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The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, May 29, 1914, NOON EDITION, Image 2

Image and text provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045487/1914-05-29/ed-1/seq-2/

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it seems mat the more material wealth a man accumulates the more fee
has to isolate himself from his fellows the more he has to live alone. Who
Hves alone more than John D, Rockefeller, the elder?
Several of us were talking ahout him the other day. In. the party wag
a prominent Cleveland man, who has lived there for years and knows some
Uiing about Rockefeller life.
He said that Rockefeller's vast estate in Cleveland has about 50 mile
or driveway; that he plays golf morn
ings, takes a nap and in the afternoon
drives about his estate.
There are guards all about the
place", and in times of big publicity
about Rockefeller the guards are
doubled, and it becomes practically
impossible for anybody to see the old
man. t
His golf companions are his doctor,
his lawyer, his preachej, his brother-in-law
and occasionally a compara
tively young lawyer who is rather in
dependent and does what nebody else
dares do, he good naturedly kids the
old fellow.
Of course, when he sends for his
doctor, his lawyer, his preacher or
his brother-in-law to play golf it is
equivalent to a command for they
are in effect hjs hired retainers. The
lawyer who .kids him is something
like the jesters the kings of old had
about them to amuse them.
Brand Whitlock, when he was
mayor of Toledo, was invited to play
golf with John D. once when Whit
tock was in Cleveland. I talked with
Whitlock afterward, and here's how
the richest man in the world plays
golf on his private links m his private,
well-guarded estate:
The old man drives his ball, and
a servant carries an umbrella over
him as he goes to the ball for the
next drive. Sometimes he will ride
a bipycle to the next drive instead of
walking. A servant carries a bottle
of milk along from hole to hole, so
that John D. can take a swig if he
gets thirsty.
The other day a story was printed
about how his New York estate was
guarded by armed, guards and how if
John D got nervous during the night
he could touch an electric button,
which would bring a' response from
the guards to assure him they were
oa the job and that all-was welL
When old man Rockefeller goes
riding in an auto he likes to hare a
child or woman sitting alongside of
him, so that if there is any killing
going on it will be women and chil
dren first, I presume he thinks any
body who might feel inclined to kill
him would refrain if it meant also
killng a woman or child.
Anyhow, it seems that he is in con
stant fear of being murdered.
Sq, instead, .of being able to go
about the world as other people do,
and enjoying the beauties of nature,
the richest man in the world, for self
protection, has to bund i. little world
of his own and guard himself from
the remainder of humanity.
He doesn't feel safe outside of that
little privately-owned world qt his.
His comings and goings are kept se
cret indicating" that he doesn't feel
safe in a private car on a railroad
train. He doesn't feel safe touring
the country in an automobile.
' He doesn't drive through the pub
lic streets, and seldom in the country
highways. So he builds roads of his
own in his guarded estate.
He has no friends merely serv
ants, including his hired lawyer, his
hired doctor and his hired preacher.
I think the hobo whp wanders from
coast to coast with not a nickel in
hjs pocket is happier and better off
tpan this richest man in the world
and less to tejpltied. He isn't afraid
of being killed for his money, or be
cause the world hatee him. The hobo
is a free man he has nothing to lose.
I believe John Rockefeller-thinks
he is right, i think young John D.
fejt that he was right when he said
his -conscience, wasflear pn the Cokn
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