All aboard-- BY Dewey Maggard
Every child when I was growing up- loved the sound of the Steam Engine as it was coming near them especially at the old depot where they may be meeting friends or relatives.
Here is part of that memory.
All Aboard
By
Dewey Maggard
Two thousand people with railroad fever converged on our depot to get a glimpse of her,an excursion out of the past all dressed up in black and orange enamel with silver and nickel trim. Old Engine No. 4449 is on a run from Portland, Oregon to the New Orleans World Fair. Many people waited up to four hours to see her go thundering by- a temporary revival of a past era.
The first steam locomotive I saw came to our town one Independence Day, bringing hundreds of people eager to see the launching of a hot air balloon. The balloonist did not capture my young mind, as did that steam locomotive. That huge iron horse seemed to be a living thing, making its own power with coal and water; throwing up black smoke and blazing smoke and blazing sparks. The thing could breathe, snort, cough and belch!
As I grew into boyhood, Mighty Katy (the Missouri, Kansas, Texas Railroad) came thundering by on her way to a wonderland of adventure. The blast of her whistle echoed through the woods in the nigh to tell one and all that the fast freight was making the hump with full head of steam, and would soon be thundering through Mound Valley.
There was magic when steam was still king. To my young mind there was no end to the track. This horse of fire and steel, always smoking, steaming, pounding and clattering, was rolling on and on to the edge of the world and the end of time. This magic of my mind allowed these trains to pass into a land of imagination where rivers flowed through canyons of rock candy and other wonders were everywhere.
But boys grow up, and the world becomes a place for toil and sweat. But even men have dreams. The magic evolves into a need for ingenuity, Every invention, innovation and improvement which aided in the development of America came about as a response to some need-from the cow catcher to the whistle. At one time a grasshopper plague in Pennsylvania resulted in so many squashed insect bodies on the rails that the engines lost traction. So sand boxes were added, with pipes to funnel the sand in front of the drive wheels.
In 1835, Phineas Davis won $4000.00 from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad for designing an improved locomotive. John Poor made an epic trip to win a railroad franchise to Montreal, Canada. He set up horse relays to break a 300-mile trail in 18 degree below zero weather between Portland, Maine, and Montreal. His line, the Grand truck Railroad is at the time of this story, still operating after 132 years. Commodore Vanderbuilt continued building railroads until his death at 86.
Through the work of courageous men, a network of rails helped bind a nation together. Dutch, Irish, Chinese, and all manner of men worked toward a common goal. It was not without difficulty, but the work was accomplished. A golden spike was driven to celebrate linking the east and the west by rail.
From the beginning our heavenly Father has been binding together a nation of special people. He is leading us away from Egypt and our own wilderness of difficulties and bringing us into the land of eternity. Having ridden on the wheels of life, and perhaps being shaken by a derailment or two, we yet see some dreams become reality. It is somewhat painful to see the steam engine once so familiar become relics of the past. Nevertheless, we continue our journey to a better land..Through the night with the light from above, Over the mountains, oer the prairies, Oer the ocean, white with foam, God Bless America, my home sweet home. The bell is ringing! All Aboard!
© 1984 & Jan 10 2001
First rights only-
Book Rights Reserved
A Lesson from
Harry Mau
BY
Dewey Maggard
Just this week I saw a sign on one of the large chain restaurants that advertises a dinner of prime rib bones for $5.95 Thats what it said: Bones. For $5.95! We have grown accustomed to increases in prices. Even for bones. Everything is going up: echoes in our ears every day.
But I have seen a paradox. It is Harry Mau. Inflation seems to have ignored him. He has a Chinese American restaurant, and has been in the business for 55 years. In the blocks around his location, others are going broke. But Harrys menu this month (February 1983) included 19 different five-course dinners priced from $2.45 to $3.10!
Among Harrys 22 employees, the one with the shortest time of service has worked for him for 13 years- One waitress over 20 years. The shortest tenure among his six cooks was 21 years. This speaks well for Harry as an employer. Harrys place is a happy place, and always full.
At a Chow Yuk lunch on one occasion, I learned one of the secrets of Harrys success; He strives to please all kinds of people. During my 30-minute meal, I heard an unbelievable assortment of music played over the sound system. I expect I shall never be in another place that plays Rachmaninoff, Afro-jungle beat, Mexican Mariachi, and Country Western during a one half-hour lunch!
Even though Harry owns the entire city block where his restaurant is located, his real love is not for property, but for people who come into his place. He could retire, but at past 80, he and his wife still don aprons and work in the kitchen. Harry gives away an average of eight free meals every week to the down trodden. The gratitude of all the people he serves makes him forget about prestige.
When a man has a mind to do such deeds for his fellow human, he must have sorted out his values and priorities very carefully and correctly. The scriptures speak of such a person: He that loft his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 1 John 2:10
Copyrighted March 1983
First Rights Only
Book Rights Reserved
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