EFFICACY OF PRAYER

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8361, 22 February 1913, Page 10

EFFICACY OF PRAYER

ROCKEFELLER SERMON. Tho eon of Mr John D. Rockefeller, (who administers his father’s charitable (endowments, has been telling an American audience how he relied upon 'prayer at an important crisis of his fife. Mr John D. Rockefeller, junr., is jhefr to the largest individual fortune 'in the world, and at the opening of a new Young Men’s Christian Association building erected at Tarrytown out of funds supplied by his father, he said: “ There came a time in my life when I met a grave crisis. My happiness and usefulness in tho world depended on my decision. I prayed every night for four years. One morning, just before dawn broke, I awoke, and felt just as sure which road to take as if there had been a big sign to guide me. I got up from my bed, lighted a lamp, and wrote a letter committing myself to that, bourse.” Although Mr Rockefeller did not tell the audience what was tho nature of the crisis that prompted , his long period of prayer,' it is recalled that the answer to his supplications coincides with his decision not to pursue a commercial career, but to devote his life to the administration of his father’s immense fortune and charitable endowments. Since then he has regularly conducted a Bible class of his own and has been a constant speaker on religious subjects. The gifts of American millionaires during the year for charitable purposes have been upon a generous scale. According to figures published in New York, they gave about £66,400,000 for educational, religious, social, and scientific work, besides pur© charity, ROCKEFELLER’S FORTY MILLIONS. Mr Piorpont Morgan heads the list. He is credited with £10,000,000, the estimated value of art treasures given to, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. of New York. Then come Mr Carnegie with £2,000,000, and the Bell Telephone Company with £2,000,000. The latter represents the gift by the company towards the pension fund for employees who have been in its sendee for more than a year. Mrs Robert Carson gave away £1,000,000, and Captain John Martin £900,000. Mr P. A. B. Widener is credited with £BOO,OOO, Mr John D. Rockefeller gave £600,000, Mr Richard I. Crane £400,000, Mr and Mrs Thomas P. Ryan £400,000, Mr George F< Baker £400,000, Mr Henry F. Dimock £350,000, ana Airs Caroline JNeuetadter £350,000. < Twenty persons, including Mrs Russell Sage and Mrs Eli Harriman, each gave £200,000. In 1910 Mr John Rockefeller’s gifts totalled £3,500,000: in 1911 they were about £1,000,000. Air Rockefeller’s donations to deserving causes during some years past aggregated £40,000,000, and were exceeded only by those of Mr An. drew Carnegie. Mr Rockefeller has given more than £24,000,000 to education alone, and over £8,000,000 for medical research. Mr Carnegie’s gifts. £2,000,000, for 1912, take no count of tho fact that ho announced recently that his entire fortune, except £5,000,000, will be transferred to the Carnegie Corporation, New York.