Random Reminiscences of Men and Events

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Random Reminiscences of Men
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Title: Random Reminiscences of Men and Events
Author: John D. Rockefeller
Release Date: November 18, 2005 [EBook #17090]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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REMINISCENCES OF MEN ***

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[Illustration: MR. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER AT THE AGE OF
EIGHTEEN]
Random Reminiscences
of Men and Events

BY
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER

New York
Doubleday, Page & Company
1909
COPYRIGHT, 1908, 1909, BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

PREFACE
Probably in the life of everyone there comes a time when he is inclined
to go over again the events, great and small, which have made up the
incidents of his work and pleasure, and I am tempted to become a
garrulous old man, and tell some stories of men and things which have
happened in an active life.
In some measure I have been associated with the most interesting
people our country has produced, especially in business--men who have
helped largely to build up the commerce of the United States, and who
have made known its products all over the world. These incidents
which come to my mind to speak of seemed vitally important to me
when they happened, and they still stand out distinctly in my memory.

Just how far any one is justified in keeping what he regards as his own
private affairs from the public, or in defending himself from attacks, is
a mooted point. If one talks about one's experiences, there is a natural
temptation to charge one with traveling the easy road to egotism; if one
keeps silence, the inference of wrong-doing is sometimes even more
difficult to meet, as it would then be said that there is no valid defence
to be offered.
It has not been my custom to press my affairs forward into public gaze;
but I have come to see that if my family and friends want some record
of things which might shed light on matters that have been somewhat
discussed, it is right that I should yield to their advice, and in this
informal way go over again some of the events which have made life
interesting to me.
There is still another reason for speaking now: If a tenth of the things
that have been said are true, then these dozens of able and faithful men
who have been associated with me, many of whom have passed away,
must have been guilty of grave faults. For myself, I had decided to say
nothing, hoping that after my death the truth would gradually come to
the surface and posterity would do strict justice; but while I live and
can testify to certain things, it seems fair that I should refer to some
points which I hope will help to set forth several much-discussed
happenings in a new light. I am convinced that they have not been fully
understood.
All these things affect the memories of men who are dead and the lives
of men who are living, and it is only reasonable that the public should
have some first-hand facts to draw from in making up its final estimate.
When these Reminiscences were begun, there was of course no thought
that they should ever go so far as to appear between the covers of a
book. They were not prepared with the idea of even an informal
autobiography, there was little idea of order or sequence, and no
thought whatever of completeness.
It would have been a pleasure as well as a satisfaction to dwell with
some fulness upon the stories of daily and intimate companionship

which existed for so many years with my close partners and associates,
but I realize that while these experiences have always been to me
among the great pleasures of my life, a long account of them would not
interest the reader, and thus it happens that I have but mentioned the
names of only a few of the scores of partners who have been so active
in building up the business interests with which I have been associated.
J.D.R.
March,1909.

CONTENTS
I. Some Old Friends
II. The Difficult Art of Getting
III. The Standard Oil Company
IV. Some Experiences in the Oil Business
V. Other Business Experiences and Business Principles
VI. The Difficult Art of Giving
VII.