A HERITAGE OF SERVICE

[Music] [Applause] [Music] okay Harry tell your wife not to worry about a thing I'll get an ambulance and we'll have it there before the baby comes don't worry no sure sure but don't worry so much goodbye now Kevin Jax's baby is coming so I gather isn't it wonderful I bet you'd planned maybe help hey that's a good idea I'll take [Music] now don't worry Harry and don't forget to tell the milkman come every other day and there's a right pudding in the icebox for your supper [Music] [Music] baby girl how nice how much did she weigh 18 nobody cares what time they get you out of that do they well if their little director expects it emergency direct you mean don't you say whatever made you take it up anyway you really want to know oh yes you see losing joints jr. in the war did a lot to me for a long time I hope that you would take his place here in the business Whitney you know the Bartlett tradition goes back a long time my great-grandfather set up business instead of town when James Madison was president because people knew of his skill as a craftsman it was natural for them to go to him on a coffin as they used to call it was needed for a fellow townsmen a neighbor sorrow found many people beside the cabinetmaker performing a variety of services there was the sexton to toll the Bell and dig the grave the town crier to broadcast the news the neighbor or liveryman to provide a wagon and buggies and the relatives to care for the person of the one departed it was at about this time that my great-grandfather who was a kindly and respected man was asked to undertake many of these services in order to relieve the relatives of worry and of the burden of so many details as the town grew my family kept pace with it when father came along he was giving Perl time to saving the needs of the enlarged community one of father's chief community interests was the building of our Memorial Hospital the one we went to tonight it took a long time to raise the funds but he and his fellow committeeman a doctor a lawyer and the clergyman finally put it over father of course by now had taken his place beside these men and providing a fourth essential service to the community through the profession he himself represented [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the George Bartlett for sharing his heritage of service no doubt about it father was quite a fellow I guess you were too young to remember it I remember vaguely sure look uncle George iris thought there was a lot of money in this business there is some but it does not all go to fellows like me by any means think of the contributing industries such as steel and don't forget that we are a frequent user of the nation's railroads the chemical industry likewise contributes and remember the important part that lumber plays I know but taking on a nationwide scale it must be a pretty big business well the US Department of Commerce figures show that people spend 3 times as much on the upkeep of their automobiles and twice as much for legal counsel certainly you don't think those haircutting as being a lucrative business no laughs if you want to fret but it just about approximates what is spent on burial services for uncle George what kind of a living can a man make today in your profession and the kind of car you drive around it seems to me you do all right appearances are often misleading I feel that I must have a car like that for my business and of course it must be careful top condition [Music] all together counting real-estate furnishings automobiles and equipment all of which are necessary to maintain a complete establishment the family's total investment over the years is approximately $100,000 of course you realize that credit must be extended to many families so you can understand that a working capital of a considerable amount must always be available to me here is a draft of one of my statements everybody does not make him up exactly like this but the items of costs are quite typical here is the cost of the save as best selected these items are nothing more than cash advances that makes a total of seven hundred and fifty three dollars but the only part of this bill that can create a profit for me is the first item of three hundred and seventy-eight dollars you can see that it was necessary for me to advance three hundred and seventy five dollars without a profit as a courtesy to meet the situation something no other business is required are expected to do last year I had two hundred and one cause seven of these were charity calls where no charges at all were made then here are three I classify as no profit the kind we all have where conditions made me want to do all I could for a family without their feeling that they were accepting charity in this column are two cases where the family could afford to pay an amount that gave them the satisfaction of having brought what they wanted however you'll notice that the majority ran from $300 to $500 but speaking of investment Fred after you've completed your normal education it's necessary to have specialized schooling and on top of that to serve an apprenticeship or from one to three years before you can take an examination for a state license during my apprenticeship I got seventeen dollars a month but living costs have risen now and I imagine that if you wanted to come in with me I'd have to pay you quite a bit more the thing that gives me the most pleasure in life is my liking to be with people and the kick I get out of occasionally being able to give them a helping hand when they need it perhaps my greatest satisfaction has been in the organization of a teenager's Jalopy Club which meets once a week in my garage not so long ago those kids were piling up cars right and left breakfast they were a minister life itself for 18 months now there has not been a single accident and only one boy has received a ticket for a traffic violation [Music] but everybody knows I've always been interested in the young people of our town or I would not have been on the school board for so many years or the Summer Recreation Committee which was instigated by all the churches in town banding together religion has always played an important part in my life and it was largely due to my own faith and a belief in the sacredness of my calling that made my work possible with these men of all beliefs [Music] I received a letter yesterday Fred maybe the story behind it will give you a better idea of what our work is about [Music] Yeah right this dear mr. Bartlett I wish to thank you sincerely for your kindness and for the help you have been to us at the service I was too dazed and grief stricken to let you know how deeply we all appreciated it thank you again so much Alice Jordan [Music] the first hours after mrs. Jordans husband had gone were almost more than she could bear but troubles were aggravated because the Jordan family had not made arrangements for services long before they were actually needed as many people do it's in daily situations like that invariably emergencies that a man's training and experience come forward to serve his neighbors and friends and all who need his services like so many others mrs. Jordan needed help when she was least capable of helping herself and I was able to relieve a mind of many of the questions that had been confusing to her [Music] traced recall the clergyman to determine a convenient time for the service we always do this realizing there are many calls upon his time [Music] I spent nearly an hour with mrs. Jordan going over all the details arranging everything as she wanted [Music] then little by little as we progressed in orderly fashion mrs. Jordan self-assurance returned [Music] incidentally pred it has always been my practice to mark my prices in plane figures and to display them openly for all to see [Music] this was just the beginning of the services I was able to provide for mrs. Jordan one day out of curiosity I counted up over 80 items of service which I might be called upon to provide such things as being sure that the proper notices went to the papers [Music] and that out-of-town friends were properly notified it takes over 19 man-hours of staff time to arrange conduct and complete the average service beside these personal services there were many legal and routine forms and certificates that had to be filled out from mrs. Jordan it was necessary to make additional arrangements with a mortician in another city [Music] Dunbar's is a Metropolitan establishment saving about five times as many families as I do it was fortunate that we were able to have the service that the our mrs. Jordan wanted because they have many more services and we do Maju areas like this usually maintain sizeable staffs to meet the needs of large cities of course at the other end of the scale in rural communities there are places much smaller than ours instead of town [Music] other things like buying railroad tickets and arranging for Dunbar and Sun to meet the train well but a few of the ways in which I tried to help mrs. Jordan and give her peace of mind you'd be surprised Fred how taking care of many many details like these can help to ease a family's troubles if you choose this as your life's work Fred you've got to pretty much subordinate your personal life to the needs of those who need you right the minister and the doctor got to be ready to serve at any hour and on the briefest notice seven days a week you have to be prepared to meet situations of emotional stress with sympathetic understanding at no other time if they're greater need for sincere consideration from an outsider in the performing of a necessary service for a troubled family I never really heard the story of the family before do you sincerely like people don't you certainly I do do you Fred yes uncle George I do but it takes more even than that your greatest satisfaction of all must come from a desire way down within you to bring comfort to us [Music]