right places. Now, if it be so that these Grand Officers cannot be spared for so long a time to organize these weak systems, then let us have more; but if we have enough, then let us change our mode of working. Brothers, all criticise this, and tell me if I am right or wrong. Fraternally yours, A. M. COUSINS, Chairman Norfolk and Western Ry. [We would call our member's attention in this connection to Section 11, page 8, Constitution, and to the semi-annual report of the Grand Chief and Assistant Grand Chiefs from November 1, 1904, to May 20, 1905, which has been sent to every Subdivision. This report shows that 180 Subdivisions received a visit from a Grand Chief in the five months; some of them several visits. In the mean time a large amount of time was spent in committee work, sometimes requiring a month with one system.-EDITOR.] The Snob. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., Aug. 9, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: The article from the pen of Bro. J. F. Williams of Div. 366, entitled "Lack of Courtesy," is a matter that should interest every member of the B. of L. E. who has enough common sense to appreciate what the order has done to raise the standing, pay and condition of almost every locomotive engineer on the North American continent. S. W. Milller, master mechanic of the Pennsylvania lines at Columbus, O., at the last Master Mechanics' Convention, made the following statement: "I do not believe that it is generally appreciated that just as soon as a man is selected from the ranks and made a foreman there is an invisible barrier between him and the men who were formerly his shopmates. It is almost the same as if a brick wall had been built up between them. He does not associate with the men any more, and frequently feels that he is a little better than they, and his wife will not call on their wives, and his children will not walk to school with their children," etc. My experience has been that the assertion of Mr. Miller is to a large extent a fact. The snob is not only found in the shopman as depicted, but he is quite numerous in our membership. When a Brother in good standing must go to the fireman for a favor there must be a snob, or something still worse, on the right side. He may have his name on the membership list of some Division of the B. of L. E., but I cannot believe that his being a member is any credit to the order. The JOURNAL being our medium for complaints, as well as for the exchange of thought, Brother Williams was certainly right in letting the Brotherhood at large know of the good fellowship and brotherly love that he received (nit). However, the publication of that kind of a letter adds no laurels to our organization. The young engineer who is a member of the B. of L. F. and contemplates joining the older association, will have occasion to wonder wherein he is going to be benefited if B. of L. E. Brothers must seek from members of the B. of L. F. a courtesy denied by those who have pledged their honor to assist a worthy Brother as far as they can without material injury to themselves or family. I have had some experience along the lines named and not only failed to get a kindly recognition, but the proverbial "pleasant look" was denied me. A short time ago in making a plea for recognition, I was informed by the "plug puller" that he was a member, but had not been attending Division meetings, and was not posted on the work and, in consequence, was loth to make an effort in my behalf, because he was not able to prove to his own satisfaction that I was worthy of the favor solicited. "Giving the devil his due," I am compelled to admit that this so-called Brother was quite polite and gentlemanly in giving his reasons, which to a large extent cushioned my fall. This latter affair was one where the insult was not added to the injury. The Brother who puts up the kind of an excuse last mentioned, is but little if any better than the Brother who refuses out right, and both should be expelled from our Brotherhood for violation of their obligations. I have come to the conclusion that in the future, should another case of the kind I have noted occur, I would prefer charges through my Division against the non-attendance Brother, and my advice to Brothers not receiving courtesies due them is to go and do likewise. If a Brother, asked to extend a courtesy, cannot grant it, he has no legitimate excuse for not explaining why, and the explanation should be made in a kindly manner, with language that one expects to be greeted by when addressed by a gentleman. There is, of course, another side to the matter in question. Brothers seeking favors must not forget that we have had members who have brought disgrace upon themselves and dishonor upon our Brotherhood by abusing the confidence of those who befriended them. It is necessary that all concerned should exercise the greatest prudence. The Brother expecting recognition should be thoroughly up in the work and be fitted out as per Division instructions. He should, if possible, look up the Brother whose influence he needs, early enough to give and receive explanations. He should never expect courtesy with a whisky-perfumed breath. Fraternally yours, J. W. READING, Div. 286. Shorter Hours for Switching Service. SPENCER, N. C., July 3, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: I have just read the articles from Brother Clark of St. Louis, and a member of Division 145, in the July JOURNAL on "Shorter Hours." The Brother of Division 145 calls attention to the long hours on switch engines, and I wish to say that if there is anything that should engage the time and attention of the Brotherhood at once, it is the question of shorter hours, and in no branch of railway service can you find employees worse treated and as little cared for as are those poor mortals called switch engi neers. Just imagine a man on these hot summer days, hemmed in on all sides by box cars, the sun shining down in all its glory on one side-the heat from the boiler arising from the other. Come ahead-stopgo back-for twelve long hours, and then he is responsible for every rotten piece of timber that falls off a car, for every jolt and jar; "rough handling " is the copyrighted explanation given on yard accident reports generally. I fully agree with the Brother just re ferred to who says running a switch engine is not what it was a few years ago. Switch engines have increased greatly in size within the last few years, and if you stop and start a cut of cars as quickly with those large engines as you have been used to doing with the smaller ones you are sure to damage equipment more or less; and if you are a "leetle" slow about making a move you are soon considered "incompetent;" while if you move quickly and do any damage you are marked up as "reckless." Switching cars today is altogether a different job from what it was when we "shoved in a cut-off." We hear much about the long hours of cotton mill employees in the South. They work twelve long hours, they say! It is wrong. It is not in keeping with this progressive age. Twelve hours on duty is a remnant of slavery-a blot upon our civilization. We sympathize with those mill people, but could not they say to us, "Charity begins at home?" Yes, and they could also tell us something about first removing the beam from our own eye, etc. Let other Brothers write the JOURNAL about this subject-shorter hours. Can you think of anything that is more needed now? And boys, don't forget to read your JOURNAL! You have no idea what you miss when you do not read it and keep in touch with what our great Brotherhood is doing for mankind. MEMBER Div. 84. Insurance That Will Stand. FOND DU LAC, WIS., Aug. 8, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: Brother Tinkham writes what appears to be a very able article in the August JOURNAL, page 689. In the start I will say that I have been a member of the insurance association fifteen years; I have held insurance in other fraternal orders and have seen them go down. My aim is to build up one in the B. of L. E. that will stand. Brother Tinkham's only cry against my endeavors is that $20.00 is necessary. Now, I will quote his own words, the American table of mortality which is figured at 35 years. Figuring on those tables we should pay at the rate of about $7.50 per $3,000; whereas, our average assessments have been about $5.00. In consequence it is easy to understand that we are getting something for nothing. Who is going to make up the deficiency? Stop the infusion of young blood, let there be no lapsing of policies, and see the alarming increase of assessments. Brother Tinkham is well able to figure it out. We are making no proviso for a surplus; we simply live on in the old rut. He denounces my plan as a lottery. How flimsy his charge. The man that held the policy the longest should be entitled to the benefits; he is the one that supports the association. Men going in at 50, as he says, or 40, get cheap insurance. As to the lottery, life itself is a lottery; but I would like to have Brother Tinkham or any other Brother deny what I say is a fact. He says he can get endowment insurance as cheap as other people. Will he write up a man of 50 as cheaply as one of 21? Will he write up a railroad man for the same rate that he can a banker? Now, I say once more, we have got to do something for the future, and that and no other reason prompted me to bring forward my plan, thereby creating an incentive to a forward movement for the benefit of our noble institution. Nations build waterways and work years at public buildings, the completion of which the founders never live to see. What are we doing for prosperity? Living from hand to mouth, and when provisions, as it were, get so high we cannot buy them, we will simply quit living. I have advocated using the money that we would be able to raise in building a B. of L. E. temple, thereby saving rental and pay the interest over to the B. of L. E. Insurance Department. There certainly doesn't seem to me anything wrong in retiring the oldest certificates by paying them up. Bro. Tinkham endeavors to show that my "lottery scheme," as he calls it, is not a fair one. Read his article and reflect, Brothers, and judge for yourself. I agree with Bro. Nixon, however, that the plan I advocate will never be adopted, nor another for the release or benefit of the association, though I will continue to the end to argue according to my convictions of right and justice to policy holders. According to Bro. Tinkham's idea it is not much, but it means a saving of fifty thousand dollars the first year after the plan is put in operation. Of course, Mr. Hyde and the Equitable Association would not consider that much, but it looks like quite a bunch to me. Now, Bro. Tinkham, I hope you will take no offense at this article, and assist me in getting up some plan for the reason stated. Brothers, I will conclude for the present with best wishes, and with the Editor's permission I will come again. Fraternally yours, J. F. FREENOR. Advertising in Our Journal. WELLINGTON, KAN., June 18, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: Every month we have from ten to twelve advertisements of medicine, and four or five firms to invest our money in. This takes up about six or seven pages for advertising. Our JOURNAL has a circulation of 55,000, and our advertising pages are headed with, "Buy of the firms who advertise in the JOURNAL." Undoubtedly a large percent of the readers of our JOURNAL reads the ads. I believe all intelligent readers read the ads for information to ascertain what there is on the market for sale. For this reason the JOURNAL'S motto in advertising should be, "We advertise no firm we cannot vouch for, and will not accept ads for patent medicines or money-making concerns." How many engineers ever got well by taking medicine, or how many got rich by investing in moneymaking concerns advertised in our JOURNAL? Undoubtedly it is a fact that medicine does not cure; if it did there would not be a sick person on earth, or these investing concerns do not make people rich, if they would, there would not be a poor man on earth, “especially engineers.” Why not cut these advertisements out and look for better advertisements, and if better advertisements can not be found use this space for the good of the order; do as Ella Wheeler Wilcox says in her poem, Speech, "Talk Happiness, Talk Faith, Talk Health," then health and riches will come to us without taking medicine or giving some one else your money to spend, as these ads in the JOURNAL are inducing you, to take their medicine or letting them have your money to invest for you? Here is a prescription that all engineers should take: Upon going out resolve that this is going to be the best trip in your life, lay aside all selfishness and covetousand in coming in off a trip resolve that this time is going to be the happiest time of your life; you are going to make all happy that you come in contact with. ness, Upon going to the lodge room resolve that this meeting day will be the best meeting that you ever attended in your life, that you will lay aside all impatience, hatred, malice and avarice. Make a practice of sitting on the fence and watching yourself go by, and then study yourself and see how much you can find wrong, report it and see if you can't fix it. These wrongs that you discover can be fixed. Should you find that you are a pessimist, get it fixed by studying to be an optimist. Watch your steam gauge and keep the pressure up to the highest notch, that you may be always ready for Patent medicines, or "get-rich-quick concerns," will never bring this, so for this reason I ask that all medicine and 276 investment ads be cut out of the JOURNAL. Yours fraternally, H. E. HANSEN, C. E. Div. 344. [If we did not accept advertising from those who make money, we would certainly have no advertisers. We, of course, could cut out all advertising and dig into our pockets for $12,000 a year, follow Bro. Hansen's advice and look pleasant; but we are not all constituted that way. The most of us, if we have the toothache or rheumatism, begin to look for some remedy, rather than a smile of our own make. The profits of the JOURNAL go to the Widows' and Orphans' Fund, and the Editor is not at all anxious to deplete it by refusing what we consider legitimate advertising. There are four small medical ads in the August number, less than one page, instead of ten or twelve. We try not to accept any advertising that is not from responsible concerns and who will not do all they agree to do. Sometimes we have a complaint, and in that case we immediately investigate and see that it is corrected, or exclude the ad. We do the best we can for the interest of our members; advertising is their financial interest, which we guard as closely as possible, but we do not expect to please all in that or any other feature of the JOURNAL.-EDITOR.] $ 25 00 25 CO 12 00 12 00 12 00 12 00 600 6.00 12 00 12 00 12 00 284 290 500 588.. 589 Total... 10 00 12.00 580 10 00 12. 00 5.00 14.50 12 CO 12.00 10 00 10 00 $692 25 SUMMARY. -$554 17 598 60 692 25 25) 75 9.50 L. S. to B. of L. F. Lodges... James Costello, of Div. 270, O. R. G. JOHN O'KEEFE, Sec. & Treas. their activity. Mothers who are still in the very heyday of existence will understand all the better how to care for their own physical charms, and can intelligently train their daughters to do the same, while those women upon whose heads the crown of motherhood has rested for many years, will be able to accept the plans devised for their rejuvenation. Why should a woman lose her grace of person just at a time when her mental faculties are at their best ? Experience, that wonderful teacher, has enriched heart and mind in a manner which leaves but little to be desired. If you will notice, the mother of today is a very much more important personage in society than was the mother of thirty years ago. Then she was given a back seat, put upon the shelf as it were, as soon as the debutante daughter took her place in the Ladies' Department world of gayety. Her duties were clearly Communications for publication must be written on one side of the paper. Noms de plume are always permissible, but to receive consideration must be signed by the full name and address of the author, and addressed to the Editress, MRS. M. E. CASSELL, 922 Dennison Av., Columbus, Ohio, not later than the 8th of the month. The Editress reserves the right to revise, reject or use matter sent in, governed entirely on its merits. Aspirations. Oh that my life might be A beautiful melody! Borne on the wings of all breezes that blow, Into the glorious vastness of heaven, Into the highest, which no man may know! Banish all worthlessn ss, Lord and Creator of all things that be! Make my life true and brave Free as the ocean wave, Pure as the snowflakes from heaven above, The Present Day Mother. "Age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress." We have reached a period in woman's history when the question of growing old is carefully and broad-mindedly considered. As a result we find the sisters who have left the first flowers of their youth far behind them still plucking the sweetest and most fragrant of life's blossoms. I am so glad of this; so glad especially for the mothers of our land, who have more incentives than any other class to keep their elasticity, their vivacity and marked out. True, she appeared now and then at social functions to which she was specially bidden, but it was in the most sober of gowns, the most unbecoming of coiffures, and with a manner that plainly hinted, "my day is over." With the fin-de-siecle mother and daughter things are changed. They walk together on a more congenial plane. The daughter's friends and amusements mother makes, to a large extent, a part of her own life. On shopping trips, at teas, receptions, dances, etc., mother is chaperon, and as such, receives attentions pleasantly tend ered and quite as gracefully acknowledged. "At homes" find mother, in her prettiest costume, on hand to welcome her girl's friends, in so charming a style that the guests go away declaring, "Alice's mother is such a help to her." It all serves to keep age and time's finger-prints at bay; this march abreast with the pleasures of youth. And only the woman whose foresight travels no farther than the tip cf her nose fails to make something of a "chum" with her young lady daughter. Mothers, don't don your grandmother's cap before the time for wearing it has come. And you, daughters, remember that a companion mother is the greatest blessing a young life can have. NORAH O'NEIL. Grand President Visits the East. If all the Divisions who attended the School of Instruction in Boston, June 27, should attempt to tell what a glorious good time they had, we are afraid that an extra number of the JOURNAL would be needed, so we will try not to say too much. |