The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-09-18
THE MEN WHO MOVE THE WORLD
American Association of Gem
eral Passenger Agents.
Opening OF the Fortieth semi-Annuai
Convention at hoston-Ool. Tark'e
Paper on "rhe Function OF tho General
Passenger Agent in World Making"
Richmond, Va, the Next Place OF
Meeting.

BosToN. Sept. Misrepresentation
from every section Of the United States
assembled in the large banquet hall at
Hotel Vendome to-day, being present to
attend the opening OF the fortieth semi
annual convention OF the American As.
ISOLATION Of General Passenger and
Ticket Agents. President w. M. Dick
insoa called the meeting to order. After
the minutes were read and some routine
business transact ted, Richmond, Va,
was then selected as the place for the
next meeting on the third Tuesday in
March, 1896
Afser short recess C Fl. Taylor, of
Richmond, Va. read paper by Col. w.
A. Turk, of Washington, D. c., general
passenger agent Of the Southern rail-
road. Col. Turk said:
Tho purpose OF this paper Is to rem
der serdy Justice to class Of men ordi-
narily too modest to sound their own
trumpets or too busy Advocating the In
terests of others to take time for the con-
temptation of their OWN achievements.
my subject Is: The Function of the
General Passenger Agent in World
making. When l speak Of the world I
do not mean that ill-tavored entity
classed in Scripture with the flesh and
the devil, for it Is my purpose to steer
clear of the Scylla and Charybdis Of
politics and religion in my effort to
sail this oratorical craft. 1 mean the
world which grows buster every day
and better still every round it makes
on its orbit, in whose making the gem
eral passenger agent has mad hand.
The history OF civilization is ex-
ceedingly brief. The achievements in
mechanical cr,s, mode OF living, edu-
cation of the masses, and the means
OF communication and transportation
OF the past fifty years count for moro
than oil the preceding ages OF the
world have accomplished With tho
exception OF literature and art, we
have discarded the past, and the most
casual observer cannot fail TO note
that the best means of communication
and transportation always accompany
the highest forms OF civilization.
Roads are the measure OF civilization
and in certain sense the cause OF the
material and intellectual progress OF q
people. Roads make commerce and
make 1t in exact proportion to their
excellence. To show what the railroad
has done and is doing would require
the time and talents of thousand
writer's, for the history of modern
| civilization would have to be re- written.
"Ihe transportation interests In the
world are most stupendous and 1t is q
fact there has not been time in the re-
cent history of America when the
mileage .of the United States was nos
largely in excess of the demand for
transportation, and in that fact lies the
secret of our country's remarkable de-
velopment. A factor whose Importance
cannot be overestimated In this Is the
efficient general passenger agent,
the level-headed, far-seeinR creator
OF lines into undevcloped regions. He
Is the pilot, for he leads the leviathan
OF commerce to waters too rich with
prey, and thrice blessed 10 the company
whose general passenger agent Is
master of his art. Every train handles
its quota OF passengers who travel not
because they must, but because they
are allured by the enticing arts of,the
general passenger agent"