, 1879-08-23
The peaceca Fire Company.

Every fire company is blessed with more
or less purely ornamental men Automa'ohs
who do the .Istatue business Tor the com
,any at balls 'rretties, who are seldom
or never seen AZ fires, but when on parade
an,,e:r like the bone and sineis Of the organ
iz1ti,n: puppets. who are tIc<ied 4. hav-
i,e, tin. bows on the streets cry o1t a. they
u..s hv on exhibition. "0J, George, ain
Ihcv lar,c and Juicy though | wonder do
they ro wish a striuC" Rgt when IN such
n. organization these peacocks become nu-
,Iernns. is usefulness is impaired, for they
do mot cnly, not attend and assist at fires, but
they. by their example, le :d Others IN neg
lecting their duty, and to become, like
Themselves mere Z" strutters of the Orgaui-
zation. When this disinteera.ion has reached
the point where the peacccks ontnamber
the workers, nothing can stop the rapid
decay of the organization, for the stru;;ers
are then beyond the pale of correction the
chief dare not reprimand them Tor theIT
negligence for fear they viii vote HIM ont
OF his authority; In some instances, we could
cite one, to make their security from censrre
donbly secure, they elect from their own
nnnIbcr the chief, who not only wlnks at
their uniaithfG!u"Ss, hut approves of 1t by
his example. The ,rorEiaJ members labor
raniuliy at their post, Int their ranks grad
ul!y grow thinner and thinner, under the
conJamaaating Influence, until there IS wrunG
from some one of them, who has strong
love iar the old company, = cry ot GIpmay,
hoping, while almost past hope, that some
thing may yet he done to save the wreck.
But what is the rcsnlt: The reacocks flock
together, liie Other b.ris OF feather, AID
calling :. meeting, pass gag tar I" the
effect, that, t. speak j. 70 make people Oh
serve rs Ia he observed Is ruin. No speak
in--nn observation No obScr"ati"n-no
rum. 'iat E:m w.Io speaks lose MS head,
cries leader of the peacocks--wild with
delight a. the logic displayed by the rcSai;-
ten. and forthwith another ,r0IhiaJ men''er
G: the organization is voted Ont. The action
of the pcac"c,ls ii the Gre company which
We couid name. IN e!ec.irg 4 !ussY peacoc!;
Tar chief, Sts us to wondering II the chief
peacock would not be placed il a light SINH
lar to that OF TIE peacocks in oae of -a.sops
fables, wka hal been e,eotel king o: the
birds, ii he were asked question analogous
to the one asked hy tha Inagnt!e "i the newly
elected king Ma 1t please your majesty
elect. sad the magule, = to permit hmm
be air..rcr &C. propose question. As car
kiro. We prt or lives and fortunes III your
hands. il. therefore, tie ca@Ic, Tie vulture
and the kite. shnnid in the future, as they
have IN times past, make a descent upon us.
What means wonlG you take for our defence.
In place ef eagle. yulta:e and kite. let there
be substituted the words fire iicnd, and the
proncun they" and the verb 'hayc, be
changed Ia the singular to agree with the
ncnn, AID then lat this pointed question be
rnt 70 the peacoch cli,f ot the FIRE company.
Would it not at once sh"w the ahsGr,litv,
AID the danger Of having such thing IN
such a position? Tie fable goes on: This
pity question oreAea the eyes of the birds
to the weakness of their choice. they can
celled the elcc.io;l.' C;a we cypect the fire
company TO foliow this question, asked
under similar situation. hy a similar wise
acton. Hardly. In tie case Of the fable
Tie ,ro,,I;,aJ !ir,is we-e in the E3Ija.'ig. In
the case oi the fire company the peaccckS
compose the majority. Eat, ii this instance,
- the lives and fortunes o: the members of
the organizations ar" not thc only ones that
arr endangered hy !r;:'-a'.rliEiS:ratioa Of
IT, l. Is the lives aad fart2Uci' of the
whole paepie of Wal.a WaIia that are at
stake ard IT hei:0ves ;hc raaai' t" use their
hest Influence 10 effect = compett reorgani
zatio, of thiS fire company; to see tha: ii Is
not III the fatarc composed 81 fancy s.!utters
who do the hooking on part III time Of
danger, ani le. the working members do
tl:c work.