The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-03-17
A PLEASANT GATHERING.
For Employees and officials OF the Ten
ney Corporation.

ney Corporation.
The third annual dinner of the repre-
sentatives of the Montpelier g. Barre
Light & Power company and the Barre
and Montpelier Traction g. Po-=er com.
pany was held last evening in Bailey
hall. Montpelier. to the mutual enjoy
ment of about three score employees and
a half dozen officials. Not even the fail
ure of Levin J. Chase manager of the
Concord Electric Co., who was to be the
principal after dinner speaker, to ap-
pear, he having been Detained near
| Woodsville, N. H., by a derailmeDt, suf-
feed TO spoil the banquet, although those
who did make brief remarks assured their
listeners that because Of the accident
they had been robbed of the pleasure of
| listening to a most forceful and enter
tanning speaker.
| The fifteen tables, each tastefully sur
mounted by pink and white carnations,
were surrounded by the employees, with
half dozen at each table. During the
dinner an orchestra of three pieces fur
nished selections.
Manager FL. d. Larabee of Montpelier
officiated as toastmaster and after re-
gretfully explaining the absence. of Mr..
Chase, facetiously introduced Attorney
Fred +. Gleason. The latter proved to
be an excellent entertainer and delight
his hearers with clever stories, departing
only once from his humorous remarks to
touch upon the value OF preparedness. He
urged the employees to be ready always,
any time of the day or night, 10 re-
spond to a call, and by forever being
prepared for an emergency they would i
be more efficient TO the organization.
Miss Louise Barber followed Mr.. Glea
son with reading. 'Ruggies' Christmas
Dinner" rendered IN such an excellent
manner that 1t called from the diners
much applause and from the toastnaster
the remark that there was an example /
OF preparedness. Later in the program
Miss Barber gave second reading. fully I
as enjoyable as the first.
Preparedness also ran through the /
remarks made by II. T. Sands OF Bos-
ton and the speaker, touching on the
dilatory tactics OF Congress in consider
ing the question, when it should be ap-
parent to the law makers as well as to
every American citizen what their duty
should be, said that much of the attitude
was due to a Characteristic of the Amer
can people, the trait of indifference. "We
irc not willing" insisted Mr.. Sands, "to
think for ourselves, too willing to let
politicians and newspapers act and think
'or u.s. we only read the headlines in the
newspapers"
Mr.. Sands said that in his opinion, a
known as a public service
should not be designed by
uch title, but should be called what
he believed it is, servant of the peo-
lie. Corporations are only combination
II brains and capital. individuals banded
.ogether. If reformers could be be-
ieved. said the speaker, corporations are
o blame for most of bad conditions ]
which exist.
Reformers he divided into three sep :
rate classes, the political reformer, who :
lays to the galleries and looks for !,
he evils which exist and wishes to OBJ =
terate them in single day, and third. =
he reformer, who from press, stage or
delivers statements about
'hich he knows practically nothing. All, :,
sserted the speaker, have failed to rec II
gnize that the evils are but the natural =
of the changed conditions dur II
" the past half century and cannot be
faced for another fifty years, perhaps. =
He brought out the point that the pub y p
c sees the corporation through the eyes n
+ the employees and emphasized the =
ecessty of the employees act, being .
ich that public opinion of the corpora ~
on is fayorably determined u
The speaker also mentioned the tre- IL
endous Importance of the local cor
)ration's system to the people of the
cinity, what would happen to the com
mities if every bit of service should
ddenly cease. He said every employe, M
ON manager to coal HEAVIER, has an inn
'rtsnt duty to perform and II is the
irit in which that duty is performed os
at moulds public opinion of the com -
NY. 80
Mr.. Sands touched briefly upon the ~
story of the Tenney company. the first
rchase made by Charles II. Tenney and pa
associates in 1900 of the Springfield
Il company. Gradually other eompa- VI
Is were acquired, not by c. H. Tenney &c
a his friends but by thousands OF F IF.e
,ekholders. The Tenneys are but en- NJ NJ
ives of directors and stockholders. said -
+. Sands, and hold their position by 20
ing results. 70
In closing Mr.. Sands said that he felt SIR
lt they might expect the public should 10
ord them the right to be successful ye'
4 the corporation should be given the hu
ne treatment as the successful bust Pr
$ house. Praise should be given where "
e and by the same token. censure APP leg
ed where criticism Is necessary. Cor Ne
-ations, said the speaker. are only col sh'
tions OF human beings, and are not in TOT
lible. Ian
g., Hs....- sci