The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-19
A LOCOMOTIVE AS A CITIZEN.
col. wRENN ADDRESSES THE PAS
sENGER AND TICKET AGENTS.


the Locomotive, Pictured as One OF
the Earth's Greatest civiIiEers.
r,ichmond Va, March 1S.-The semi
annual meeting Of the American Associa-
ZION Of Passenger and Tickets Agents,
ggbieb has been in session here for two
dovs adjourned sine die this morning. and
rbe visitors were given a tally-ho drive
10 Lakeside park, pretty suburban re-
sort.
v.as the reading of an address 10 have
In delivered by b. w Wrenn of the
plant system. He was unayoidably alb
mt and d. b. Martin Of the Big Four
read mis- manuscript.
col Wrenn'S address toiloWs.
ceUfiemen of the American Association
~ General Passenger and Ticket Agents:
Were half as happy in the art OF speech
Is I am happy in the privilege 10 ADDRESS
% many OF the members OF this assOcia-
lion i'm the city of Richmond the pride
and adOrnment of my native state-a city
Sar,ed alike for its historic past and the
incomparable hospitality of its people
then might / trust to gid the lily ana
,,aint the rose" TO the delighted fancy of
asven the most aesthetic general passenger
agent on earth and give some compensa-
ton for the patience OF your nearing;
II is "A pleasure far beyond the bounds OF
trivial enjoyment to meet with the men
Who make up this ORGANIZATIONS prlvl-
iege to be priced. You play no inconslder-
abla mart in the citizenship of a continent
ana stand for that homogeneous American
type of progressive manhood that Is to
be found in the railroad world of North
America, whether your home be IN the
United States Canada or Mexico.
In this busy age of WOrk-a-day life; par
ticularly with respect TO the held OF labor
in which we are engaged, struggling with
The perplexing problems that confront us
daily ID is no trifiing task to undertake
discourse with which one may reasonably
hone to entertain an audience consisting
of the bright and bouyant spirits, the
ready minds and dauntless hearts that
direct the vigorous tide of passenger traffic
Of the most progressive half of this world.
Swallowed by the conscious doubt of
achieving success in the duty that brings
which I might present sufficiently out of
;he old beaten path to give some slight
scope for suggestive thought or mo-
pent's entertainment. l thought about
The great world of strife, of din and con-
fusion. the turmoil and discord of this
modern age of business and of the part
the general passenger agent plays there
in but banished the distracting picture
with the instantaneous realization that
this was the last subject for an Grafton at
such a time as this. l thought about
the wondrous history of American rail-
roads: how they have grown about this
hemisphere like some friendly vine to
give support to every tendril of interna-
tional growth; how the stage coach of
former days has rusted by the wayside,
where now fly the gilded wheels of mod
ern travel. and how, like magic, in so
short a time nations have been linked i'm
close commercial embrace by rail and
crosstie; but to discourse upon such his
tory before the very men who make it
would be tame and commonplace at best.
While thinking along this line, the din
and dust of the busy streets below min
Cling with the soothing lullaby of rail-
road bells and the busy hum of industry
from the factories close at hand, far
out over the busting streets of a splen-
did city my eyes leisurely wandered to
the suburban delights of rural land
scapes, just far enough away to look hazy,
repOseful, dreamy and inviting, and so
pleasing the picture of rest, contentment
and peace, l thought surely l must leave
Cd the noisy whirl Of railroad life to find
entertaining subjects for modern railroad
men. But the dreamy landscape soon was
changed A scene of life and vigorus ac-
ton was the transformation when out
ing fields like some proud monarch clad
i'm armOr of black leading with strong,
triumphant hand his train of willing cap
ives and his precious cargoes from the
great commercial centers far beyond
out from the forests and over the fields
came the conqueror; l saw the great
gusts of steaming breath from his fiery
throat and heard his piercing shout of
triumph, which plainly seemed to say:
saw this picture, and / gazed in admira-
ton upon the subject of my theme-our
fellow citizen, the Locomotives!
Not a century ago he came among us
His first long march was from Charles
ton across the picturesque little state of
South Carolina to a point on the Savan-
hundred miles ever made by a locomotive
in the world. Only since 1880, then, may
he be given credit to citizenship, but dur
ing this comparatively brief time who
can undertake to tell of his achievements?
who can describe the value of his public
service? Hand in hand with the men of
means of this country who have given
him friendly recognition he has gone
about the marvellous accomplishments of
his life-work and holds the strange office
to-day of being both the slave and the
master of men. He pays his taxes to the
general government, and, while he holds
strictly to his path of private life, de-
mands rightful recognition from the body
polite. Not only does he pay his taxes
10 the states. but in many instances is
made to give tribute unto each town and
county through which his course may be
directed by the demands of the public he
serves ssn They why; forsooth, Is he not
scope of usefulness of American citizen
ship thing of high national Importance?
To tell of his service in the material ad-
civilization and the elevation of society
would be to open an endless book and say,
Behold! To tell of his labors as a mis-
sionary, his work for the publication of
the soul, would be to stand aside in the
dark and point far into the dense shades
OF night with the golden stream of life
and light from his headlamp as it makes
silver of the rails leading over the noun
tain crags to the darkened lands beyond
Wherever that light has penetrated there
men have been made better and more
worthy of their Creators image, Count
le99 cnuFcneS ana ScnoolnouSeS nave
sprung up beside the path of that bright
name as it sped along through new lands
Of illiteracy and crime and mankind has
neen brought to rejoice in the dawn of a
brighter day made all the more glorious
because of the long dark night through
out which they had been passing. Were
called upon to name that
winch most strongly illustrates
oIe mission of this prince in black armor
abroad in our land 1 would point to the
amp that leads him on-the jewel on his
breast as he daShes forth beneath the
Stars while others sleep, hurting myriads
.! crystal lights upon the dewdrops along
ms path, Transforming the land he in
sdqeS into a veritable fairyland of life
alQ light and obtruding upon the lazy
Healtations of great nature with his cla-
ron shout of triumph.