Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-11-28
men OF NERVE.

aEsAas VI WILL HI
The Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers had big meeting in Balti-
more Sunday afternoon. Six Divi-
sions took part, among them No. 352
of Martinsburg. Mayor Latrobe wei.
coined them: He said:
=" If the character of their duties is
taken into consideration, it must be
admitted that no men in the commun.
ity have so much responsibility con-
nected with their calling. 1t Is pro-
fession that requires in its members
full physical powers, strength, keen
insight, strong arm, quick mind,
manly courage and great nerve. /
have often thought, while being whirl-
ed along in Pullman sleeper at the
rate of fifty miles an hour, on dark.
rainy night, how absolutely did the
lives of the passengers depend upon
the strict attention to duty of the man
who was standing with his hand on
the throttle in the cab of the locomo-
tive. His engine rushing, as it were,
all the while into darkness, might at
any moment encounter some land
slide or obstruction, too far ahead to
be revealed by the headlight, or hid.
den, perhaps by a curve, his life would
probably be the first lost. 1t may be
a broken rail or misplaced switch or
train ahead, and yet he must make
schedule time.
"How often has it been that the
engineer has been called upon to die
at his post rather than abandon his
engine! There is no more response
BILE calling than the profession 10
which you belong. l always feel
grateful to All engineer after safely
arriving with my family from q run
on the road. | feel like going up,
shaking hands with the engineer and
thanking him cordially"
Ex- Mayor Davidson said:
mo one can overestimate the i'm
portanee and dignity of your profess
sion, over-state its usefulness to the
modern world. Archimedes, the first
engineer, was so confident in the laws
of mechanics, and SO justly proud of
his connection with some of their re-
suits, that he made the remark, so Of
ten since referred to, that, give him
but fulcrum for his lever and he
would m6ve the earth. Modern science
and skill have, metaphorically moved
earth out Of its old ways and position.
The locomotive engine, and the ma
rine engine have aunihilated distances
on the earth's sur face, and rendered
possible the aspirations for the broth
erhood of man. Your profession is
one calculated to excite the admira-
| ton of all.
War, with all its horrible accom-
paniments, is blot upon the civili-
zation and religion of man, and Is in
the nature of an argument in favor of
brutal, rather than divine, origin
| for him. But it has also one grand
indeed, the only alienation of its hor-
rors, contemplated from the stand
point of morals, in that the field of
battle furnishes, above all other scenes
on earth, the noblest, the grandest in
stances of the surrender of all that
man holds dear, even life itself, at
the mere command Of duty-not in
the case of leaders only, who may
have, at least, the qualification of the
expectation of posthumous glory. but
more yet in the cases of the nameless
and unrecorded thousands, who fight
in the ranks, without anticipation of
distinction, and lay down their lives
freely in obedience to the call of duty
to country"
But the courage of the locomotive
engineer is the lonely courage-the
unnoticed, unencouraged nerve and
determination, whose motive is the
sense of duty 10 be done of keen re-
sponsibility for the lives and proper
~ which follows the heels Of the fleet
steed which he drives /; il is that kind
OF courage which comes, not with the
bounding blood, but with the cool
brain, which retains its hold upon the
throttle, while agony and death are
/ rising to threaten and seduce it from
| its post.
Grand Chief Engineer Arthur said (:
| When the brotherhood organization
was effected in April of 1868, a noble
motto was adopted. Sobriety and
truth, justice and morality" have
| been the watchwords of our or
der, and the fondest hopes of our no
blest aspirations. Membership in our
society presupposed good moral
character and a continuance of COM
had at least years experience are
| ctIS iDie, puI HletDOSIbHlp uOtc uOt
permit of intoxication for of all posi-
tons demanding clear head and a
steady hand, these qualities in an en-
gineer are most imperative. During
the fiscal year it has been our regret
but our duty to eXpel 1872 members
for intoxication. We hope by these
means to elevate the standard of the
engineer and at the same time to re-
commend the members of our society
as those who are free of intemperance
want TO say what example we
/ have set other roads as to way OF
providing for its employees. If man
with US loses an eye, an arm or leg
and has three policies of insurance he
receives 81, 500. If he dies the money
goes to his family TO pay for a home,
and comfort thousands who would
otherwise he cherries. Our society
dispenses yearly sum running from
$4,000 to SIS, 1000. Many subdivisions
have weekly benefits, and every known
means of providing for the welfare Of
our members is eagerly sought for.
| We do not claim that we never made
! mistakes, or that all are good church
members, When a man seeks mem.