28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



oritifa! juncture iu tbe affairs of the associa- 

 Uon. 



The third obligation imposed upon association 

 members is that of devotion. I'ossessing faith 

 and loyalty, tlie rpcognitiou of this obligation is 

 a natural (.onstMHiencc. The degree of our devo- 

 tion, liuwever. depends upon the intimacy exist- 

 ing hctwoen us and tlie object upon which it is 

 besttnved. In order to love an individual we 

 must tirst develop an acquaintance of a suffi- 

 cient degree to become possessed of a knowledge 

 regarding his desinible qualities, and this condi- 

 tion applies with equal force In ;in association 



B. c. cuiiuiK. .7ii.. riiir.Aiii:Li-inA. skciie- 



TAUY EXTEKTAINMEXT COMMITTEE. 



for whicli it is our duty to cultivate a lively 

 affection. 



In order to acquire this close acquaintanceship 

 with an association of which we are members 

 we should familiarize ourselves with its pur- 

 poses, methods and achievements and if we fiud 

 them to be worthy, a proper degree of devotion 

 will necessarily result. 



When once this sentiment is thoroughly 

 aroused it is wonderful what a change will occur 

 in our attitude toward a proper discharge of all 

 associate obligations. We then shall be ever on 

 the alert for some opportunity to advance asso- 

 ciate interests. Our faith and loyalty will be 

 strengthened. Our interest iu the outcome of 

 the work of the association will become intensi- 

 fied and a spirit of pei-sonal sacrifice will take 

 possession of us. 



This spirit of personal sacrifice is the fourth 

 obligation to be considered. In the prosecution 

 of the work outlined by an association a conflict 

 sometimes appears to exist between personal and 

 associate interests. I use the word appears ad- 

 visedly, for. if the work of the association be 

 conducted in the interests of its members, no 

 such conflict can exist in reality. There may 

 he a tempoiary personal advantage to he secured 

 at the expense of betraying the interests of the 

 association, but it is vastly outweighed by the 

 permanent advantage to be obtained by preserv- 

 ing inviolate our associate allegiance and the 

 spirit of personal sacrifice is a safe mentor upon 

 which to rely for guidance when a question of 

 divided allegiance is presented. 



Personal sacrifice also comprehends a duty 

 to the association above and beyond the payment 

 of annual dues. It properly implies a degree of 

 devotion of time, thought and service to the 

 affairs of the association. The force, for the ac- 

 ■complishment of its purpose, which an associa- 

 tion can exert, is only equal to the sum of the 

 force contributed by each of the units of which 

 It is constituted. No inherent force exists in 

 numbers other than that which is exerted by the 

 individuals comprising the combination. It is 

 ■only through sacrificial endeavor on the part of 

 the individual that great undertakings are 

 brought to successful issue. Therefore, the rec- 

 ognition and discharge of this fourth obligation 

 on the part of the members of an association is 

 of vital importance. 



The fifth and last obligation imposed by asso- 

 ciation members to which I shall call attention 

 is that of patience. We are prone to become im- 

 ' patient when finality in our undertakings is de- 

 ferred, and this feeling sometimes carries with 

 it sentiments of resentment and distrust. We 

 lose sight of or fail to appreciate the obstacles 

 that cumber our associate pathway and perhaps 

 fail to understand the magnitude of the task we 

 have set before us. 



A thorough understanding of the progress that 



already has been made will make the discharge 

 of this ol)ligation more easy. To arrive at such 

 an understanding we may compare conditions 

 existing at present with those which existed be- 

 fore the work of the association began and we 

 shall find that reasonable progress has been 

 made, we shall find justification for the discharge 

 -d this important obligation due from the indi- 

 \idual members of the association. 



While the number of obligations in this class 

 might be indefiuilely multiplied, upon a close 

 analysis it would be discovered that each one 

 would be I)Ut a subdivision of some one of those 

 nlready considered and the time allotted to me 

 for consideration of these subdivisions is lim- 

 ited. 



The third class of associate obligations, due 

 from the individual members to each other, are 

 of a fraternal rather than a contractual nature, 

 and as such may readily be recognized. It is 

 not necessary, therefore, to consider them in de- 

 tail. Their importance, however, in the work of 

 building up an enduring organization cannot be 

 overestimated. The closer the relationship ex- 

 isting between individuals constituting an organ- 

 ization, the stronger the organization. There- 

 fore no opportunity should be lost to promote a 

 feeling of genuine "good 'fellowship and of mutual 

 interest, independent of the main work of the 

 association among the association's members. 



And now to briefly recapitulate and apply the 

 argument. We have seen that upon primitive 

 man. as an individual, few or no obligations were 

 imposed. We also have seen that man made no 

 progress until he exchanged his individualistic 

 existence for a communal existence and then, 

 only by a proper recognition and discharge of 

 the obligations imposed by the new conditions: 

 that his progress was ever accompanied by the 



JOHN J. UUMBARGER. PHILADELPHIA, ONE 

 OF THE HOSTS. 



imposition of a relatively increasing number of 

 obligations. We have seen that there is no 

 escape from these conditions, which apply witli 

 equal force to the entire race or to any organ- 

 ization or association composed of individuals. 

 We have defined and analyzed certain reciprocal 

 obligations, equally binding upon the association 

 and upon its members, the mutual discharge of 

 which is imperative if the results desired are to 

 be obtained. 



While this argument abstractly considered ap- 

 plies to all forms of organized effort, the in- 

 tention is obvious, that it shall apply with spe- 

 cial force to a concrete object. In the discussion 

 of a subject of this nature it is permissible to 

 select a specific example from the class under 

 consideration, as approximating an ideal type. 



When the purposes, the methods and the 

 achievements of the National Hardwood Lumber 

 Association are considered, I believe that I am 

 fully justified in claiming it to be typical of the 

 best form of organized effort that thus far has 

 been produced in the special field covered by the 

 scope of its activities, that it has discharged in 

 a most capable manner every obligation due from 

 it to its membership, and therefore, that it does 

 not occupy the position of a debtor to any of 

 its members. 



Before this condition of excellence could be 

 attained, however, it was necessary, first, for the 

 members to possess an intelligent conception of 

 the nature of the obligations due from them as 

 individuals to the association and to enter upon 

 a conscientious discharge of the same. The re- 

 sults thus far obtained from the operation of the 

 association afford eloquent testimony as to the 



manner in which its members have met and dis- 

 posed of these associate obligations. 



The purpose of this address is twofold ; to de- 

 velop a sentiment of increased gratitude on the 

 l)art of its members toward the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association and to promote a 

 higher sense of individual responsibility among 

 its members, to the end that this association may 

 exert a still greater force for good among those 

 who live by the manufacture and sale of hard- 

 wood lumber. 



No more fitting opportunity could be presented 

 for a new birth of interest in the affairs of this 

 association than is afforded by the representa- 

 tive gathering of lumbermen assembled here 

 today. 



There is ever an inspiration in numbers and 

 this meeting, representing in its attendance many 

 markets, many localities and many states, is 

 sutficient in itself to awaken in the hearts of 

 all members a new and higher regard for an 

 organization, the piu'poses of which are of 

 enough importance to assemble at an annual 

 meeting so large a percentage of its membership. 

 If those who are present will firmly resolve to 

 recognize and discbarge every obligation due 

 from them to the association, a spirit of enthusi- 

 asm will he developed that will not only make 

 this n.'eeting memorable in the history of the 

 organization but will also be apparent in the 

 quality of the association's work in the nature 

 of its achievements throughout the coming year. 



At this point a photograph was taken of the 

 convention in session. 



President Kusse — Next is the address by B. C. 

 Currie, Jr., on "A School of Inspection." 



B. C. Currie's Address. 



I realize in presenting to this convention the 

 subject, "A .School of Inspection." that many of 

 you have probably given the subject previous 

 thought, and I have found in considering the 

 matter from time to time that the more thought 

 I gave it the more fully convinced I became that 

 to cover the ground thoroughly at this time 

 would be t(» rob this convention of too much 

 of its valuable time. 



Iu looking over the field of professional and 

 commercial activity I find but few instances 

 where the development and subsequent growth 

 of any branch of trade has not depended largely 

 on tlie early training and elementary schooling 

 of those into whose hands the direction ot such 

 business has been entrusted. 



This is true in a great measure of the indus- 

 try "in which we are so deeply and vitally in- 

 irrested." taken as a whole, but subdividing it 

 into individual departments there are. unfor- 

 tunately, some who display a lack of progressive 

 development and I am of the opinion that the 

 inspection department will be found weakest In 

 this respect. This is the more deplorable when 

 we realize that tliis should be ths strongest 



.JOS. P. DUNWOODY. PHILADELPHIA, ONE 

 OF THE HOSTS. 



branch of the business, and should at all times 

 be iu the hands of competent men. 



You will agree with me. I am sure, when I say 

 that the backbone and sinew of our trade de- 

 pends largely on our inspection, and the thought 

 long ago presented itself to me, "Why should 

 not an industry of importance second only to the 

 steel trade of our country take some definite ac- 

 tion toward strengthening the weak spots in its 

 organization and inaugurate a school for the 



