Thousands of employees and friends of the Rock Island Lines took part in the various tree-planting ceremonies held on October 10, as a feature of the Seventieth Anniversary celebration of this railroad. This feature developed into one of the most interesting of the celebration-one in which patrons and friends of the Rock Island could join with employees of the company.
In some of the Rock Island towns, the stores were closed during the tree-planting ceremonies in order that all might do honor to the former Rock Island employee whose life was spent in that particular locality. The ceremonies everywhere were fitting tributes from all concerned to those who had died in the service of the railroad which has done much toward the development of the great Middle West. The tree-planting program was uniform in all cases, whether the tree was planted to a former president or to a section foreman.
People rave about the beauty of a work of art and rightly so, because it has been abundantly proven by history that where the appreciation of the beautiful dies, the finer and higher instincts of humanity die with it. As in the case of Sparta of Old, where it was said parents could look on the destruction of their children and children the destruction of their parents without any feeling of repulsion because there every effort had been made to stamp out the beautiful and produce only a race of warriors. But no artist ever could reproduce the incomparable and majestic beauty of the tree. He who plants a tree unites himself with the plan of an ordered universe.
"For a tree can't be made by the hand of man,
it's the symbol of God's creation."
"Then summer robes it in garments of green,
While gently it lives and thrives,
And Autumn decks it in purple and gold,
In proof of the storms it survives."
"Trees herald the spring with glorious banners and leaf and bloom; they clothe the autumn in garments of gold and royal purple; bared to the winter's cold, they are the harp of the winds, and they whisper the music of the infinite spaces." - Mr. Clarence Ousley, of the United States Department of Agriculture.
A Tree's The symbol of Eternity. Its mysterious death in the Fall only to burst forth into a more resplendent life the coming summer has rendered it the favorite symbol of Eternity.
He who has not been thrilled and inspired by the story of the great and heroic accomplishments of the pioneers has failed to grasp the real and greatest meaning of the Seventieth Anniversary Celebration. They have really lived again through the good work which they did.
"But just as the leaves burst forth anew,
So all virtue lives again."
A consideration of these things led the General Committee to the inclusion of the memorial tree planting as one of the major features of the 70th Anniversary Celebration and this phase received the very cordial commendation of employees, Chambers of Commerce, Schools, churches and other organizations who were only too glad to assist in the ceremonies on tree planting day.
Efficiency experts lay great stress on what they call surprise tests to ascertain the performance record of great organizations. There was no intention to conduct such a test but the tree planting program might well have been called such and showed just 100 percent performance and efficiency, as every marker was set, tree planted and ceremony held exactly as planned and this was all the more remarkable from the fact that it was something out of the line of our organization's ordinary duty and much of the work had to be handled by wire. We would be remiss in our plain duty if we did not at this place pay high compliment to the splendid work done by Chairman Towsley, involving thousands of telegrams and letters; to Mr. R. H. Ford for his remarkably efficient work in designing and getting to tree planting points the base and markers, weighing over six hundred pounds each without one single failure; to the Superintendents upon whose shoulders there rested an enormous burden of additional and unusual labor; and to the thousands of others in and out of the Rock Island service who rendered splendid assistance with glad hearts and willing hands.
More than 100 trees were planted, and of these fourteen or one out of every seven was in honor of a former employee who gave up his life in the service of the Rock Island Lines.
"They lived again, these Rock Island Men
Who had done their work so well,
Men who thru blizzards, storms and wrecks,
Ran the trains of the R. I. L.
And some of them parted with life itself,
Fearing that someone might tell
They'd shirked their duties, and didn't stick
To their posts on the R. I. L."
(-The tree list was inserted here-)
Tree Planting Side Light
The Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce made their annual "Good Will" tour of Eastern Colorado towns just prior to the celebration and in each town announcement was made of the celebration and each town invited to send a certain number of delegates who were to be the guests of the Chamber of Commerce during their stay in Colorado Springs, and many availed themselves of this offer.
"I was very pleased to have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Wm. Hodson, Assistant Treasurer, and Sponsor for the Hugh Riddle tree. I believe that if we fellows out along the line were better acquainted with more of our officers there would be a better and perhaps more personal feeling of good will to our Company." -R. K. Cumming, Agent, Midlothian, Illinois.
"When the Rock Island Railroad built through Manhattan, Kansas, it was a town of about 2500. Immediately after the construction of the railroad the began to grow and it was because of the additional facilities offered by the Rock Island that the Kansas State Agricultural College was located here." - Judge Kimball, Manhattan, Kansas.
Hon. Albert B. Cummins, United States Senator, was one of the speakers at the Des Moines Tree Planting, in honor of the late Charles N. Gilmore.
Frank Tracy Griswold came all the way from Radnor, Penna., to act as sponsor of the tree planted in honor of his uncle, John F. Tracy at 103rd Street, Chicago, Illinois.
"The Rock Island Railroad was the first railroad to enter Iowa and it is still the first railroad in Iowa." - W. E. Warren, Trainmaster, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
"In 1888 the Rock Island paid $4000 in taxes in Seward County, Kansas, and $32000 in 1922. For several years our county could not pay school teachers until the Rock Island tax was due and paid and I want to give the Rock Island credit for keeping up our educational work in the pioneer days." - Abraham Stouter, Postmaster Liberal, Kansas, former Tax Collector.
"While I have been Agent at this Station for more than eight years, and have gradually seen our railroad grow in favor with our merchants and citizens, I believe the dinner furnished by the Chamber of Commerce and the evening's entertainment at the Masonic Temple was the most enjoyable get-together meeting ever held by our officers and citizens." -W. H. Fuller, Agent, McAlester, Okla.
"The wishes of all are for the high success of the Rock Island Lines with a friendly co-operation towards a road with a soul." -Conductor R. B. Van Dyke, Muscatine, Ia.
"The celebration was a complete success. For the past week we have heard more about the Rock Island than perhaps for the year past, and I flatter myself that we succeeded in putting Lincoln on the Rock Island Lines. The weather was most propitious and last evening at the Pavilion many hundreds of people enjoyed the celebration. It was dignified; it was impressive and it was indeed novel, being the first time perhaps in the history of our country that a great corporation stopped long enough to commemorate the memory of those who had served long and faithfully and also to pay tribute to those who are now engaged in making the Rock Island a success." -Judge E. P. Holmes, Lincoln, Nebr.
"I personally called on all the business houses and banks and requested them to close for one hour which they were glad to do and arranged the program so that the school children could attend which they were very glad to do. Mrs. C. M. Martin was greatly pleased and wishes to thank the officials of the Rock Island for the great honor shown her late husband, Conductor C. M. Martin." -Conductor A. W. Craig, Eldon, Iowa.
At Limon, Colorado, in order to complete the decorations and other features of the program it was necessary for our employees to devote a great deal of overtime, but they all refused to make any claim for this overtime.
The impression of the tree planting ceremony left with our employees and associates will be everlasting, as many were the expressions, "What a fine tribute to a deceased employee!" -N. L. Cooke, Freight Agent at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
At Liberal, Kansas, the Chamber of Commerce insisted on entertaining Mrs. Joseph B. Smalley as a mark of their appreciation both of the Rock Island Lines and Mr. Smalley's very fine work in connection with the Arkalon Bridge near Liberal.
"Fully nine hundred people attended the tree planting ceremony out of the possible population of 1,200. The banks and business houses closed for the occasion, school dismissed and the teachers and pupils attended in a body. This little town nestled in the Ozarks presented a beautiful picture in the October sunlight and the response of the citizens made the day perfect and long to be remembered. The local speakers expressed their appreciation of the Rock Island, its officials and especially the services of our Agent, Mr. J. D. Thompson." - H. H. Hunt, D. P. A. at Mansfield, Arkansas.
It is with a great deal of pleasure that I make mention of the hearty cooperation received from the Chamber of Commerce, Superintendent of Schools and the citizens generally. The meeting was also well attended by all employees of all departments and I am quite sure produced a much better feeling among our own people and the people of the town. The attendance was between 2,000 and 2,500, which is particularly gratifying as the number represents a goodly portion of our population." -H. E. McMullin, Train Master, at Dalhart, Texas.
Mr. W. D. McKee, of the Missouri State Board of Agriculture, dedicating the Alexander Jackson tree at Eldon, Missouri, said: "It is fitting, indeed, that words of praise be expressed on this occasion. We who knew him best, and most intimately, knew him to be an honest man, a man of principle, one who was willing at all times and under all circumstances to honestly meet and discharge every known duty, for he was a man whose nobler instincts taught him that the duty world is the world of happiness.
"Actuated by worthy motives, fixed by laudable ambitions, his life stands out as a beacon light and should be, and will be an inspiration to young men struggling along in the railroad service, or anyh other field of endeavor. His early life, as related to me time and again by himself, was one of poverty, one of hardships, of struggle and grim vicissitude. With his innate courage he faced the battle of life undaunted and surmounted obstacles that a weaker, cringing nature would have quailed before and succumbed."
A Big Celebration
The management of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific recently has done one of the best pieces of public relations work that it has been possible to credit to the management of any railroad within recent years.
Its officers some months ago conceived the idea of having a celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the railroad. The principal part of the celebration took place at Joliet, Illinois, on October 10. A special train was run from Chicago to Joliet, 40 miles, over the first section of the line ever opened to operation. Among its passengers on the special was a venerable woman who rode on the Rock Island's first passenger train 70 years ago. Other passengers included the directors and officers, and the train was in charge of five employees whose aggregate service on the road totaled 200 years. A monument to the engineer who surveyed the route between Chicago and Joliet was unveiled at Joliet by his granddaughter, the dedication speech being mad by President J. E. Gorman. An address also was delivered by Chairman Hayden.
The foregoing brief statements of fact give a very inadequate idea of the length, extent and enthusiasm of the Rock Island's celebration. It really began weeks ago and was only finished on October 10. Soon after the plan for it was announced facts and anecdotes about the history of the railroad began to be furnished to the press throughout its large territory. The history of every large railroad is in great part the history of the territory it serves. This is conspicuously true of the Rock Island's history, for years ago it was built far out into sections of the country which were almost unsettled and almost wholly undeveloped. Its construction more than anything else made it possible for them to become settled and developed, and in consequence its history has made it possible for these sections to have any real history. The newspapers in the Rock Island's territory soon saw how the preparations for the Rock Island's celebration made it possible for them to print many stories about the history of the railroad, and about their own communities and the railroad's relation to them, which were made timely and especially interesting because of the preparations for the celebration. Consequently the Rock Island's celebration became the subject of newspaper stories and of talk by the people in every community where it runs. An account of the services at Joliet were sent out by radio and heard by many thousands of people.
The conception and carrying out of the Rock Island's celebration undoubtedly has done much to make a very large part of its employees and patrons think and speak of it as "our railroad" who had not shown the same interest in it or had the same feeling toward it for years before. Furthermore, it has resulted in many things being told and published about the railroad which have revived memories of the great part it has played in developing the middle west and the southwest, and in converting, from almost a desert into fruitful and happy farming communities and towns and cities, lands which but for the railroad would still be virtually a desert.
The Railway Age has said much within the last year about the necessity of the railroads doing more to "sell" themselves to their employees and the public. The Rock Island has hit upon and carried out one of the happiest and most effective methods of selling itself to its employees and the public that could have been adopted. The Rock Island having used it so well, the same means probably could not be used so successfully soon by any other railway in its territory. The same method could, however, be used with corresponding results by railways in other parts of the country. Furthermore, the method the Rock Island adopted is but one of many which could be used to arouse a sympathetic interest on the part of employees and the public in their railways, and to make them better understand and appreciate what the development of the railways in the past has meant to the country and what their adequate development in future will mean to it.
The officers of the Rock Island are to be congratulated not only
upon the progress they have made within recent years in increasing the
efficiency and the earning capacity of the property, but also upon the
good stroke they have made in adopting a very ingenious, pleasing and effective
way of causing their employees and the public to appreciate the railroad
more. -Sam O. Dunn, in Railway Age.