Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-12

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in 30 doing he performed the pleassntest
duty OF bis life,
Mayor Ellyson said II was both duty
md pleasure TO he present. lie came
not to indulge in formal words
Of greeting. He was glad and proud
TO welcome 10 tho capital OF the
| Old Dominion the American So
cioty Of Mechanical Engineers More
than q century ago George Washington
expressed the hope that Richmond would
take front-rank among the cities ia the
matter of population, wealth, and indus
trial development That hope of our
FIRST President may not have been real
lied, Not because We do not possess
the natural advantages, but because our
Virginia ancestry mapped out for them
selves and their posterity career of po-
litical life as involved in the considera-
ton of great questions OF finance, taxa
tons, ACQUISITIONS some had 10 con-
sidec. lie was glad of this.
WHY 1T IS 50.
Large estates and our general system
conduced to it, and save for it Virginia
could never have given 10 the country q
Washington, a Jefferson, a Madison,
Henry, and John Marshall who laid
70 finn and deep the foundation OF this
republic, which is the brightest
example Of government by the peo-
pie, for the people, and Of tine
people. lApplause. The condition Of
things had changed, he continued, and
we have changed with them. BY the
war attention Was directed 10 other
needs. Twenty-Five years ago we re-
turned from the struggle at Appomattox
to renew the struggle for municipal su-
premacy. The city was IN ashes and our
banking capital was swept away. In
that twenty-five years we have accumu-
htod five million of banking capital,
our population has doubled, taxable
values have increased from $1,000, 600 TO
$55. 900. 600, our manufactures number
$50, and their output amounts to
| $50, 900, 900.
MANUFACTURING CITY.
He thought city, one fourth Of whose
population were engaged in manufactu-
ring, could reasonably claim 10 be a man
ufacturing city. This We had accom-
plished despite the embarrassments in
our way, Now we have entered on a
new era. He was glad the visitors had
come, and he predicted rs the result OF
the convention o stimulus in the direc-
ton We needed. If the result Of
the convention should be TO graft upon
our public school system mechanical
training, stimulate our Mechanics
Institute, and illustrate to our people |
the value of special training 1t would |
prove of great practical value to our city. |
The night Of adversely was over, the |
roar Of cannon was hushcd, and beauti- |
lul dove-eyed peace spreads her wings |
over "A smiling land and city. United |
we may accomplish great things In our |
land. In conclusion, the Mayor said It |
afforded him peculiar and especial plea
sure to welcome the ladies TO our city. |
The only regret was that they would re-
main so short time. If they would
give us notice of thor neyt coming many
an eye would watch for them and look
brighter. IApplauee.
THE PRESIDENTS REPLY.
The president Dir. Smith, in replying
10 Mayor Ellyson, thanked him and the
people Of Richmond for the kind
hearted welcome that had been extended
the society. This great state of the
South that sleeping giant that 50 long |
only gave rs cotton, &c-is now awake
and bidding fair TO rival England and
the North. lie never knew before what
there was here. Fair Virginia embraces |
everything that conduces to industrial
progress and civilization. Throughout |
the State there are oil the materials Tor
architectural engineering, lumber, stone,
fire-clay, all the woods, hard and soft,
and there had been cherry tree here,
but it was cut down. The state had iron,
copper, lead, gold. and the coal to work
them, the finest fruits and vegetables
and all the features 10 please the aesthetic
taste. Mineral springs abound and
beautiful mountain scenery is prolific.
Our people, he said, must not forget |
that Washington Was an engineer, and |
that they did not know how much OF hls /
success was due TO that fact The mem |
bers of the society had seen during the |
day the evidences of Richmond hos
pitahty. They had been welcomed to
the ueoples homes, their manufactures, |
and their clubs. Par parenthesis, be |
remarked that Enghshmen who had
landed on Virginia soil over two hundred |
and fifty years ago had been welcomed |
10 club, a remark that called forth ap- |
plause and laughter. in conclusion, Mr.. |
smith gave some statistics regarding the |
society and similar organizations, and |
showed how closely all Of these were al
he'd.
The Annual Address.
The President then read his annual |
address. the subject of which was the |
.sEngineer as a Scholar and Gentle
man.
The address opens by claiming in a
pleasant way that in times beyond the
ken of history's pages the young world |
invented the engineer as the creator of |
It's coming civilization, and In proof of |
this cites the Adamesque as the first |
order Of architecture. Throughout the |
ages. saws Mr.. Smith, the engineer has |
wrested from nature her weil-kept Sc
crets. But for the engineer there would |
be no railways, no electric lights, no tel |
egraphs, no steam-power manufactures,
no sewing-machines or gas-tixtures, no |
modern plumbing, no improved iaclli-
ties for the farmer or the sailor.
" Assuming continues Mr.. Smith. |
"that the great majority OF the men who |
are STYLED and who style themselves en-
oineers' are really worthy of the title
Tint IN some one or more Of the numerous |
departments OF their calling they know |
how 10 oct the better OF Dame Nature, so
10 speak, by designing and constructinga |
Good road. or bridge. or railway, or canal;
by locating and digging good mine, and
knowing what comes out OF II; by plan
ning and building a good machine, with |
ONT tho scrap-heap's credit entry showing
more avordupois than the bill Of ladlng;
low tanning the lightning as gentle beast
of burden in its modern harness Of copper
aud silk and iron; by creating beautiful
buildings not OF the order of the epho-
mera. the following questions arise:
Does this aggregate mass of engineers
attain TO as high Il professional standard
as. all things considered, our modern
| civilization would lead rs 10 expect Does
| tbis body of mon. who, without question,
| .ra az vastly more importance 10 the