“In sending out this note of farewell, which will reach many of those with whom I have had practically a working lifetime’s association, I desire to express my hearty appreciation of the friendly personal relationships and friendships which have resulted from our joint efforts to do the best in our power for the fine properties in which we were employed, which properties, I know, we have felt are of such potential worth that they can be made great national assets. The way has not always been smooth, and the work has always been hard, but it has always been worth while, because of those with whom I have had the pleasure of sharing the load. For all of you who remain to carry on I wish the best of good luck. I hope that you will be permitted to advance the interests of Canada’s National Railway, Steamship, Express and Telegraph services, to an extent that will demonstrate that public ownership may still be consistent with good management.” CHAPTER XVII. _Shedding sidelights on unities of Canadian railway management during the War._ A railway is a republic and a monarchy. It is a republic because there is no pre-emption of high offices for any favoured class among its servants. It is a monarchy in the virtual dictatorship of its President. The Canadian National system has practically a hundred thousand employes, to every man of whom, if he entered the service young enough, the highest executive office is open. All the great rises in railway history have not begun on headquarters staffs. The most important vice-president of the Canadian National--S. J. Hungerford--came from the lathe. President Smith of the New York Central lines, worked on the section. Van Horne was a telegraph operator. Lord Shaughnessy was a clerk in Milwaukee. Sir William Whyte, who administered the C.P.R. west of Fort William with great distinction for many years, was a brakeman on the Credit Valley line. Sir William Mackenzie taught school. Sir Donald Mann’s prowess with the axe is proverbial, wherever the story of his encounter with a touchy Russian officer in Manchuria is told. Two aspects of the openness of the climb to railway summits are, perhaps, worth discussing--the ability and character developed among executive officers; and the relations of railway with railway when they meet as rival, and sometimes hostile, powers. Basically, one does not claim a superiority for either generation of colleagues with whom he has worked during fifty years. On the whole, I think, we older fellows, who are a little nearer the Shorter Catechism than some of our more recent executive brethren, compare fairly favourably with our heirs. But, in social and ethical standards, there has been a tremendous leveling up in the railway as well as in other worlds.