Addresses of Welcome and Responses 
ON BEHALF OF THE CITY BUSINESS MEN’S LEAGUE 
Arthur E. Douglass 
Mr. President, Members of the Horti¬ 
cultural Society, Ladies and Gentle¬ 
men : 
It is indeed a privilege and a pleasure 
to have the opportunity of welcoming an 
organization that for twenty-six succes¬ 
sive years has continued its work and 
prospered in it all. Your Society is to 
be congratulated, not alone for the work 
of the past, but upon the present pros¬ 
pects and those of the future. 
I remember some time since—if I were 
to tell you how long ago you would 
know how old I anr—I used to hear dis¬ 
paraging remarks with reference to those 
who had an interest in the things of the 
soil, and I am glad that the time has 
come when there is a full recognition of 
the relations between the business world 
and those who are closely allied to Na¬ 
ture and enjoy the privileges that they 
alone can enjoy. I suppose I am in a 
better position to judge of the privileges 
Nature affords, having been born and 
bred on a small farm of two hundred 
acres, where I learned something of the 
opportunities there afforded, experienced 
something of the training and discipline 
which permitted me later to endure the 
hard work demanded in an overburdened 
profession. 
!l do believe there is not only a great 
work to be accomplished, but there will 
be a full recognition in the years to come 
of the great work that is being done by 
the people on the farms and among the 
groves. May that time hasten when the 
value of the work which you are doing 
may be more fully realized; when all 
may realize that there is nothing worth 
while if the work being done by you is 
eliminated. 
I want to say in behalf of the Business 
Man’s Organization of this little city that 
they recognize, in some measure, at least, 
the value of the work that is being done 
by those about them, and I want to wel¬ 
come you to our business places and as¬ 
sure you when you come you will find a 
hearty welcome and warm handshake. 
We will be pleased to make your ac¬ 
quaintance; we will be glad to let you 
know something about the things of this 
place, and we hope to make your stay 
something of a pleasure. 
More than this, I wish to say that you 
will find in our town an opportunity to 
go to the rooms of the Woodmen of the 
World in the Dreka building, and 
