The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-06-16
MEMORIAL SERVICES
FOR KNIGHTS OF RAIL

Rev. Gerald Culberson Praises BROTH
erhood Railway Trainmen for High
Character and Courage OF Members.
Rev. Gerald Culberson, pastor OF
the First Christian church, Longview,
Texas. preached the annual memorial
sermon to the brotherhood OF Railway
Trainmen by special request last
night in Seventh-Street Christian
church He was pastor OF the Third
Christian church here four years ago.
and has scores OF friends in the city,
especially among the trainmen. He
said in part:
r A number Of our friends and broth
ers have been called before the Great
Trainmaster and Chief of all trainmen
with their precious cargoes since that
hour, when / last addressed you upon
that good old timers text: Il will run
according to thy commandments"
Upon the sapphire carpet of His Ce-
lestial office they are signing off duty
for Il well earned rest. And we want
their memories to be fresh in our
hearts tonight. This service will he
incomplete unless we levy upon our
minds tribute for those whose eyes
have covered the road before ours.
whose hands grappQed first the hard
iron and who did much to make the
way smoother or clearer for our feet.
Truly they have labored and we en-
ter into their labors with our path OF
duty made the more plain. I can re-
call two tonight whose outgoing
seemed tragic and sorrowful enough
yet they left no shadows behind, and
there's no bitterness in their cup As
it is passed on to US. For both of
them were stalwart Christian men.
The other. who though frightfully
scalded until the flesh clave from the
bone. his eyes closed forever, though
| his heart was active to know and
love. gathered us about him. and had
us sing as best we could. Nearer
My God to Thee"
Spirit of Mercy.
Friends, vhen / think OF these.
along with IL thousand other tender
, emotions. have experienced in my as
sociations with the trainmen OF Rich
mond, | do not count il strange that
/ am in your midst today, for this
witness which we may together make
for the spirit that works In us for
mercy.
/ have wondered much since your
! invitation came to me in that fas-
away Texas city. why you should want
/ me above others TO be here. and I
i,
save the fact that wherever I've gone
since / was in your midst, have said
I that the railroad men OF Richm fond,
i Va, were not only the finest group IT
/ railroad men | ever. saw, but were IA
| fine type OF Christian men as could he
( found anywhere.
+ All that Is good. all virtuous, honor
able that comes to bless and vitalize
all that would moderate the asperitie.
i 81 ~ Hi.
: Fre-enant 1t of too great danger. and
too much of the shadow OF death is OF
! God. He is the good Father OF iigh,
and life with whom there is no vari.
abieness, neither shadow OF turning
I He Is the one whose hand is SO mani
testify benevolent that he is not will
ing that any should perish. but that all
should come into life everlasting,
Now. unless 1t be the government it.
self. there is no finer example OF the
divine in humanity working out the
system and model for perfect co-or-
dination. Standardization. and distri
button of man power in terms OF time
and energy than we have in the grea1
railroad units of today. / am not in.
GLIDING the church in this category
since we would regard her as distinctly
spiritual In genius But by a studiou.
application through The years. by in
genuity in mind and hand, by long and
! expensive processes here Is presented
a system for the service and transpor-
tation of persons and properties. sc
/ promptly and dependably, that were
We not SO familiar with ii as to looh
upon it as a common place, we would
be amazed and incredulous. II Cyrus
Field could and did honor Almighty
God in the first message over ths
newly-laid Atlantic cable. What won
ders God hath wrought" No les:
could He be honored today. If some
one should arise TO ascribe to Him the
marvellous achievements In the railwa,
enterprise of today. It's long wa,
from Stephenson's first little steam
engine. or even the old diamond-stacks
OF a generation or two ago. to tht
monster compounds OF today-fron
the old link and pin couplers. and the
huskies with hrake-sticks In hand
Iclinging to sleet-covered running
board; to the ease with which moderr
TRAINS of hundred cars are made to-
gether now and controlled with littl,
more than the weight OF "A mans hand
And what Is more to our point: Thos.
days when railroad mans life was 9
greater hazard than any other avoca
ton among men; when the road wa.
so marked by blood stains OF both pas
sengers and crew. that they were calleS
The Death Route. Skull and Bones
Limited. and freight terminals wer'
known as slaughter pens When Their.
was a mean wage and no protection TO
the unfortunate. either from employer
or brotherhoods
/ There is story somewhere of ole
Mary sullivan, who ran boarding
house for a bunch of railroad boys il
.Chicago in the early days. One da,
a big stalwart green country boy from
the Piedmont section OF Virginia, wal
brought into her presence by one o.
the shifter's crew. when she hailet
him thus: And it is a railroad mar
you would intend to be il 1t, me boy
and shure and for why? Ye are 1
gintleman and why be like a duck II
1.-The SALARY Desert amongst the spal
poems in that business. Me boy, Nv,
run a railroad boarding house TO
Years, and I've seen one hundred
of them come and go over m,
threshold. One day with fine sui
av clothes and jag on, and next with
their poor knees asticking through
their trousers. It's the life OF dog ant
la yaller one at that. me boy. Toda,
sound and hearty and tomorrow
smashed into flinders or bowling on