The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-13

were closed to allow inspection. The in
terror of the new building was tastefully
decorated and refreshments were served by
the Tippecanoe County w. c. 7. u.
Governor Durbin was warmly received as
he arose to speak. In part he said:
This beautiful structure testifies to the
valuation which men of large affairs, direc-
tors of great business enterprises, place on
the work of the Young Mems Christian AS
ISOLATION. not merely as a religious organi-
cation, but as a power for the physical and
of philanthropy in part prompted this UNI
dertaking 1 have doubt, and yet we
would not tonight be throwing open the
doors OF this building If the organization
demonstrated beyond question its ability to
elevate the morale and increase the useful
ness of the man behind the machine in the
shops and on the right of way of this great
system. / would not know where to look
for a finer tribute to that Christianity in
earnest exemplified by the Young Mems
Christian Association than is to be found
In the fact that corporations controlling II
per cent of the mileage of railroads in the
United States last year contributed to its
work; than In the testimony borne by such
men as George j. Gould, John d. Rockefel-
ler w. H. Truesdale E. P. Ripley. NJ E.
ingalls, and our good friend, w. H. McDoel,
who honors us with his presence tonight;
it. that the standard of efficiency and abil-
ity of railroad men has been immeasurably
raised by reason of the work of the Associa-
tion.'
''It is not surprising that the far-seeing
men whose genius and enterprise have
placed them in control of the active man.
agement of the great railroad systems of
that in improving the roadbed and replacing
the rolling stock they have not exhausted
ginning to realize, all of us, and men of
large affairs most of all, that while this is
an age of machinery. ii is, beyond this an
age of men, that more important even than
,tv,A ID thn l41 i'll -
the smoke of battle, when it rose from the
scene of the two naval engagements which
made our war with Spain glorious to Amer
lean arms. doomed In large proportions the
man behind the gun. He had faced an
enemy which had on paper navy equal to
our own. Our operations were against
fleets which, II inferior In total displace-
ment. at any rate had been built along
modern lines and were equipped with guns
which should have done great execution
Yet our vessels came out of these two en-
gagements practically unframed. Naval
battles are no longer fought hand to hand
over the blood-stained decks of ships dashed
together. but the man behind the gun, even
on that vast mass Of machinery called the
modern battleship, is still the cause of vic
tory or the solution of defeat
I'm the same measure the man behind the
machine is the secret of a nations indus
trial strength or weakness. The commits
sion Of English workingmen which recently
went home after visiting a dozen of our
great manufacturing centers found much to
admire III thc cdu.pucht VI our SHOPS ana
mills. but. after all. they found the expIa-
nation of the marvellous strides our country
has made in recent years as an industrial
power in the American workingman-the
most alert, the most efficient. the most in
telligcnt type OF the wage-earner to be found
in all the world.
First among all great business enter
prises in realizing the superiority Of en-
lightened labor have been the railroads
of the country. and they have. after ex-
tended experimentation along other lines.
come to an appreciation of the Young Men 5
Christian Association as the most useful
cal improvement. or all enterprises the
railroad is most dependent upon the indi-
vidual empioye. In other industries there
has been centralization and specialization
OF employment But the railroad continues
TO stretch over an immense area and 70
place heavy responsibility on the individual
The whole machinery - Of no avail e an