read of the destruction of the old club house of the Maryland Jockey
Club at Pimlico, a structure filled with the treasures and the lore
of horse racing in our State. Articles that are irreplaceable were de-
stroyed in that blaze. And it should be emphasized that this fire, like
all others, was preventable and should not have occurred.

Fire is at once man's kindest friend and his deadliest enemy. Whether
he reaps the reward of friendship or falls victim to the deadly hostility
depends entirely upon how he uses the terrible force. In the myth-
ology of the ancient Greeks, civilization, as we know, began with the
discovery of fire. Prometheus, it was said, stole fire from heaven and
bestowed it upon man, thus conferring upon him some of the gifts
of the gods. But the ancients also detected the other property of
fire — its destructiveness — and used it to symbolize the ultimate force
of evil — the fires of hell.

This insight into the good and the evil properties of fire is evident
in all that we see about us. Life without fire of course is unthinkable.
And also we know that fire, in the dreadful form of a thermonuclear
blast, is capable of destroying not only civilization, but mankind
itself. And so, we must treat fire with awe and respect. If treated
properly and carefully, it can be our closest friend and helper. But
if left unreined and uncontrolled, it is capable of destroying us. How
we handle fires — for good or evil, for benefit or harm — will depend,
in some measure at least, upon how you, as career fire fighters, exercise
your duties. With the skill and knowledge you possess, coupled with
the zeal I know you have to do that which is right, I am confident
that we will succeed in improving our control of fires and in harnessing
their force for the benefit of ourselves and of those who will come
after us.

Let me say, in conclusion, that I sincerely appreciate the hospitality
I have received here at this 1966 convention of the Maryland State
Firemen's Association. This gathering, like all the others before it,
is for me a reunion — a reunion with old friends who share with me
an interest in fire prevention and an enthusiasm for the machinery
which we have set up in our State for fire protection — our fire de-
partments, paid and volunteer. As your Governor, I commend you
heartily on the excellence of your work, and I encourage you to con-
tinue your public-spirited efforts to safeguard the lives of the people
of our State. As an old fire fighter, I thank you from the bottom of
my heart for affording me this opportunity to join with you here in
the spirit of brotherhood and good-fellowship.

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