The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1893-11-02
NEW SERIES. VOL. III, NO. 20.

ly twice as much now as they were in
1888. And the largest increase has been
In the men who run over the road and who
stop here either going grooming, or who
make this their home. And now what
is the result? In old times when men
came into this place and we wanted to
ind them we had to go the round house
or to the barrooms. / remember the first
time went through here, it seemed 10
me we went through the main street of
the town one side was filed up with sa-
Looms and the other side with coal cars.
Hereafter, if we want to find any of our
men we shall expect to find them either
at home or in this building. If a man
on his run comes here, what can he
| get when this building is completedg He
can come here and take bath; he can
| go down into the library, curl up on a
| good seat and read the best books of the
day and enjoy himself, or take a nap
in his chair if he wants; and he is ready
to go out on his run. And that brings
me down to something that came very
| nearly forgetting. l said that when we
went over the road before, our directors
were very much interested in the ded-
ication of the building at Hinton and L
thought they were so interested that it
might be good thing to assess them in
this building.
talked with Mr.. Hicks and he said
there were two things that he wanted;
one was an electric clock put on top of
the building, and run accurately, so that
everybody in town could get up and see
what time it was and the men would
not miss their trains and the women
would all know what time their hus>
bands came home, because they could
look at the clock You know man
might tell his wife his watch had stop
ped He wanted to get that clock and
said it would cost 5000. Then he wanted
to get library and said it would cost 5000
to put in the shelves and 81 800 to buy
the books. He wanted 800 volumes;
that would be Il very nice library. /
thought the G. & O.. could put in the
shelves or the book cases, because that
was part of their furnishing the build
$4,000 to raise and started to raise that
%,4O0 have not got it quite all, but
will have it after a little.
In any event, | got contributions of
the directors and have some 5000 or $500
from them. Then wrote to my old
friend, Mr.. George Bliss, in New York,
who is largely interested in this railway
and is doing good things, and told him
that the people and the G. & O. employs
es needed some reading matter, and that
IT we could get a good library here, run
under the patronage of the Y. M. G. A.,
they could ship the books to Gladstone,
Handley, Hinton or Covington, or any
where else they had building and it
would bake about $1,000 to fit up the
library and buy the books, and it would
do great good, and he wrote back to me
saying | could draw on him for 81 900
towards it, We are short some $4O0 or
$500 OF the amount necessary, but |
think we will find a way to raise that,and
then we will have your building all
equipped with the illuminated clock,
and will have 1900 good books down
stairs. A book is the one friend that
does not go back ON you, does not get
cross, and does not get fretfel; you all
should read that is one way to improve
your mind and attention.
Take it in all, therefore, my friends,
it seems to me that tonight in this
month of October we can congratulate
ourselves that in the five years that haye
passed We have made some progress in
the world; that that progress has been
made for the better and that this build
ing marks one of the stepping stones
and one of the ways to other things
which hope will be still better.
Our friend Mr.. Stevens, has got
through the Board of Directors his APP
preparation of S25, 900 for the hospital
which we propose to build here and we
hope that will give comfort and rest to
men who are injured or sick, and in
other ways we expect to go right on in
our progress. We expect the business
of this road will increase; we expect its
employees will continue to improve and
be faithful, and we hope the time may
come when there is no railroad in the
that can be said to be the peer of the
Chesapeake& Ohio.