Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1908-06-18
ADDRESS OF
JOSIAH HOWARD
At the Board OF Trade Banquet
June s, 1908.
"UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WEFALi'


| have been asked to say something
as 20 tie ways and means Of improving
trade conditions in Emporium and
Cameron county. Of course, it is nee
essary first to find out how anxious our
people are to help themselves, and to be
benefited thereby From what know
of our people. and what | have seen
and heard tonight | would say that
we were like "Nliss Mary ANA Muir
phv," who was out boat riding with
'Mr. Mike Finnegan" one evening,
and, rs they were rowing along on the
river. Mike said, "Mary Ann, | want
YOU to marry me; and if you are any
ways bashfu about saying yes just
please rock the boat and | will know
what YOU mean" Mary Ann immed-
lately rocked the boat so hard that
they were both upset, and when Mike
had succeeded in rescuing Mary Ann,
said, "Begorra, didn't know you low
ed me so much"
think we all feel the same way, and
don't care if we do get a ducking in
trying to find out where we stand.
The first settler came to Emporium
in 1910 and in two years it will be time
for us to celebrate our first centennial.
This Board of Trade has taken hold of
matters and it would not be surprising
if in the two years intervening before
1910 we improved as much as we have
in all of the ninety.eight years past.
BY this do not mean that we should
at all cultivate the spirit of making
this boom town, but that we should
settle once for all the fact that Empori-
um is here to stay, and to stay as
growing community. Our location is
magnificent, our transportation facil-
tiles are fine; and the spirit of the peo
pie is such as belongs to an energetic,
law abiding, and progressive com
munity.
Each man can improve himself and
his conditions working separately and
alone, but the experience Of civiliza-
ton is that we grow by doing things,
and we develop by association and CO.
operation with others. When we all
believe this axiom as firmly as we be-
lieve the immutability of the multipli-
cation table, then we will have the best
schools to teach us the most up-to- date
methods, we will have the best churches
to teach us the only true end of civil
ization, and we will have the best pub
lie roads and the closest commercial
relations with all the neighboring cities
and peoples whom we can reach.
The only question that concerns us
is a practical plan of ways and means
to begin this work. All growth in the
animal and vegetable world, and | al
so wish to add the business world,
must be from within. The tree grows
from its roots up, the animal grows
from its stomach out, and business
grows from the energy, and industry,
and intelligence of it's management,
All society and all business is made up
of healthy component parts, and if we
each individually see that our individ
ual methods are clean and vigorous,
then the community's methods will be
clean and vigorous. So the best part
of our work must be in laying this
clean and vigorous foundation indii
vidually, and then cementing it to-
gther with patriotic civic pride.
This is all very nice talk, but the pes
simist will say that he cannot see any
-aoYltg froY,, cncb tolk
The difference between the pessimist
And the optimist is quite droll,
The optimist sees the doughnut,
The pessimist sees only the hole.
/ have only one subject this evening
to present to you which l think is feas.
ible for Cameron county. Every tai
oak from small acorn grew; every
large insurance company developed
from the individual efforts of hal
dozen organizers. The New York Life
the Mutual Life, the Massachusetts Life
Northwestern Life, and all other grea
life insurance companies grew from th,
same kind of a beginning. The same
way with all our large fire insurance
COth IJdllcS' luc 5tllC way WItH dl
our large Industries. If Lyons can b.
noted for her silks Administer ant
Brussels for their carpets, Emporium
could be noted for her insurance com
panies. | say companies because
eventually we might have three or fou
with their headquarters in our littl
borough. | have been thinking tn
matter over some for the last few
weeks, and am willing, with your as
sistance, to attempt the organization