HERALD Official Org an Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas. Founded 1897. BENEVOLENCE
VOLUME 53 — NO. 43
HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P. 0. Box 100, TEMPLE, TEXAS
OCTOBER 27, 1965
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN
[QUOTES . . .
It's that time of the year again when most of our local lodges will be electing lodge officers for the coming year. Most of the lodges do this in November if they do not hold December meetings, while others do so in December or even in January. It goes without saying that our local lodge structure, its functions and activities, and the lodge leadership are the core and substance of our fraternal system, and indeed, the future and prospects are based on the local lodge organization and on how well and efficiently it operates. • • Quite often we read in the Vestnik complaints from reporters about the poor attendance at lodge meetings. The general complaint seems to be a lack of cooperation, no enthusiasm, in short, no interest shown in the lodge activities. This question is a serious matter. Members should very carefully stop and analyze just what is wrong, where the trouble is, and if possible, endeavor to correct it. Most of us will agree that the bulk of the responsibility for the success of a lodge falls upon the shoulders of its officers, its leaders. Oftentimes the attendance is poor and the officers must proceed with decision-making, and then are later taken to task for making that decision. This is, of course, unreasonable. They charge the officers with making de-
Oriental philosophers say "What I gave, I have; what I spent, I had; what I kept, I lost." • • I know of no way of judging the future but by the past. —Patrick Henry
• It matters not what tools we use, But that we use them well. For some must write and some must print While others buy and sell. cisions on their own, but they weren't there to help make them. Then everybody gets fed up, throws in the towel, and the lodge has lost some good, valuable workers. We should remember that we can't attract people with vinegar as well as we can with honey. It is hard to swallow the biting criticisms of those who come to meetings irregularly and then do so only to rake somebody over the coals about decisions made earlier when he wasn't present. That same member runs hard and scared whenever someone tries to give him some responsibility. Honest-to-goodness criticism — constructive criticism — has its place, and is indeed a necessary ingredient in our system, and it doesn't take long to distinguish just what type it is. Unjustified criticism merely rankles the good nature of those present and
soon even they will start staying away in droves. Why do people attend meetings poorly in some areas? What is there for them? Why should they go there? What will they see and hear after they get there? Will they want to come back? There must be something there to DRAW and ATTRACT them and make them want to come back. That's where the lodge officers come in. The ho-hum, stale, sterotype meeting of yesteryear is a thing of the past. You can't win today's battles with yesterday's tools and attitudes. We need new IDEAS], and BOLD IMAGINATION! Of all lodge meetings, the annual meeting should be the best attended. Year-end reports are made, the past year's accomplishments should be reviewed, and some broad plans should be laid for the coming year. Nowadays you almost have to plan a year in advance to get anything done. The lod,ge, president is the leading force behind all lodge endeavors. He should be fairminded, observant, sympathetic, patient, willing to make sacrifices, and always ready to render a just and deciding opinion. A sort of Solomon, you say? Perhaps, but there are many around who would qualify if given the chance. Choose them carefully, wisely. The rest of the lodge officers sort of act as the president's