Transcript: Draft speech by J G Bartholomew
John George Bartholomew gave a speech to his staff to mark the occasion of the completion of the half-inch mapping of Great Britain:
'It is a great pleasure to my wife and myself to see you all here to-night especially as we meet as fellow workers to celebrate the launch of the biggest ship yet built in the Edinburgh Geographical Institute. A launch is very properly an occasion for mutual congratulation — It means something accomplished — something done — On this occasion I think we have achieved a very creditable piece of work and I wish to express my hearty appreciation of the individual effort, the interest, the painstaking work, in every department, which has led to its successful completion. I am not going to discourse on the merit of our Reduced Ordnance Survey — I am not a speechmaker and besides you are all as familiar with the mysteries of its making as I am. You have all taken part in its production, some of you from its commencement, and no doubt you are as pleased to see it completed as I am. We can not imagine it, with [penny] farthing notions, coursing over the country in motor cars, Humbers, Sunbeams, Swifts and Premiers from Lands End to John o Groats — But it is also to appear in more reposeful form as a handsome Library Atlas — In this form it has the Royal Geographical Society for its sponsor and is dedicated to its President Sir Clements Markham. In this volume all your names will appear as contributors. The Map of Scotland was commenced by my father in 1875, just a year before I entered the business, it was completed in 1885 when he commenced the map of England and on such an occasion as this one cannot but feel how pleased he would have been to see its completion. Now self-congratulation is all very well but we must beware of self-satisfaction. If we have done well in the past we must do better in the future — I wish therefore to thank you all for your work in making this Atlas of England and would ask you to drink to our progress in the future.'
