Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/431

 408 FAMOUS LIVING AMERICANS University of Chicago; to Rush Medical College $6,000,000; to various churches and missions a total approximating $10,000,000 ; to Barnard College $1,375,000 ; to the Southern Education Fund $1,125,000; to Union Theological Seminary $1,100,000; to Harvard University, Yale University and the Baptist Educational Society, $1,000,000 each; to various, ju- venile reformatories approximately $1,000,000; and for land for park purposes to the city of Cleveland, $1,000,000. Scores of other gifts ranging from $25,000 to $750,000 might be cited. Of his private philanthropies the world knows nothing. More to his manifestly increasing interest in the welfare of humanity than to any other one thing is due the growing change of opinion concerning Mr. Rockefeller in the pubUc mind these later years. Few who have come into personal contact with him since he has in a measure thrown off his cloak of reserve have failed to surrender to the charm of his modest, unassuming personality. For the Rockefeller presence radi- ates anything but the atmosphere of repellent rapacity that has been popularly painted. The Rockefeller of to-day is a gracious, kindly, humorous individual with a keen interest in human affairs and a gift of expression which enables him to hit the bull's-eye of observation nine times out of ten. To a marked degree he retains the capacity of winning good opinion which in the early days of his youthful business venture brought him scores of patrons unsoUcited save by one in- formal, friendly call in a hurried trip of inspection through Indiana and Ohio. Men who were closely associated with him in a business way some thirty-five or forty years ago will tell you that in those days he was thrift personified. He had a disconcerting habit of appearing unexpectedly at one's elbow or desk and picking out the Uttle errors of bookkeeping which annoy the customer or the little extravagances of habit which permit a bit of wrapping twine to go to waste upon the floor. And both were especially repugnant to him. To-day, while he trims you neatly on the golf links — not that you permit him to do it because he is Mr. Rockefeller and you are his favored guest for the afternoon, for he is really