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eyes, wonderful complexion, slender, sensitive nose, perfect clefted chin, a knockout, in fact. And as chance would have it, Walsh is the very man I am to work with. He, of course, is very English in his manners and speech, tells me he was born in "Yawksheeah" and lives in "Manchestah." He is another I want to know better. He couldn't look as he does and not be interesting, for he does look fine, fine just describing him, I think.

Today I learned the mysteries of salting water-boxes and desalting them; the strenuous art of taking a one-hour heat run; and other minor things. We had a lecture from 4 to 5 by Mr. Bradenburg of the Railway Equipment Engineering Department on the subject of locomotive control. The most important thing I got out of it was a realization that I am in a game that requires real engineers, real engineering. Some of the wiring diagrams he showed us were about as complicated as anything I have ever seen. The sudden finding out that one is in a field requiring men of brains, men of ability, men who are willing and anxious to delve deep into complicated things, and that these [[underlined]] are [[/underlined]] complicated things in which to delve, is, to me, like finding a gold mine. And so, feeling like that about the work I want to do, how could I ever be satisfied in the maintenance of a lot of urban trolley cars? It is the planning, the theorizing, the figuring out of the things, that appeals to me. To be a man who studies wants and then goes about supplying them, is what appeals to me.

This evening, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens took me to a lecture by Dr. Mikkeljohn on the subject, "Democracy and Excellence," and questioned whether we could have both. I want to remember a few things he said: "The first great duty of everyone in this world is taste, having taste, appreciating the things worthwhile in life, seeing the wonderful meaning of it all. The greatest sin in life is dullness, unresponsiveness to all the wonder and glory of it all. And the second duty is to share those tastes with others. But the question is, can we share those things and not lose them? That is the problem that faces us today. Can we have democracy, that is, a fully educated people, and still retain our taste for excellence which now reposes with the comparatively few." Those words are, in essence, what was said. They bear great thought. I was pleased to see that his idea of the great duty of us in life is really the same as mine, only I sum it up in the two words "TO LIVE," for to have tastes is really to truly live. That is what living is.

Erie, Pa.,
Thursday, January 14, 1926

Walsh, Barber and I ran speed curves all day on a couple of motors we had coupled together. I got to know Walsh somewhat better and thoroughly enjoyed his talking -- "Oh, I say now, there's something all wrong heah!" I think I have a pretty fair idea of