Bright Hopes for the Future.

DEAR SISTER EDITRESS: Your request for an offering in January number reached me too late, as it went to California, then followed me to Iowa, where I had been sojourning for two months, called hence by the severe illness of one of my kin.

While there I received many invitations from Grand Officers and surrounding Divisions to visit them, but felt obliged to sacrifice pleasure for duty. My home coming happened to be in the worst storm of the season, a real blizzard, and as I had wanted to see plenty of snow I saw it to my heart's content. Trains were delayed which caused anxiety to my friends, and I had a chance to see all along the way the brave daring of our noble and trustworthy engineers.

As soon as I could, after the storm had sufficiently subsided, and the train stopped long enough, I walked forward with some traveling companions to see the man in the cab. It was stinging cold in the wind and sleet, but we found him looking closely after the engine with his helpers, icicles frozen to his whiskers, but looking as if he intended to brave the storm and do all in his power to reach his destination outlined. I know how hard it was to make any headway, and often we were behind time, how easy it was to make some slight mistake or catch the wrong signal, which would end in wreck or disaster. But I had perfect confidence in the man at the throttle, who landed us safely at last through all those trying scenes, and I have been congratulating the Brothers of California since my return, that they work in a milder climate, "the land of sunshine and flowers."

I returned home just in time for New Year's day, and I would extend to all the Sisters of the G. I. A. a most hearty greeting. Best wishes to the Grand Officers and the newly installed Division officers, not forgetting those who have laid down their badge of office after a successful year. We have certainly been prospered and blessed in our Order during the past year, and have bright hopes for the fu

ture.

The Pacific Coast joins in new interest with another Division recently organized. Mrs. Leland Stanford Div. 106, held its installation on Tuesday, Jan. 10th, with the Sisters of Div. 104, as guests, and Sister Armstrong, Grand Inspector, acting as installing officer. After the installation service a sumptuous banquet was served, to which the Brothers were made welcome. Several of the retiring officers, among them the Grand Chaplain, were presented with elaborate and handsome gifts. Much credit was reflected upon the impressive work of the installing officer, and the committee in charge, it being a happy and most successful affair.

GRAND CHAPLAIN.

Feminine Wisdom.

When a man's wife has gone away to visit, he wonders how he ever managed to get along as a bachelor.

There are lots of girls who are afraid of mice who wear a "rat" in their hair all the time.

Every time I see a woman kiss her worst enemy and call her " dear," I think what a great career would have been hers had she been a man and in politics.

It is usually after a woman loses her good looks that she takes up mission work and joins a club.

A man can give more valid reasons for making a mistake than a woman can for doing right.

There is a soul mate for each man and woman in the world, and once in awhile they marry.

When a woman admits that she is jealous, she is, and when she denies it, she is.

More men commit crime, go crazy, and kill themselves than women, yet we speak of women as the "emotional sex!"

Study Club Program for February.

"A mighty hand from an exhaustless urn Pours forth the flood of years."

1. Paper-Current events of 1904.

2. Reading-"Is the World Growing Better?" Everybody's Magazine, December, 1904. Discussion.

3. Let each member bring a clipping of some heroic or unselfish action which occurred during the year.

4. Book Review-The Simple Life. Charles Wagner. Is it possible, with our complex civilization, to live such a life?

5.

"A Waste of Human Life." By Ray Stannard Baker, in McClure's for December, 1904. Silently, like the blessings of God, the years descend upon us; come with a glory and a promise, bringing to us treasures and trials unknown; bearing with them something of the radiance of the Throne, of the gleam and glimmer of the faroff "Jasper Sea."

And as silently they go, out beyond our reach, bearing with them all the sweetness, the gladness, the sorrows, regrets and mistakes.

Down their tide dear faces have vanished, leaving us behind; but life and love are eternal, and God will surely give us our own again.

What are we going to accomplish in the year which has just begun? Shall we progress or be willing to simply drift with the tide. Shall we sit calmly down, satisfied with ourselves and our past achievements, saying, "Let well enough alone"? No! a thousand times No. We want to rise; to live up to what is highest and best within us, and make our beloved order more potent for good. Our Grand Officers are constantly urging us, by tongue and pen, to greater activity. Let us respond with our best efforts helping them, ourselves and the world.

May happiness and prosperity attend all our Sisters, and let us all strive to so live that we may finally enter into that larger and better life, "where time shall be no longer."

STUDY CLUB COMMITTEE.

Some Thoughts on Insurance.

With the January JOURNAL as an incentive, I venture to air some of my views on the subject of insurance, and I hope for the next eighteen months many of our Sisters will do the same, in order that our delegates may be able to legislate for us wisely and well at Memphis in 1906.

I believe, with many others, that our system of insurance needs a remodeling or making over; for, though it has fulfilled its mission completely in the past and always reflects unlimited credit on its originators, our V. R. A. has grown so wonderfully that the time has come when a change is absolutely necessary.

Now, will "rating of assessments according to age" give the change that will do the most good? Well, for reasons which I will not discuss in this article, I fear not.

I believe that insuring on the " •Expect. ancy plan" is far better. What is the Expectancy plan? Well, I will try to explain as briefly as possible.

There are tables already, or we could formulate one of our own, showing how long a Sister is expected to live after she has reached a certain age, and her assessments can be levied accordingly. Then, if through something unforeseen she should die before reaching the expected age, the amount of assessments still due the V. R. A. may be deducted from the amount of the policy, and then each one would be paying for what she got and no one be getting something for nothing, and the young stand an equal show with the old.

Now, the idea of deducting from the policy shocks you! Well, it need not, for you would be surprised at the very small amount it would take out-in many cases less than one dollar.

Do not say we are turning fortunetellers in presuming to say how long each one shall live. No, we are not. God, and He alone, knows "the day and the hour." But thinking ones can, and do, figure out how long a person is expected to live after she reaches a certain age, be that age twelve, twenty or sixty.

Now, Sisters, here are some views with which you do or do not agree. Well, say so through the JOURNAL. Do not say, "I cannot spell," or "I am no grammarian." Not all of us are college-bred, I can tell you; but if you are too timid to come as you are, write your thoughts to our dear Editress, and I know she will be only too happy to clothe them properly and present them for you, and you can have your say just the same.

With good wishes for all, I am,
Yours fraternally,

MRS. M. E. FITZPATRICK, Div. 150.

Woman at Home.

There is no place where the graces of true womankind shine out more conspicuously than in the common daily intercourse of the family. Patience, gentleness, tender sympathy, love and forbearance here come into play with a force and

influence felt in no other place. Here those virtues, which have their source in the Divine nature, find their most congenial atmosphere. Let them be lacking, or any of them, and the harmony is broken, and peace and joy depart. It is not to be understood that the happiness of the family relation does not also depend in a large measure upon the character of the husband and the father, but we insist only that the influence of the wife and mother here is the chief and most essential thing. The home is, primarily, what she makes it. It is her domain, her throne of power. If she chooses to neglect her duties at the behest of society, or because of other outside interests, the home suffers from her absence, and the family loses all that charm and brightness which her presence should infuse. There is danger, we apprehend, in these days of progress and "reform," particularly in the matter of "woman's rights," of undervaluing the influence and character of the family life. It is sometimes talked of as a matter of small consequence in comparison with that so-called wider sphere outside of home duties, to which many are aspiring. But let the truth be emphasized, that the mothers of today hold the levers of the world's tomorrow. Let impurity, discord and dissension enter the homes of the people, let the family life be corrupted, and disease and death will fasten itself upon the vitals of the republic, and its days will be numbered. Domestic happiness underlies national strength and prosperity, and the nearer we approach to the ideal home the less we shall have to fear for the future.-Leslie's Weekly.

A Deed and a Word.

A little stream had lost its way
Amid the grass and fern;

A passing stranger scooped a well,
Where weary men might turn;
He walled it in, and hung with care
A ladle at the brink;

He thought not of the deed he did,
But judged that all might drink.
He passed again, and, lo! the well,

By summer never dried,

Had cooled ten thousand parching tongues And saved a life beside.

A nameless man, amid a crowd That thronged the daily mart, Let fall a word of hope and love, Unstudied, from the heart;

A whisper on the tumult thrown,
A transitory breath-

It raised a brother from the dust,
It saved a soul from death.
O germ! O fount! O word of love!
O thought at random cast!
Ye were but little at the first,
But mighty at the last.

-Charles Mackay.

New Divisions.

ANOTHER IN TEXAS.

Our Grand President assigned to me the pleasant duty of organizing a G. I. A. to W. H. Reilly Div. 427, B. of L. E., at Yoakum, Texas. I was notified that they would be ready to organize on Nov. 28, and accompanied by Sisters J. W. Smart and W. D. Oland of Mistletoe Div. 181, arrived at Yoakum on the afternoon of Nov. 27. We were met at the depot by several of the prospective Sisters, who gave us such a royal welcome that the discomforts of the trip-which among other things was a lay over" of about nine hours at West Point Junction-were forgotten.

66

The Sisters had carriages in waiting, and we were taken to pleasant homes. Sisters Smart and Oland were entertained at the beautiful home of Sister Martin, while I had a delightful visit with an old school friend, Sister Marsters. On the morning of the 28th we met at the Red Men's Hall, at 9:30, and with Sister Oland as Secretary and Sister Smart as Marshal, Yoakum Div. 336 was organized, with twenty-four charter members. Officers were then elected, after which we adjourned for dinner at the pleasant home of Brother and Sister Conlon, and needless to say we did ample justice to the turkey and other delicious eatables served. The afternoon was given to installation of officers and exemplification of the ritual work. The appointed offices were all filled, and each seemed especially suited for the station to which she was chosen. Sister Conlon, who was elected President, joined the G. I. A. at the late Convention at Los Angeles, and it was largely through

her efforts that the new Division was organized.

Tuesday morning we met at 10 o'clock, holding an all day session. The new officers were all in their stations, opened in regular form and went through all the forms of ritual work. One could hardly believe that they were not "old-timers," especially in the officers' drill and burial service. The new Auxiliary deserves much praise for the manner in which they took hold of the work, and the success and prosperity of Yoakum Div. 336 is assured, because of such earnest and diligent workers.

I must not forget to mention that Red Men's Hall is in possession of a fine, large goat, the use of which made the initiation of candidates much more impressive, especially when the new members were ready to be conducted to seats near the Vice President. His goatship was in fine spirits, and under the capable management of Sister Russell, he displayed many accomplishments, to the great enjoyment of all, the victims not excepted. After the close of the meeting a photographer came in and took a picture of us all, and I felt disappointed that the goat was not given a place in the group. We were then driven to the home of Brother and Sister Martin, where we enjoyed a dainty supper.

In the evening a reception was given at the hospitable home of Brother and Sister Russell, to which the Brothers and their families were invited, and a large number were present. A delightful musical program was rendered, which added much to the pleasure of the evening, and a most enjoyable social time was had by all who were fortunate enough to be present. Delicious refreshments were served, and the dining-room with its beautiful decorations and attractive table, made a scene long to be remembered.

The next day quite a number of the Brothers and Sisters were at the depot to bid us good-by, and we started on our homeward journey, carrying with us most pleasant memories of Yoakum and her people. MRS. R. W. MAYS.

AT BURLINGTON, IA.

In response to our Grand President

Mrs. W. A. Murdock's call, I secured transportation for Burlington, Iowa, to organize a Division there on December 12th.

I was well cared for by Bro. J. A. Richards, F. A. E., and wife in their comfortable home. At 10 o'clock on the morning of the 12th the ladies were at the hall ready to assume their responsibilities. We organized in the morning, elected and installed officers, and by 2:30 were ready to hold meeting. As the second and fourth Mondays were to be their regular meeting days we started in with the work in regular form. I was pleased, as well as agreeably surprised, to see how well the ladies started out with the work, it being so new to them. After we had drilled in the work during the greater part of the day we were ready for the fine five-course dinner served us at one of the leading hotels in Burlington. The charter was held open for a short time as there were some of the ladies who could not be present that day. The ladies were very enthusiastic over their new Division, No. 343, and gave it the name of "The Burlington."

Too soon the hour came to say farewell, for we met as friends and we parted as Sisters. MRS. W. H. MCBRIDE, Grand Organizer and Inspector, Valley Junction, Iowa.

Brewer, as Marshal. We were met at the depot by Brothers and their wives and taken to the hotel. The day following, on December 11th, we were escorted to the Odd Fellows' Hall where the organization was to take place.

After arriving at the hall the Brothers of Div. 504 presented members with the charter, seal, ritual and by-laws, for which the ladies were truly grateful. Electric City Div. 325, was duly organized with nineteen charter members. While the Division was being organized and officers installed the Brothers were busily engaged in the annex preparing an elaborate luncheon. And when the doors were thrown open they were greeted with a pleasing sight. Brother Fisher, M. M. at Great Falls, and Brothers Stoddard and Houle served the ladies at the luncheon. Brother Fisher with a long white apron, with long white streamers, made a very graceful and accommodating waiter.

When all had been served, fifty in number, Brothers, Sisters and friends were given a theater party, which all thoroughly enjoyed. Not enough praise can be given Brothers of Division 504, who so ably assisted in making this event a grand success, of which the organizer and members are very proud. We left the Division in charge of an intelligent and industrious lot of ladies, and our trip to Great Falls will long be remembered with pleasure. We feel assured that our good and noble Order will find a permanent home in Electric City Div. 325. God bless our noble Order, the G. I. A. to the B. of L. E. MRS. J. C. ANDERSON.

Notice.

A union meeting of the G. I. A. will be held in I. O. O. F. Hall, in Columbus, O., on March 14, under the auspices of Div. 52. The ritual work will be exemplified and fancy drills given, including the Installation Drill. Sister Murdock and other Grand officers will be present. All members of the G. I. A. are invited, and the Ohio Sisters especially urged to come to this meeting. EDITRESS.

Division News.

THE first anniversary of Div. 307, Reading, Pa., was celebrated in a fitting manner on the evening of December 10, to which celebration the members of Div. 75, B. of L. E., were invited, and responded by being present. The C. E. of Div. 75 introduced Bro. Joseph Williams, who delivered an address full of inspiration, after which all present were seated at the table, which was made beautiful by decoration and loaded down with eatables representing the culinary art of the Sisters. Many were the words of praise bestowed upon the different viands, and the coffee as made by Sister McGovern was pronounced excellent by the Brothers, who proved their assertions by calling time and again for "one more cup of that good coffee." After spending an evening full of enjoyment we returned to our homes, hoping for many such evenings with the same spirit of harmony.

MRS. MATTIE BRADFORD.

GOLDEN SEAL Div. 30, of the G. I. A., Parsons, Kans., has been silent for a long time, and now comes forward and sends greetings to all Sister Divisions, wishing them a prosperous and Happy New Year. We have started the new year with a rich treasury, the fruits of hard labor the past year, and hope it may continue so through out the lifetime of our beloved Division.

We have a splendid membership, and our lodge is growing and the prospects are very bright for a more rapid growth, as a prize of $2 is offered by the Division to the Sister securing the most members this year. We all expect to work for the prize, and in so doing we also work for the good of our Order. We love our noble Division and its good works and are like a great family, very dear to each other.

On the evening of January 4th, at B. of L. E. Hall, at the close of a meeting of Div. 179, B. of L. E., we served a farewell banquet to our dear Brother and Sister Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Boucher, who were leaving for their new home in Alliance, Nebr. A large crowd of the Brothers and Sisters were present, and the evening was indeed a most enjoyable one.