The Tupelo journal., 1905-07-21
SPEECH OF E. L. RUSSELL.

| and appreciation for the homo
you have conferred upon me tha
+ can scarcely trust myself Il
make a speech. Unfortunately
| had an acute attack Of indiges
tion a couple of days ago, and
| find myself quite weak today, bu
| will endeavor to say something
to my old friends.
/ The power Of speech is mad
equate to express what I reall j
think of this occasion.
/ For the people of Verona
| when | am many miles away, en-
| gagged in the pursuits of life, tx
pause in their busy lives and ar.
range an. Ed Russell Day. day
lis one of the highest tributes, in
my judgement, that could be paic
to man who was a barefoot
boy in your village, running about
on your hills some forty or fifty
years ago. Such a tribute is one
of the greatest that any people
can pay to any man who had
gone from their midst to fight
the great battle Of life upon the
broad ocean where all contending
factors are ever in active conflict.
| am pa t and parcel of the
history of Verona. / can state
positively that at one time in its
history this village had the high
est standard of intelligence and
patriotic citizenship of any town,
not only within the border Of the
great state of Mississippi, but |
believe, within the bounds of
this great Union. DR.. Weir knows
all this. for he preached to us the
lights of the gospel, and taught
our young daughters. giving them
valuable lessons in life, and he
knows from experience that the
old fathers of the city were as
fine specimens of real substantial
citizenship as could be found in
in any community in this country.
They were devoted to business,
they were Christian gentlemen,
they were broad in their sympa-
thies, and | today attribute what
little success | have achieved in
life to the sympathetic influence
that | received from the grand
old fathers of the town of Verona.
They advised me, when | was a
boy how to behave myself, how to
conduct myself. They took as
much interest in me as my own
father could haves done and as
| grew up they continued to ad-
wise me. They not only stretch
ed out the arm of sympathy, but
gave me every comfort and aid
at the beginning of my career.
The people of Verona put my
foot in the stirrup, and I have
been enabled to make the race
of life successfully by the start
which was given me by the
dear friends faces who look into
mine today. 1t has been a prin-
ciple of my life to show more
gratitude, affection and appreci-
alton for the lower round of the
ladder than for the top round
In reaching the summit, the low
er round Of the ladder is just as
essential as the top round, and |
have made it a point, when /
have reached an altitude, not to
forget the means by which | took
the first step.
I am sorry | am not strong to-
day. / had a very great many
things had intended to say to
you. | lived right over yonder
for two years, and also lived a
mile and a half from here. In
1855, before the railroad was
built, this was all woods There
was little log Baptist church
right out FOUNDER, and my father
made me go to Sunday school
there and to hear the gospel
preached. In the winter of 1859-60
the frst locomotive ever saw
stood atthe crossing of FOUNDER
street with the railroad track.
| came from the field with my
pants rolled up, and looked up
on this application of steam to
practical purposes with amaze
ment, and thought it was the
most wonderful sight that human
eyes had ever beheld. Little
did dream I would ever have
any connection with the great
corporation that had inaugurated
this enterprise, or that | would
ever be at the head Of the great
artery Of commerce that runs
through this town, country and
state. used to have my day
dreams when | was plowing corn
and hoeing cotton, but they were
but castles in the air of a boy
working in the field, toiling IN
the hot sun, and like a mirage
of the desert disappeared when
the sun went out Of sight. But
as I have stated owing to the in.
4uences in this community, by
which / was surrounded in my
early manhood, twas made pos
IL