The Ladies' Society will live and neither you nor I can dip into the future and gauge the strength and power it will yet

attain. Mistakes will be made. The man or woman who has never made a mistake has not lived, and this is equally true of covered in our Society, it has means at societies. Fortunately, if errors are disits disposal to correct them.

We, of the Ladies' Society, are on the eve of a great success. Believe this, my sisters, substitute faith for doubt, in all that concerns our future. Cease speaking of our Society as simply "a hearse to carry out our dead." True, we bury our dead, and when a sister dies, we pay to her beneficiaries the amount for which she is insured, and up to the present day we have met every obligation, and we will continue to do so.

This insurance, which we furnish, is but a part of our Society. We are a fraternal order, the benefits of which can not be summed up by a bookkeeper. It matters not how strong and proud we are, dark days will come and we will never know, until they are upon us, what it means to reach forth and touch the hand of a sister. Then we will realize that we have paid, not only for insurance, but for benefits that can not be written into the policy, but are the legitimate fruitage of the obligations assumed at our altars.

We are auxiliary to the foremost of the labor organizations and each year, as we become stronger, we will recognize more definitely our duty with respect to industrial conditions. The good we may then do thousands of women and chil

telligent sympathy, as well as from

ant on grinding poverty, can not be calculated in dollars and cents.

As the different phases of this, our own Society, present themselves to us and we realize the grandeur and the extent of its future possibilities we can not but feel that an all-wise Omnipotence ruled over that Convention at Chattanooga and guided our officers and delegates when they passed the wise laws whereby, at a very small additional expense to every sister, during the next two years, our Society will be continued on a sound financial basis, our business interests will be cared for by competent officers, our insurance will be protected and our future success will be assured.

Officers of Grand Lodge.

GRAND COUNSELOR, Frank P. Sargent, of Immigration of the United States. The recognition and respect that we give our Grand Counselor is his due. At his home, in the month of April, 1884, ten women, wives of locomotive firemen, met and formed the first Society. Through his efforts at San Francisco, in 1890, official recognition of the Society as an auxiliary to the Brotherhood was secured.

Commissioner-General

He has ever been the tireless, earnest

and successful advocate of everything that tended to upbuild or protect the Ladies' Society. It is not strange that we, who are working with him, should seek and obey his judgment since we have always found him to be right.

With confidence we accept the leadership of this brother, who compels success in every undertaking and of whom the President of the United States said, at Chattanooga, 'I can safely rely on his judgment at all times."

GRAND PAST PRESIDENT, Mrs. J. A. Leach. "Those there are whose hearts have a slope southward and are open to the whole noon of nature"-and one of "those" is our Grand Past President, beloved by all, loving all, our own dear Mother Leach.

GRAND PRESIDENT, Georgie M. Sargent. -Someone had to be patient, hopeful, interested, proud, never discouraged, al ways devoted, through the early years of the life of our Society. That "someone" was our beloved Grand President, Georgie M. Sargent, an officer whose self-sacrifice in our behalf will be appreciated more as the years come and go a woman possessed of great tact and a most amiable disposition, coupled with the fortu

nate peculiarity that she will pursue and attain her object in the face of any and all obstacles. She is a rare woman born with a love for women in her heart-in short, she is an ideal Grand President.

GRAND SECRETARY AND TREASURER, Mary E. DuBois.-A practical business woman, with a thorough business training, reliable and conservative. She has a pleasing personality, unmarred by selfconsciousness. Our business interests are safe in her capable hands.

GRAND MEDICAL EXAMINER, Dr William Watts.-Described by Grand Counselor Sargent as "a man who knows his business and attends to it."

GRAND VICE-PRESIDENT, Maud E. Moore. A faithful and favorite sister, our first Grand Secretary and Treasurer. During her term of oflice she copied all rituals and by-laws with pen and ink. She has a brilliant mind, is enthusiastic and energetic and possesses a broad general knowledge of the workings of the Ladies' Society.

Notes.

The Editor of the Ladies' Department has received notice that the copy for this department must be delivered to the Editor and Manager of the MAGAZINE on

the morning of the 15th of each month.

Contributors will please bear this in mind and send all matter for publication in this department to

MRS. JOSEPHINE C. WATTS,
103 Seventh St.,
Peoria, Ill.

Several interesting letters have been received too late for publication this month. They will appear later.

So many Gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
When just the art of being kind
Is all this sad world needs.

Every sister should read carefully the thoughtful, suggestive letter so kindly written by Third Vice Grand Master Charles W. Maier and appearing in this issue.

The sisters who attended convention at Chattanooga will be pleased to hear from Sister Katherine Weitzel, who was delegate of No. 60, Harrisburg, Pa. She writes me that her health was much improved by her southern trip. May we meet her well and strong at Buffalo.

Let there be plenty of sunshine in your lodge room and a warmth of good, good feeling without stint. Many societies would have a larger attendance but for that "icy stare."

Every sister ought to be president of a society before she belongs to one. Then she would know what it means to stand up and appeal for expression of opinions before a formal vote is taken and have nobody offer the smallest word-negation or approbation.

Judging from the letter written by their correspondent, Holly Lodge No. 70 is made up of living, breathing, enthusiastic sisters, and we are not surprised to find them in a lodge of which Sister Shea is president and upon whose roll the name of Sister McNamara appears.

Owing to the necessary delay caused by the removal of the MAGAZINE and the change of editors of the Ladies' Department, a very prettily written letter from a "Fireman's Wife," Meadville, Pa., reached me too late for publication. We of the Ladies' Society, will hope to some time call this loyal friend of the Firemen sister.

Did you ever visit a society and have the queerest sensation come over you when you entered the room? You don't dare to smile-oh, dear, no! You look at your dearest friend. She don't dare either. All is so elegantly dignified. But say, do you know, I'd rather be "jolly good company?" Were ours the privilege of fashioning the garment of life we would weave from some shining, filmy material the outer coat of the unostentatious dignity of true culture and line it with a rich, warm coloring of joyousness and fun.

He

The following poetic prose composition from an unknown source will be appreciated by all who dread the "fault finder :" "St. Peter sits at the heavenly gates, his hands on the strings of the lyre, and he sings a low song as he patiently waits for the souls of those who expire. hears in the distance a chorus of song that swells from the foot of the throne, and he smiles as the music is wafted along, and he warbles a lay of his own: There is room in this region for millions of souls, who through sorrow and woe were bereft, 'tis for those who have suffered the melody rolls, but "fault-finders"

must turn to the left. They'd say that the music was all out of tune and the angelic gown "hand-me-down," and they'd send for a jeweler in the moon to sample the gold in their crown. So while there is room for millions of souls, who through sorrow and woe were bereft, we want no complaint of the music that rolls, so fault-finders, turn to the left."

Etiquette of the Lodge Room.

Parliamentary laws, intelligently used, combined with the forms of civility used in a parlor, and adapted to the occasion by a gracious and womanly tact, constitute a lodge etiquette the knowledge of which wins for its possessor the respect and confidence of all with whom she may be associated in lodge work. It is not the purpose of the writer of this article to conflict in any way with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Ladies' Society, a constitution and by-laws which needs no explanation or elucidation from her hands, and which contains special rules on special subjects which supersede, for the Ladies' Society, the general usage on these subjects. Neither does she purpose to repeat the generally accepted rules known as parliamentary law, rather to simplify and illustrate the most important of them, while seeking to benefit not the few who have given lodge work much thought and study, but the many who need assistance in doing the simplest things.

Motions. No person can properly make or second a motion without obtaining the floor. To "obtain the floor" is to rise and address the person who is presiding as "Madam Chairman," "Worthy President," "Madame President," or by whatever title she is known in the body in session, and be recognized by her.

The presiding officer recognizes a member by calling her name. If in a strange assembly, for instance, she does not know the name, she asks, "The name, please?" and upon being told, repeats it, and the member has the floor.

Having obtained the floor, the member introduces her motion with the words, "I more," not "I motion" nor "I move you;" thus she will say, "I move that we adjourn," not "I motion," nor "I move you that we adjourn."

Wishing to second a motion, say: "I second the motion," do not say "I support the motion."

When a motion has been made and seconded the chairman rises and repeats it.