The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-18

Names through the directory
through the letter &C" were SO called
when President Forbes announced that
Mr.. Dave would then give the Club
members something 10 think about.
Mr.. DAVE then delivered the speech
OF the evening, saying:
Gentlemen of the Commercial Club:.I
ask for your patience on this fes-
i've occasion. while l say a few words
that are extremely earnest and SER
Qua though. at the same time, they
VIII have Joyous aspect. want to
speak to you OF that which lies very
near to the hearts OF many of us.
your own city Montgomery.
Let me-lead up to II by first wander
ing far afield. Some of US love out
door nature. We take pleasure in our
the growth and we feel definite de-
light when the green shoot shows up
through the soil in the spring time.
But. after all. what is the chief JOY
OF watching things grow? Is 1t In
realizing that the shoot is the promise
of the flower? II is the joy Of antic-
ipation. looking forward from the tiny
beginning to the fruits beautiful
completion.
Some Of us love children. We are
glad to have them prattle around US.
A great deal Of our love is involved
In the very idea that the child IL mere
ly promise of greater things at ma
turity. All the hopes of all the ages,
as embodied In thoughtful minds gath
err around the cradle, for the cradle
means care. watchfulness, tender res
training of the tongues. the removal
of thorns that might hurt. All this
service to the child is the best part Of
human nature and yet II has its de-
lightfully selfish aspect; for we expect
the service to bring growth and to
lead to the fruitage of mature life,
which lie always beautiful when. a
child has been well brought up.
But the seed shoots up through the
ground. bears flowers, fruits and passes
away giving promise OF another gem
GRAFTON to follow when It Is gone. The
child grows to Uanhood, does man
hoods tasks and also passes away,
leaving behind works well done to
help another generation.
Why this philosophical thought?
( Because I want you to see parallel
between the grass of the field and the
children and our own city. Years ago,
some of your earnest men declared in
their hearts that there should be and
must be greater and better Mont
gomery than you knew at that time.
They patiently planted the seed OF
their efforts. For years 1t seemed to
have fallen into dry ground and to
have persisted. But at last has come
the spring with its majestic Change
from seeming death to budding life.
ask you to look at this picture
which hold in my hand. / call 1t
The Rising Montgomery" made
since o'clock this afternoon by our
FRIEND Coleman) Bear in mind that not
one of these large buildings now before
your eyes as you walk the streets was
finished or in some cases, begun, two
years ago. The city going through
as marvellous a change as your garden
under the influence of moisture and
warmth. But what we now see Is sim
ply the first green shoot and you who
love nature or you who love children,
may see in these changes that have
come within two years, a promise of
! more changes. as surely as you see
promise of more in vegetation ana In
childhood. Where the few planted, the
many see. Where the few labored and
toiled the many kept on their selfish
way, the many now begin to realize the
advantage OF such toll.
/ want you therefore, in this spring
season, to Hook upon Montgomery as
1t is. feel the Influence of a benign
spring and promising growth and de-
velopment. But when the precious
thereupon neglect it, or when the little
one shows BY temper or misbehaviour
its imperfections. do you thereupon
cease to give 1t care or thought? Not
The budding life calls for more care
and thought and thus it is with your
city.
What you see now is only promise
Of things to come and those things TO
come will depend for their great per-
faction fhnnzhf q
solemn devotion to the city's affairs CT
every thoughtful man in the city.
whether he had anything to do with
the planting originally or not.
Il came in the winter time. typical
almost Of the despair some offyou felt.
We have lived to see the spring time
of renewed hope and purpose. When
l first came here / was inclined to say
in your hearing, time after time. We
must have the Atlanta spirit 1 want
to say in your hearing that II things
move forward in this city as they have
been doing and as they promise to do,
1 will never more speak Of the Atlanta
spirit in your hearing, but will ever
more speak of the Montgomery spirit.
Do not let any man for moment turn
your mind aside from the conviction
that the Montgomery Spirit is. 1t may
not be universal through the city yet,
but the Montgomery Spirit Is and 1t is
Montgomery Spirit that has brought the
changes so far. Those changes form
the foundation for a new faith in which
every man of you can go out into the
streets Of this city declaring to- every
other man that Montgomery is destined
to be great; that everything is ready
for Montgomery to lead in develop
ment and that you. with every other
man. are called upon to speak posi-
lively. with confidence. and speak with
determination every time Montgomery
is mentioned in conversation. The
Spirit of Montgomery. as see 1t. Is
one that calls for much earnest devo-
ton as yet on your part. 1t is one
that should echo and re-echo through
every highway and byway of this city
until the city itself. every man. woman
and child. is alive with the spirit. ready
to do their little even If it only means
to speak more encouragingly of the
greater Montgomery that is sure to be
If we only have the faith to declare 1t
to one another. day after day. week
after week and month after month.
AS I said before, the plant perishes
but leaves promise for another year.
the man passes away. but his works
live after him. The city is more en-
during than the plant or the man. and
long after we have passed away, the
city in it's great development and its
noble lines will live to tell of the
Spirit of Montgomery. of these years
of effort as the foundation principle of
a new centre of enterprise and of sue
cess and Of happy human life in the
Capital City of our great State.
"Do not look upon these words as
imaginative. They are seriously true.
-