Colgate-Palmolive Company Founder (1783–1857)
Please note Colgate’s success ran entirely through the Great Depression — think of that the next time your brush your teeth!
(I didn’t write this one, but it’s good anyway.)
Written by Sam Cash:
“William Colgate was a tither throughout his long and successful business career. He gave not merely one-tenth of the earnings of Colgate’s soap products; but he gave two-tenths, then three-tenths, and finally five-tenths of all his income to the work of God in the world. During the later days of his life he revealed the origin of his devotion to the idea of tithing. When he was sixteen years old he left home to find employment in New York City. He had previously worked in a soap manufacturing shop. When he told the captain of the canal boat upon which he was traveling that he planned to make soap in New York City the man gave him this advice: ‘Someone will soon be the leading soap maker in New York. You can be that person. But you must never lose sight of the fact that the soap you make has been given to you by God. Honor Him by sharing what you earn. Begin by tithing all you receive.’ William Colgate felt the urge to tithe because he recognized that God was the giver of all that he possessed, not only of opportunity, but even of the elements which were used in the manufacture of his products.”
William Colgate died in 1857 but left behind a company that is successful to this day and a college that bears his name … Colgate recognized that by tithing he gave back to God who was the giver of all he possessed. God owns it all and Colgate learned this important lesson early in his life.”1
1 This story was compiled and written by Sam Cash, CPA and Bible and instructor from Athens, Georgia. It appeared on The Cash Account blog, May 28, 2008. Cash took the story from a book called Spiritual Life through Tithing by Ernest Thomas.
From what you have written, it is clear that William Colgate was NOT A TITHER! He could never be a tither because tithing was a concept confined to ancient Israel and related to giving a TENTH (not 10%) of agricultural produce to the Levites and the less privileged .
The proper context would be that he gave two tenths, three tenth etc. but not that he tithed. I am sure that were you are going to with this is that he prospered because he “tithed” , I beg to differ! He prospered because he had an idea and invested in that idea.
One really gets sick and tired of all this tall stories being woven to build a case in support of this alien doctrine of the tithe.