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. The Benevolent Trust--The Value
of the Cooperative Principle in
Giving

CHAPTER I

SOME OLD FRIENDS

Since these Reminiscences are really what they