The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-03-19

have said, and | do not repeat II
with idle hattery that this will be the
best and most profitable convention
ever held i'm Norfolk and | hope our
people will take advantage of the OPP
portunity of listening to the exchange
of ideas by the different speakers dur
ing this session.
We have made preparations for
your entertainment and we expect to
treat you with such courtesy that you
will remember Norfolk with kindly
feelings. We want you to visit our
business houses and become acquaint-
ed with our merchants.
Norfolk not only wants to extend
her interest commercially, but also
socially | am strong believer in
good fellowship between cities. We
are individually interested in our own
community We are, or should be,
collectively interested in the entire
state. hope that this convention
will not only be a profitable one, but
pleasant one, and when you have
finished your labors and turned your
faces homeward IT will be with that
fond recollection that the 1909 con
vention of commercial clubs was held
i'm Norfolk, the best little city on the
face of the globe. and now Mr.. Presi-
dent and gentlemen of the convention,
thank you.
President killian Speaks.
The mayor was followed by A. L..
Killian, who welcomed the visitors to
Norfolk on behalf of the Commercial
club. Mr. Killian said:
In behalf of the Norfolk Commercial
club | welcome you to our city We
are proud to have you with us. We
had two fold purpose in inviting
the state commercial clubs to meet
in Norfolk. The first purpose was to
show the rest of the state our little
city and the second still more selfish
purpose-that of getting ideas that
we are confident will prove profitable
to us. We hope that you will derive
as much benefit as we and when you
return to your own homes you will
feel that your time in Norfolk has been
pleasantly ard profitably spent.
In the last few years commercial
clubs over Nebraska have accom-
plished many good things. they have
been instrumental in building roads
and bridges, they have paved streets,
installed water works and light plants,
and built public buildings. They have
influenced legislation that is proving
beneficial to thousands. These are
only a few of their many accomplish
ments and there are yet hundreds of
things to do.
Every town or city needs some or
ganization that will take hold of things
and push them without these organi-
cations nothing can be done. We can
only wish that this or that might be
done but there is no one to go ahead.
Commercial clubs have filled this
want and have been a great boon to
every community that is fortunate
enough to have such an organization:
There is lot of hard work and
unplcasantness connected with com
mercial club work. yet most of us
are glad that we are able to do some
thing for the benefit of the city or
town in which we live. There a"e
many things to contend with that
should not be and perhaps we our
selves are blocking the way for some
other fellow who has a good idea but
which does not meet our approval
and we are not broad enough to see
that his opinion is better than oul
own.
The other day | read something in
the funny column that perhaps illus
trates pretty well our position in
these things at times.
A man travelling said to the porter
on the train, Sam is Jnis train safe?'
Safe as any, sah,' assured the por
ter. well. is there a block system OF
this road?" "Block system, boss?
Why, we hab the greatest block sys
TEN in the world. Ten miles back
heah we were blocked by a load Of
hay, six miles back we were blocked
by a mule, just now we are blocked
by a COW, and | reckon when we gets
further souf we'll be blocked by ar
alligator. Block system, boss? Well
ah guess.
| wonder if many of our clubs are
blessed with this sort of a block sys
TEN. Outwardly everything is run
ming smoothly but perhaps there are
hindrances that we know nothing
about | wonder if | myself or some
other fellow is not the load of hay
that is blocking some of the gooc
things we might do.
There is a necessity of harmony II
these organizations. Lack of har
mony does not mean open outbreaks
If there were that sort we would
, know better how to deal with them
If some other fellow has something
to offer give it due consideration, ant
if it is good idea buckle in and pusl
it along. A man once said, Il can bu!
brains for $25 week but | am will
ing to pay 800 for ideas"
There's a lot of meaning in the lint
of distinction which he drew. Every
day intelligence is not so rare, the ca
pacity to execute is not so difficult t
find. Brains are pretty evenly dis
tributed and modern educational ad
vantages are doing much to shap
them up. But the idea man, the mai
who is capable of creating not from
the materials given him ready to pu
| together but out of the blue ethe
original result producing ideas, he /
almost as rare as robin at Christ
mas time. When some fellow pre-
poses something new don't squelc
/, him because you are afraid he'll &c
h little more credit than you. If yo
, have a better idea than his and ca
prove it then you are entitled to cor
p sideratiOn.
Rivalry is productive of the hes
i al Il .A n