The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1922-09-15
"OI.D FIFTY-TWO"

| MS editorial IL not our own. III
fact, il was not originally written As
an editorial II is so good, however,
that we do not hesitate to place it on
our editorial page. II sounds like our
' old friend "Safed the Sage" whose
philosophy we are accustomed to read
| with delight. though it appeared
| anonymously in the Christian Century,
| from whose pages it is extracted. 1t
il published for the benefit of the many
who are inclined ut times to believe
| that they are WORKOUT engines haul
| ing freights on branch line:
Once upon time there was II worlds
Fair in Buffalo. And there was n rail
way that ran into Buffalo from the re
gion towards the going down of the
sun. And its officers said among
themselves: "Go to. Let us run Il train
against time, and pcradvcnture We
shall beat the worlds record for long
: run"
And they took two new locomotives
| that had been built to haul the Empire
| State Express, and they brought one
| Of them to Chicago, and the other they
placed at Collinwood, which was mid
way and nigh unto Cleveland.
And the first of these fine new loco
motives left Chicago, hauling II bagg
! age ear and day coach and a parlor
! ear. And in the parlor ear were the
officers of the company. And they
had instruments whereby to register
/ speed.
And the fine new locomotives pulled
out of Chicago and fastened toward
the sunrise. And ii made II good run,
hut when il pulled into Collinwood
| il was three minutes under the worlds
record for that distance.
And the officers said; "rhis will
never do. The other new locomotive
| must do better"
And rs they were starting To hook
up the other new locomotive, behold!
| they discovered broken valve, And
, they said:"Wc cannot use that locomo-
tive"
Then were their hearts heavy. hut
they said: "Give us an engine of some
SOFT, for we must get to Buffalo"
And the yardmastcr said: "Bchold,
| we have only one locomotive in the
yards with steam up, and that IS old
iifty-two that years ago went of the
main line and hath long been hauling
local freight on branch line"
Aud the officers said: "Give rs any
thing that hath wheels and boiler,
for we must get on to Buffalo"
So they hooked up old iifty-two.
Now. the engineer Of old fifty-two
was no longer young; but In his day
he had been great engineer, md he
knew his engine. And he said: "Old
gIl, we will give them lun for their
money"
Now, the officers were sitting in
sackcoth and ashes, when they chanc-
cd 10 look out Of the window, and, bc-
hold! the telegraph poles went by like
"A picket fence. And they looked ut
their Instruments, and, behold! they
were going siXty-f0ur miles an hour.
And they began to sit up and take
notice.
And after "A time they looked, and,
hcholdl they were going seventy miles
an hour
And they became greatly inter ested.
And the fireman was sprinkling IN
the coal and keeping the steam prcSs
urc just where it belonged and, be
hold! the train climbed up 10 eighty
four miles an hour. And when they
pulled into Buffalo the telegraph in
atr,nnents along the way were hot
with the reports Of the flight of that
train.
And the worlds record for long
distance run was broken.
Now listen unto me, all yc men who
stand idly upon lifc's sidetrack think
ing that there il no great place in life
for you. Hauling freight on n branch
line IL no disgrace, but highly honor
able. Yet nc there men who are fool
ing away life On short hauls Of less
than calload lots who ought to get out
onto lifc's main track and actually get
there. Christian Advocate.