into execution what is now being accomplished on the "B. & M."

We fully realize our loss and we hope that we may find among our busy members one who will take up his work and meet with success, but we know we will not get another man of his makeup. So as a body and individually we wish him everlasting success in his new occupation.

I can safely say all here are on the alert with a desire to see our noble order increase with rapid strides, and to be able to fall in line in the near future and have all grievances adjusted.

It is certainly a pleasure to say that the B. & M. officials are fair and just, and in all business dealings with them in the past we can report the best of treatment.

Wishing the Grand Officers and all other lodges the best of success, I will close this letter from "The Banner Lodge of the East." JACK RYAN. HUB. PECK.

The Brotherhood of Railway Clerks on the New Haven System, in fact all over the country, is fast becoming what it should have been long ago; an organized body of capable and intelligent men, who, understanding their abilities and the value of same to their employers, are fighting for what rightfully belongs to them; for fight it certainly is, as records will show.

Here in the East, on the New Haven System. even in our own city of Fall River, it has ben the hardest kind of a struggle to get clerks interested; interested in something that is a great deal better to them than an investment in United States Government Gold Bonds, which guarantee a certain per cent interest, because a comparatively small amount of money invested now in a membership card of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks, means big results in the near future, as results we are sure to get with the men of "bull dog" grit and persistance handling the reins of the various lodges; and maybe, before the next issue of "The Railway Clerk," these non-union clerks, who are so hard to talk to, will hear something that will cause them to sit up and take notice, and they will also see that the union men are not such a "dead" bunch as they supposed them to be.

From the reports I hear from the other lodges, they are having the same kind of a battle against men who, knowing that organization is the only method of obtaining results, will not join the Brotherhood for practically no reason at all.

But now that we have enough men in line, and men who have back bone to stand up and speak for their own-men who will stand by the Brotherhood at all hazards-I can't see why every clerk in the employ of a railroad does not fall in line, invest in a mem

bership card of some lodge, and wear a B. R. C. button, thereby bettering himself and also his fellow clerks, for until he does the poorly-paid and down-trodden clerk will remain just as he is today-receiving small wages and working long hours, while other branches of the service, which are thoroughly organized, put in their eight or nine hours per day, and then go into the pay-car and draw a salary twice as large. There is only one explanation of this. They are organized -the clerks are not. No matter how you try to get around it, it is the only conclusion you can arrive at, and that is why these clerks of the various lodges are doing their utmost to get every man handling the pen or pencil into the Brotherhood, and by so doing increase our chances of betterment.

Now again, let every man in the order keep his dues paid up, attend every meeting, and help out in every way he can the officers of this lodge. I can say here and now, that the clerks of the New Haven road are "coming" fast, and those who have had a hand in this good work may well feel proud of it. WM. E. ROGAN, Vice-President.

ILLINOIS VALLEY No. 154.

At an informal meeting held June 15th, Brother L. E. W. Johnson, organizer, presiding, for the purpose of instituting a lodge of the B. of R. C., Brother Lew Smith was elected president, pro tem, and Brother Thos. J. Confrey was elected secretary, pro tem.

After an hour of interesting talk from Brother Johnson-relative to the object of the meeting and the benefits to be derived from the organization-it was voted to hold the first regular meeting June 21st, 1907, when officers would be elected and the new lodge be started on its journey to do good for the newly elected members. The meeting was held, and with those present and others gathered in some days later we were enabled to obtain a charter with 16 members. At this meeting the honors were divided as evenly as possible among the representatives of various roads and towns present, as follows: Brother A. W. Ladd was unanimously elected president; in doing so the members showed good judgment and the kind regard they hold for Brother Ladd; he is a very conservative man and possessed of keen discernment and good "common sense." Brother Ray J. Goodell was elected vicepresident; it goes without saying the brothers acted wisely in his election. Brother T. D. Johnson, familiarly known as "Dick," was elected as secretary. "Dick" is well liked by his fellows and is quite popular. Brother Thos. J. Confrey was elected treasurer. "Tom," as he is generally called, has seen many years of service and is as well known as a milk man. Brother Lew Smith was elected chaplain and is well fitted for the position as he has a sanctimonious look about him that entitles him to the position above the other members of the lodge. Brother Frank J. Fenny was elected to do the honors when receiving new members into the order.

tend only to receive the new work and a card, etc. But let it be understood in the article written that the meetings are for business and to strengthen and build up the lodges. I would like for you to pick some worthy brother in your vicinity to compose an article on this subject, and while doing so, do not forget to remind the members of Vicksburg Lodge No. 118, that they are in the bunch of non-attenders. If this article be signed by some of our higher officers, it will have much more effect upon all memPoor attendance and taking no interest will be the downfall of any lodge. Also remind the boys that the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks' Journal should be read as regularly as the daily papers.

Fraternally yours,

THOS. J. CONFREY. P. S.-We received the Grand President's Circular No. 22, and are anxiously awaiting returns. T. J. C.

-O

VICKSBURG No. 118.

There are but few, if any, labor journals that do not publish their enemies. It is customary for all labor organizations, that have journals, to enter both name and picture, if possible, of their enemies. By enemies I mean those who scab. This is also a great benefit in more ways than one.

If these people are not published and made public, when they do a dirty piece of work, they are liable to stand in a way to receive benefits to which they are not entitled. Some brother whom he may meet and ask a favor of, will help him. Why? Because he has not been out long enough for his card to run out; he has the latest work and can prey upon all brothers as long as he is up to date. Whereas, if he be published in the Journal he will not have so long to prey upon good members.

I would like to hear from all brothers who feel like writing an article on this subject. Let every one take an interest in our Journal, tell the good and bad qualities of your respective lodges, maybe some good brother in reading the Journal will see your article, and having been through the mill will answer your article telling you how to remedy the faults of lodges or make good ones better.

I would also like to hear from some brother in regard to small attendance at meetings, on regular meeting nights. This should be written by some brother who can do it justice; in other words, by some one in authority who will sign his name so that these members who think it necessary to pay their dues and receive the secret work only will read these articles, touching on small attendance at meetings, and get wise as to what the Brotherhood holds meetings for. Some think its to have fun and to frolic, while others at

Hoping that through such writings we will get more members interested in writing for the Journal and build it up, I remain. Yours fraternally,

A. NO. ONE.

JACKSON, TENN., No. 104.

It has been quite a long time since anything appeared in the Clerk from Jackson Lodge No. 104. Though the writer is not the official correspondent, he is going to take the liberty to say a few words.

Brother Chas. W. Worts, our efficient inside guard, has received a nice promotion, and in the future will be located at Columbus, Miss. "Good bye Charlie, we hate to see you leave." Brother Worts was one of the first to place his signature on the application for our charter, and since has been one of our most diligent workers. Lodge No. 104 its regrets very much to loose him from midst and extends to him best wishes for success in his new position.

I have carefully read the item in the July Clerk by Brother J. B. Innerarity, of Denison, Texas, and heartily agree with him, and think his suggestion is a very timely and wise one. I hope that this question will be considered at the next meting of the Grand Lodge.

men

Lodge No. 104 is progressing very nicely. three nons were converted into good and serviceable Brotherhood at our last meeting, and I understand that two others will present themselves at our next meeting to take a trip over the rocky road to Dublin, etc. The boys are just beginning to awake from their dreamy slumber (I see a raise, etc., without organized efforts) and now realize that the Brotherhood of Railway Clarks is the craft which will surely carry them across the stream of long hours and poor pay, and will safely land them on the other side where better pay and shorter working hours reign supreme.

Sincerely and fraternally,

tuted and intend to stay in it as long as it is a lodge. Our lodge is growing I think as rapidly as possible, and it will not be long before we will be on solid ground, although some of the boys are slow to come in. They are coming in a few at a time. We will hold a call meeting on Wednesday night, the 26th, for the purpose of initiating new members, I think we will have some twelve or fifteen. Most all the boys seem to be honest workers and are doing everything they can for the good of the order, as I am doing, and always intend to do. I think about the 15th of next month we will get the majority of the Central of Georgia railroad boys who are a little slow to come in.

I have not said all I can for the good of the Brotherhood, but guess I had better save some of it for the next time. Brother Grand Secretary, if you can possibly find it convenient I would certainly appreciate it if you would send me fifteen or twenty copies, or as many as you can spare, of the folders and cartoons, which do more to get the boys into the Brotherhood than most anything else.

Mr. Wayne, who is another one of our brothers, had a long talk with me this afternoon and if you find it convenient to let me have the folders and cartoons we are going to fix up a nice long letter on mimeograph form and try to bring in at least 50 or 75 members between us, in the next sixty days.

Trusting you will find it convenient to send what I have asked for, I remain a true brother in the Brotherhood, and to all who are members.

Yours very respectfully,

G. S. ALEXANDER,

FOSTORIA No. 138.

Editor Clerk:-Your readers will perhaps be interested in knowing that Fostoria Lodge No. 138 is still existing. While we are as yet in our infancy, like all "Buckeye State" infants we are healthy and growing steadily if not so rapidly as we expected.

Our lodge was organized May 23d of this year, with just members enough to secure a charter. Since that time we have been growing at the rate of from one to three members every meeting night, with several more new members in sight.

There are about forty railway clerks in our little city, who are eligible, and with a a very few exceptions all are very much in favor of the organization, and nearly all of. them express their willingness to join with us in the grand cause of bettering our conditions.

One clerk in the city who has been interviewed on the subject is the only real exception. He made the assertion that when he could see wherein our conditions were bettered he would be glad to come in, but I

am glad to state that he is the only one who has so expressed himself.

We have had several inquiries from nearby towns where there are not enough clerks for a lodge and feel satisfied we will land a few of them at least. We have five roads in our city and all of them are represented in our lodge, with the exception of the Hocking Valley, and the clerks in that office are very much in favor of the work and promise to come in in the near future.

If this is not consigned to your waste-basket you may hear from the lodge again as we expect to have a correspondent who is very capable at that kind of business.

Hoping the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks will continue to grow and do good, not only in a financial way but in many other ways, I am,

Yours fraternally,

C. F. McCORMICK,

Local President.

PARIS, TEXAS, No. 156.

Brothers: Last night with the State Organizer, J. B. Innerarity, presiding we took the obligation and had our officers installed. Clarence Griffith, president; J. B. Henderson, vice-president and C. F. Collins, secretarytreasurer.

With 17 members on our charter we are prepared to grow and have taken steps to that end already. There are several railway clerks around town who are waiting for the "rush" season to begin and we have been after them and expect to have a degree team ready for them at an early date. There is also a handsome bunch of pencil pushers at Hugo, I. T., who are anxious to come into the Paris local and we will be glad to welcome them with open arms and will gladly. share our lodge offices with them just to show them that we are not stingy.

It is not beyond expectation to say that we will before the next 60 days have a membership of 30 which is going some when you stop to think that our organizer did not leave us a man to work on when he sent the charter application away; but then we are an enthusiastic bunch and look forward to making a record in this neck of the woods.

Now, let the big towns like Waco, Austin and San Antonio do their share and Texas will look like a stronghold of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks. About everybody in Texas who has to work for a living is organized except the clerks and it is high time that they woke up and we do not say so because we have just entered the fold, but because it has been pointed out to us and we had "sabe" enough to see it.

For an infant lodge we do not want to have too much to say, but cannot help feeling that the smaller places having shown the way it is up to others to do the needful. Sincerely and fraternally,

MEMBER OF LOCAL NO 156.

Recently a minister took this for his text: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." And strange as it may seem, the whole sermon was one of exhoneration regarding "the much persecuted, maligned and hounded Mr. Rockefeller," which were the reverend gentleman's exact words.

Now, the question arises, is the world really wronging Mr. Rockefeller; are we all being mislead and mistaken in our judgment of him?

We are told that Rockefeller is moral and honorable, that not one stain or blemish has ever touched his name or character and the only thing that has ever been held against him was his mode of making money. Looking at this "only thing" held against him takes on a gigantic form if looked at from every standpoint.

Mr. Rockefeller's yearly income from his holdings in the Standard Oil Co., alone, amounts to $11,000,000.00 and how was this accomplished? Not by honest and scrupulous business methods, but by grinding the small man down and down and finally sending him to poverty and despair. In this grinding process he has had the aid of other financial powers, foremost among them the railroads who allowed the Standard Oil Co. a Freight Rebate whereas the small dealer had to pay full charges, this enabled the Standard Oil to cut the price of oil and still make an enormous profit and force the small competitor out of the field at the same time, as soon as the small dealer is forced out, oil goes soaring up again.

The minister exalted Mr. Rockefeller on account of his vast and bountiful gifts in the name of sweet charity; he told of how Mr. Rockefeller calls his daughters to him every Christmas and hands them each a check for one million dollars to be distrib

uted among the poor, living in the slums; he also told of his gift of thirty-two million dollars he contributed toward the educational fund of New York. These words sound fine from the pulpit or rostrum, but do you also catch the wail of the downtrodden poor?

How inconsistent Mr. Rockefeller's charities really are can only be conceived when we are brought face to face with the fact, that at the present time it is only that part of the populace of our country, who live in the slums and crowded tenements, who use oil for lighting purposes, and when he signs checks for millions every Christmas to be distributed in the slums and then raises the price on oil, it is the poorest of the poor who pay for his "great and bountiful charity."

How many poverty stricken children have grown and are growing up around us hardly able to read and write because of the prohibitive price on oil, these poor atoms work in factories, sweat shops and department stores from dawn until sunset earning barely enough to keep body and soul together and not able to afford the luxury of oil to study by; does not the thirty-two million dollar educational fund become a farce in the face of this? When the recent fine of more than twenty-nine million dollars was imposed upon the Standard Oil Co., one of its high officials and large stockholders, when asked how he felt about it, only smiled and said he was not worried. Not worried! Why should he be? It will not be so very long until every user of oil will pay back his pro rata of this fine, under the guise of advanced price in oil; and until a law is made in this country making the present methods of trusts and their mode of making money, criminal and punishable by jail or penitentiary sentence, we will find no im. mediate relief, unless the man who labors wakes up and allies himself with a Brother

hood or Organization representing his craft. The masses are more powerful than all of Rockefeller's millions, and when the women of the middle classes grasp this fact, there will be no more hesitancy about joining Auxiliaries and doing their share of making this world a perfect Brotherhood.

Brotherly Love is the salvation of the world, it is the bridge of peace between Labor and Capital; it would be the bond of sympathy between the rich and the poor.

So Railway Clerks, join the B. of R. C. today; have your wives, mothers, daughters and sisters join the Ladies' Auxiliary and let us by our combined efforts and good example, help toward making this a good world to live in, wherein Brotherly Love reigns supreme.

THE "CHARMING" WOMAN.

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

The French women confess that the American women are handsome, well dressed, entertaining and brilliant, but this is their criticism:

"The American woman has no charm."

It was an American woman who told me of hearing this remark made many times in Paris.

"Now, what do they mean by charm?" she asked.

You might as well ask what is meant by saying a flower has no perfume. Charm in a woman is as subtle a thing as perfume in a flower.

It does not pertain to personal appearance, it does not pertain to accomplishments, it does not pertain to manner, education, dress or conversation, yet it permeates all these.

And without it all of these are rendered meaningless.

A woman may be fascinating without being charming.

She may fascinate with smiles and coquetries, which we know are insincere, but which, nevertheless, hold us in a spell.

But the charming woman is almost always an unselfish woman.

She forgets herself when she is in the presence of others, or shall I say that she remembers herself and her duty to be agreeable.

I think perhaps it is this higher consciousness of self-the better self-which makes a large portion of charm of manner.

The charming woman never allows the conversation to dwell long upon herself, and she never monopolizes the conversation.

She leads others to talk and is interested in what others say and do.

The charming woman is always tactful. She avoids the topics that are distasteful to others and introduces those which will be agreeable.

The charming woman usually possesses a certain amount of feminine vanity; she likes to please, not only to please the mind and the heart, but the eye.

She usually dresses becomingly and takes execllent care of her person, so that she exhales an atmosphere of beauty, even if she possesses no absolute beauty of face or form.

The woman famed for her beauty is rare.ly charming, because she has been so spoiled and flattered from the cradle up that her heart is almost always devoid of the sympathy which must form a strong part of charm. When a beautiful woman is unselfish and sympathetic and loving her charm usually becomes historic.

It was said that Madame Recamier was as beloved by her own sex as she was admired by the opposite. She was goodness and charm personified, as well as beauty. A woman friend said of her once: "First of all she is good; then she is brilliant; then she is beautiful."

Ninon de L'Enchos, who was not "good," like Recamier, was charming.

In spite of her face and easy morals, she left the impression of great charm upon the world. Her moral derelictions are forgotten in her charm.

She was kindness itself to other women, and to the age of eighty-four retained her hold upon the affections of both sexes.

Charm must spring from an affectionate nature and from a heart which desires to give pleasure rather than to be admired.

But the charming woman usually receives more admiration than the professional beauty, the great genius, or the most brilliant of her sex who do not possess charm.

Of all compliments a woman can receive, the greatest is to be called "charming" when "goodness" is added.

"Believe not each accusing tongue
As most weak people do,
But still believe that story wrong
Which ought not to be true."