil and built a
small refinery on the bank of
KingShurv Rum rea,. CIer,aland