; \ - VOLUME VI. f fADDRESS ALL LETTERS TO) ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS } DECEMBER, 1905. f PRINTED AT LINCOLN, we iexat NUMBER 12. Se a Neighbors: new term of our work, and this is the seventeenth year since the Royal Neigh- bors of America came into existence, and a little over ten years since the beneficiary department was established. In November our nation observes one day as a national thanksgiving day, and I believe that the members of our fra- ternity have good reason to be thankful for the fine record which our society has made. The beneficial membership has increased from a small band of 600 in 1895 to almost an army; the bene- ficial membership now being 96,000. If each deputy and each member will do all they can to inerease this) member- ship, we can easily make the beneficial membership reach 100,000 by January 1. 1906. , The future of any. society el We have entered upon a | upon the interest its workers and mem- Greetings to the Members of Our Grand Society bers take in its future, and all mem- bers should be constantly soliciting some of their friends to become mem- Lers. Let the entire membership be thankful for the prosperity of the so- ciety. : Since August 1, 1905, a new system of deputy work has been put into opera- tion, and all solicitors .must now be bonded. Arrangements have been made with the National Surety Company whereby all deputies are bonded under one schedule bond, and we now. have sixteen supervising deputies, and the en- tire jurisdiction is divided so each su- pervising deputy has charge of one or more states, and they are required to secure district deputies for their entire district; also, the district deputies are authorized to secure capable assistants. Local camps may also have a deputy commissioned from among their own members, but no person can act as dep- uty without making proper application for bond, and being bonded and com- missioned. All applications for bonds must be sent direct to my office, and all commissions are written at my office. Since this new plan has been in effect, about 160 new deputies have been bonded and commissioned and the plan is proving very satisfactory, and we are looking forward to greater results than ever before. Since August 1 there have been over 100 camps instituted, and there has been an average of over 1,000 certificates issued each month, and I believe with the addition made to the deputy force we can readily make our beneficial membership 100,000 by Jan- uary 1, 1906, ~ Si One Sick Neighbor Who Was Helped « © Sw je TS} Galesville, Ill—In reading the No- vember Roya Netennor I find some very good things. I might speak of many of them, but the one that struck -me the hardest was the “Editor’s Con- fidential »~Chat” which she said, among other things: — in “Has any camp helped a sick mem- ber? I would like to have a little story about it.” Now, I am the sick Neigh- ‘bor that was helped. I will try to tell you of some of the blessings which I received. I call them blessings, The Tsook of Books teaches us that every . good and perfect gift comes from above. T believe that every kind act that we receive from ‘our Neighbors comes through their hands from the Giver of all. On May 10, 1904, I was taken sick. After seven weeks’ sickness my physi- cian told me it was necessary that I go to Chicago to a hospital, where I would have to stay two months. I immediate- ly wrote to Miss M. E. Dade, our Ben- eficiary Recorder, for the addresses of the Royal Neighbor camps in Chicago. She gave me the addressés of five. As soon as I landed in Chicago, I wrote them telling them that I was an in- mate of Hahnemann hospital and would like all- Royal Neighbors to call on me there. I sent, the first letter out on Sunday, I think. The next day Neigh- bors Teasdale and.Mercer called, bring- ing me a lovely bouquet, and said as soon as their camp met they would read my letter to the camp and then the camp would send me a nice one. In due time the bouquet arrived, not alone, or by a carrier, but brought to me by Royal Neighbors, and it was a beauty. It was carnations; not a half dozen, but a great bunch, so large the nurse had to put it in a large pitcher; now imagine the’ size. She set them on a chair at the foot of my bed, so I might admire them, which I certainly did. The next day I had two more callers; the next, three; the next, four, and from that on, scarcely a day passed but what I had Royal Neighbor callers. Some of the ladies left their cards, some did not. I wish that all had so I f iy 4 ; Be age ee Tells of the Great Blessings She Received ees ee ¥, sy Sy Rw might look at them now and remember their names, but I remember well their faces and voices. I had visitors from all of the camps, and flowers, too. One bunch of flowers I remember distinctly was something from the lily family. { might go on describing the flowers until the editor would throw this the waste basket on account of its length, but the flowers were only a small part of what the Neighbors of Chicago, did for Their kindly in- terest, their neighborly love and the fraternal feeling they showed for me, a stranger who had. fallen sick among them, will| never be forgotten. I may never meet any of them on earth again in me. of it the afternoon would be gone, and they left me with pleasant memories. We were not strangers, although I had not met any of the Chicago Neighbors before except Dr. Morrill, our Supreme Physician. They came also when I was too sick to receive them, or even to see them, and enquired after me and whether they could do anything for my comfort. They called by telephone when they could not call in person, all of which I very much appreciated. I would like to say to all Royal Neigh- bors that have to go to a hospital, go to Chicago! Let the Royal Neighbors of that city know you are there and your sick days, or weeks, or months will pass pleasantly, and you will go home rejoicing. I would like to tell you of the kind- ness my home camp has shown me since I have been sick, but pen and paper would not hold out, therefore I will A TYPICAL SOUTHERN HOME. ‘Residence of Robert Miller, Liberty, Mo. . but we will clasp hands in the great beyond where the recording angel keeps an account of all such deeds. They were allowed to remain as long as they wished, uine Royal Neighbor visits. .They would tell: me what their camps were doing, and talk of their homes and families, and of what was going on in the out- side world; and before we were aware so you may know that they did not make fashionable calls, but gen; =~ only attempt to memtion. a few things. I was still confined to my bed at Christ- mas, and most of the camps remem- bered me kindly. They presented me with a gold Royal Neighbor pin, a handsome dressing sack, a chromo and a handkerchief. I certainly was the proudest Royal Neighbor on Christmas morning that this or any other camp has ever had. I assure you my home camp has not been amiss in their visits, Neen eee a a ae emi BSE es Nearing One Hundred Thousand Mark a ce \ a WA cA pie AER a ae CABLE REA Deputies and members, let us all work — with this object in view. I would recommend that camps in- terest their members in’ having class initiations, and at any time where ar- rangements can be made one of the Su- preme Officers would be glad to attend the class adoption. I believe every camp might arrange to have a class adoption, and in the cities camps could arrange to have a union class — hour | adoption and have a_ social after to which friends could be -in- vited. Every beneficial member should be interested in increasing the member-. ship of the society. Let us all resolve to do our part in bringing our bene- ficial membership up to 100,000, With a kindly Thanksgiving greeting to each member, I am, royally, Mrs. FE. D. Watt, Supreme Oracle. and not once has any Royal Neighbor, either here or in Chicago, come to see me with any but a cheerful face, which goes a long way toward making a sick person feel well. If I were to tell. you of the many hundreds of little things . the Neighbors have done for me in the- year and-a half of my sickness my let-— ter would never be finished. 4 » es EX Now, if there is another Royal Neigh- oe bor who thinks she has been helped more by the Royal Neighbors than I have, just let her speak out. Thanking all Royal Neighbors for their kindness ia my affliction, I am, royally yours, Mrs. MarrHa E. Evans, Camp 2458. ww w 5 An Opportunity for a Thanksgiving Offering Royal Neighbors: No doubt all of our members will remember the street- ear accident which saddened our Su- preme Camp held in Indianapolis four years ago and in which so many of our Neighbors were injured. One of- the persons most seriously injured at that time was Mrs. Ada M. Lawson, one of our oldest and most successful deputies, _ small children to support and dependent entirely upon : Since that accident < Twice the ver- dict of the court has been set aside and — a widow with four her own efforts. she has been helpless. she has not received anything from the street-car company. Physician’s » fees and other expenses have exhausted her means, and, with winter approaching, she is in need of fraternal aid and 4 sympathy. After her needy condition — had been brought to our attention, we = oe believed that every camp or individual — member of our society would deem it a privilege to voluntarily contribute to a fund for the assistance of this af- flicted member until her suit, which comes up at, the February term of court, is decided. a All. contributions for this worthy cause should be sent to Mrs. Lina M. Collins, 318 King street, St. Paul, Minn., Chairman Board of Supreme Managers, Royally, Mrs. E. D. WATT, Supreme Oracle. ~ Attest: Mrs. Lina M. CoL.ins) Chairman Board of Supreme Managers. ww Silk gloves are not adaptable to winter wear, but will find some fayor with those © who are trying to save money. = ‘