JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER

In the unexpected death of the elder Rockefeller this country suffers the loss of a citizen who, although inactive in recent years, served as an example of American initiative, ability, and progressivism at its best.

Retired from business life for the past quarter of a century, John D. Rockefeller belonged to an era which we no longer know, and his work and character can only be judged when placed against the exciting background of the years gone by. As the figures of Cleveland and the first Roosevelt towered above the ordinary men in government at the turn of the century, so the man who built up the empire of Standard Oil set the pattern for that industrial achievement which characterized America during those years.

The great ambition of the elder Rockefeller, to reach the age of one hundred, was denied him, Two scant years separated him from this goal, but other goals he has long since reached. His industrial leadership, which produced a service to aid all mankind, has already earned him his place in the history of American life.