Part 38 (1/2)

Of all celebrations in the North of England there was never the like of the centenary of the birth-day of George Stephenson, June 9th, 1881 The enthusiastic crowds of people assembled to honour the occasion were never before so nu, CB, in his speech at the great banquet rereat man now dead is a sole it with a full sense of its gravity We are e Stephenson, which took place just 100 years ago-a date which nearly coincides with that at which the genius of Watt first gave practical iine Up to that time the inventive faculties of man had lain aline there commenced that splendid series of discoveries and inventions which have since, to use the words of Dr Bruce, revolutionised the state of the world Ast these the most momentous in its consequences to the human race is the railway systeine as its essential elee Stephenson will ever be pre-enore the important parts played by others in the development of the railway system; but it is not my duty on this occasion to review the history of that systen to each person concerned his proper share of the general credit

To do this would be an invidious task, and out of place at a festival held in honour of George Stephenson only I shall, therefore, pass over all na an exception in favour of his distinguished son (Cheers) It seldoreat invention can be exclusively attributed to any one st those who contribute to the ultiure that towers above all the rest, and such is the figure which George Stephenson presents in relation to the railway system (Cheers) To be sensible of the benefits we have derived from railways and locomotives let us consider for a moment ould be our position if they were taken from us The present business of the country could not be carried on, the present population could not be maintained, property would sink to half its value-(hear, hear)-and instead of prosperity and progress we should have collapse and retrogression on all sides (Cheers) What would Newcastle be if it ceased to be a focus of railways? Hoould London be supplied if it had to fall back upon turnpike roads and horse traffic? In short, England as it is could not exist without railways and locomotives; and it is only our faious importance As to the future effects of railways, it is easy to see that they are destined to diffuse industrial populations over those vast unoccupied areas of the globe that abound in natural resources, and only wait for facilities of access and transport to become available for the wants of man There is yet scope for an enormous extension of railways all over the world, and the farow as railways continue to spread (Loud cheers) But I should do scant justice to the e Stephenson if I dwelt only on the results of his achievereat reputation has been marred by faults of character, but this was not the case with George Stephenson His manly simplicity and frankness, and his kindly nature won for him the respect and esteem of all who knew him both in the earlier and later periods of his career-(cheers)-but the prominent feature in his character was his indomitable perseverance, which broke down all obstacles, and converted even his failures and disappoint stones to success It was not the desire for wealth that actuated him in the pursuit of his objects, but it was a noble enthusiasain, that carried hioal Unselfish enthusiasives a tone of heroiss coe of mankind

Newcastle e Stephenson, and the proceedings of this day testify how much his memory is cherished in this his native district Any memorial dedicated to him would be appropriate to this occasion, and if such memorial were connected with scientific instruction it would be in harmony with his well-known appreciation of the value of scientific education, and of the sacrifices he e of such an education (Cheers) I now, gentlemen, have to propose to you the toast which has been coe Stephenson, and e to be erected to his memory prove worthy of his fa; and consider that the birth of Stephenson is a subject of jubilation I think that although he is dead we(Hear, hear, and loud cheers)

Mr George Robert Stephenson, ar to respond to the toast, said: ”Mr Mayor and gentle for the many kind words he has uttered in honour of the e Stephenson It is true that he was, as Sir William said, one of the most kind-hearted and unselfish men that ever lived; but I suppose that nothe present century (Cheers) I have now in my possession documents that would show in his early life the extraordinary and peculiar nature of the opposition that was brought against hiineers of the day; soe which, it is not incorrect to say, was not only injurious but wicked This is not the proper occasion to weary you with a long speech, but with the view of showing the peculiar ainst each other, I could very much wish, with your permission, to read a few sentences fro back to 1823 (Hear, hear) This, gentlemen, will clearly show the sort of opposition I have alluded to It occurs at the end of a report by an opponent upon soed:-'But we cannot conclude without saying that such a mechanic as Mr Stephenson, who can neither calculate, nor lay his designs on paper, or distinguish the effect froines when they are constructed, but for building new ones, he reat loss to his employers, fro, when he goes by e call the rule of thu like the fly going round on a crank axle, and shouting 'What a dust I ae Stephenson kicked up forlobe to which it reached it carried with it and planted the seeds of civilization and wealth Notwithstanding the hard and illiberal treatment to which he was exposed, he was not beaten; on the contrary, by his genius and his never-failing spirit, he raised himself above the level of the very men who opposed every effort hescience-efforts which have resulted in a vast i the valuable products of the earth, and also of ourthem at a cheap rate to distant e Stephenson headed a movement by which alone could e population”

In the town of Chesterfield the Centenary was celebrated ly It was there the father of railways spent his latter days, and there he died Although there was not such a flood of oratory as at Newcastle-upon-Tyne,speeches were delivered in connection with the event We give some extracts from an address delivered by the Rev Sae at that time-delivered at Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield An address which, for ability, nice discriht, and true appreciation of the subject, would not disgrace any pulpit in Christendohest of all purposes, the worshi+p of Alard for the ifted dead It is no se Stephenson were spent in it And it adds to the interest of this church that it contains his mortal reratify taste, this church has yet a spell which will draw visitors from every part of the world Men will come hither fro place of him as the father of the Locomotive and of the Railway system And perhaps the naked si with a life, the grandeur of which was due solely to the man himself, and not to outward helps and circumstances

”Toil has its roll of heroes, but few, if any, of thereater than he whose birth we commemorate to-day He was pre-ereatness by his own exertions Granting that he was gifted with powers of body and es The rest was due to hard work, patient, persistent effort He had neither wealth, schooling, patrons, nor favouring circumstances He comes into the arena like a naked athlete to wrestle in his own strength with the difficulties before hireat!

”I need not dwell upon the details of a life which is so well known to most, and to some present so vividly, from personal intercourse and friendshi+p We all knohat a battle he fought, how nobly and well, first striving by patient plodding effort to re hi to gain not only manual expertness, but a , observing, experiiven to the 'talk of the lips'-but doing e, and of turning it to practical account He was one of those, who

While his coht

And in due time his quiet work bore fruit He invented a safety-laratitude of posterity He then set himself to improve the locomotive, and fit it for the future which his prescient mind discerned, and on a fair field he vanquished all coine and make it fit for its neork And then, hardest task of all, he had to convince the public that railway travelling was a possible thing; that it could hethis he was co with his own ainst hiislature, and the public He had to encounter the phantonorance and fear, the solid resistance of vested interests, and the bottomires of Chat Moss But he triumphed! And it was a well-earned reward as he looked down frolistened below, to know that they were part of a nethich was spreading over the whole land and becohway of transit and commerce Nor was this all his satisfaction He knew that Europe and A to link together the whole civilized world

”Of the 'profit' of his labours to humanity I scarcely venture to speak, since it cannot possibly be told in a feords The railway system has revolutionised society It has powerfully affected every class, every interest and departiven an incredible iht, created a new language, new habits, tastes and pleasures It has opened up fields of industry and enterprise inaccessible and unknown before It has cheapened the necessaries and comforts of life, enhanced the value of property, proht unnues within the reach of all And it is yet, as to the world at large, but in the infancy of its develope Stephenson How ence, but to his courage, patience, and uprightness? For these qualities, quite as ht, contributed to his final success He was crowned because he strove 'lawfully' His patience was as great in waiting as his energy in working He did not work frolorification; and therefore the hour of success, when it came, found him the same modest, self-restrained man as before He neither overrated the value of the system which he had set up, norHe was a htness-of self-control, sih thinking And yet he wasaffections, considerate of his workpeople, tender to his family, full of love to little children and pet anientleness of all noble natures, the largeness of nise ability and worth in others, and give rivals their due For the young inventor, or for such of his helpers as showed ence or proht we to pass unnoticed his love of nature and of natural beauty Strong throughout his whole life, this was especially conspicuous at its close Such leisure as his last days brought was spent areeneries which he had planned and filled, and from the midst of whose treasures he could look forth over venerable trees and green fields upon a wide and varied landscape And yet, even in this relaxation, the old energy and earnestness of purpose asserted therowth of his plants and floith more than professional pains Nor is it improbable that the ardour which led hiether in a heated and unhealthy atmosphere led to his fatal illness

”We are bound, then, to mark and admit how much the moral element in the worker contributed to his success, and to the freshness of the regard which is felt for his land is proud of his works, but prouder still of the man who did theenerousness, and love of greed had ladly lay upon his tomb to-day, would probably have been placed elsewhere”

REMARKABLE COINCIDENCES

Many years ago the editor of this book and an elderly lady, theof a well-known farmer, took tickets from Little Bytham for Edenhaers, and as the railway passed for nearly two h Grimsthorpe park, she asked the driver if he would stop at a certain spot which would have saved us both perhaps half-a-ood distance the train was suddenly pulled up I opened theand found it had stopped at the very spot we desired The stoker ca by with a fine hare which the train had run over I said we can get out now and he said, Oh yes And so through this strange misadventure to poor pussy our as much shortened

So by the early land At Taunton I perceived a crowd of persons gathered at the front of the train I went forward and saw a corpse was being removed fro the inscription on the coffin plate I was so and Richard Pike dead had been travelling by the saular circu

LOSS OF TASTE