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Official Organ Of the Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Founded 1897. BENEVOLENCE
VOLUME 57 ®- NO. 2
HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE SPJST, POB 100, TEMPLE, TEX 76501
JANUARY 8, 1969
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK You Find Fraternal Calm in a fraternal such as our SPJST. One of the most cherished of American traditions is that -of individuality, We pride ourselves on that and we resist encroachments on our freedom to act independently. This feeding is typified in the 'tremendous sense of pride which members of a fraternal society feel in their organization. That, pride reflected inward to the other members of the society, generates a sense of solidarity and mutual responsibility. A century ago, in the face of commercial indifference to the needs of our members, this mutual responsibility began to exert its effect on the insurance industry.
A NEW START
The fraternal idea has continued to act as a spiralling counter balance to the purely commercial motives of a hundred years ago. That pressure, extended over so many years, has helped to produce an environment throughout the insurance industry that does fraternals justice.
I will start anew this morning with a higher, fairer creed; I will cease to stand complaining of my ruthless neighbor's greed; I will cease to sit repining while my duty's call is clear; I will waste no moment whining, and my heart shall know no fear. I will look sometimes about me far the things that merit praise; I will search for hidden beauties that elude the grumbler's gaze. I will try to find contentment in the paths that I must tread; I will cease to have resentment when another moves ahead. I will not be swayed by envy when my rival's strength is shown; I will not deny his merit, but I'll strive to prove my own; I will try to sec the beauty spread before me, rain or shine; I will cease to preach your duty, and be more concerned with mine. —Arthur Unknown
It is within the fraternal societies that the concern for the welfare of our fellow members remains and at the heart of the insurance benevolent idea itself is most cultivated. Within our society the policyholders are not merely signatures at the
torn of a piece of paper, or little IBM cards with life and death punched out in small holes --- they are real people with flesh and blood . . people with names and faces and not just little
bot-
space on an application form. I do not think it is in any instance wrong to say that the fraternal idea and our steadfast loyalty to it has acted as the conscience for the future of our Society. • • The Beginning of a New Year is celebrated by people all over the world with a wide variety of customs. All forms of these celebrations are joyous and have the same basis --- to express mankind's hope in the promise of an unknown future. In essence, the new year symbolizes a fresh start, a new page of life, high goals to be reached. OnlY human limitations stand in the way of these goals. An attempt to erase these limitations is made by evaluating, past records and resolving to correct errors and to improve performance. Businesses do this by comparing last year's record with previous years' records. Individuals take a similar review of personal assets and liabilities, try to recognize faults and mistakes, and form New Year's resolutions to overcome these in the future. May all our resolutions be firmly fulfilled in the years ahead! May one of those resloutions be to make A NEW START! If we look back we generally realize that we could have done better last year. We really are not as