rooms. No pretty pictures adorn the walls, and musical instruments such as are so common today were things then unheard of. No beautiful books and attractive. magazines were then found on the sitting room table. In fact there was very little beauty anywhere, for beauty fifty years ago was an expensive luxury only to be afforded by the rich.

Perhaps next to the usefulness of the spinning wheel, or equal to it, was the gun with its shot pouch and powder flask which was always kept hanging over the fireplace. On arising in the morning how cautiously the early settler would take down his gun and then quietly creep to the door to see if skulking about was a deer, a bear, a wolf, or a fox. I might go on and on indefinitely recalling to our minds the things of interest to be found in that early home, but we will leave the house for a moment to take a glimpse at the farm.

Out upon the farm even more than in the house the lack of labor saving machinery is very noticeable. No self-binder assists the farmer to cut the grain that he planted by hand. When once the grain is harvested you all know perfectly well what it meant to thresh it with the flail, or with horse power.

And yet, with all their inconveniences, with all their hardships, and all their trials, how happy and contented were our ancestors. With what pleasure we love to meditate on those by-gone days, and how we still honor the memory of those poor but love-blessed homes. Oh, my friends, when we ponder the memory of our grandparents' home instinctively there come to our minds the words of that beautiful old song:

"How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood
When fond recollection presents them to view;
The orchard, the meadow, the deep-tangled wild-wood,
And every loved spot which my infancy knew.
The wide spreading pond, and the mill that stood by it,
The bridge and the rock, where the cataract fell;
The cot of my father, the dairy house nigh it,

And e'en the rude bucket that hung in the well:
The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket,

The moss covered bucket, that hung in the well."

If we honor the memory of our ancestors for the patience they displayed in the performance of their daily labors, we reverence them still more when in the evening those dear old people, surrounded by their children, would gather with common consent to return thanks to their God for His blessings.

And now in contrast to the pioneer's home is the average country home of the year 1905. Is it necessary to draw for you the picture of what is so familiar to us all? No longer is the farmer's life one of poverty and privation. Beauty and comfort surround him everywhere. Music and books and works of art are now to be found in nearly every well-to-do farmer's home. If there is any place where the influence of improved machinery, modern conveniences, and recent inventions is felt more than in any other place, it seems to me that it is in the country.

So well distributed throughout the country are the electric street car lines, the telephone, and the free rural mail delivery, all of which are of recent growth, that we farmers do not live, in the country any more, that is, the country as it used to be.

By means of the various street car systems education is brought almost to our very doors. When we consider how the pioneers' children had to walk perhaps miles through drifted snow, and brave the dangers of the forests,

it is little wonder that their education was neglected, but for us of this age there is no excuse for neglecting education, and the question in my mind is do we fully appreciate our advantages in this line. Never before in the history of the United States have schools of all kinds been so numerous as they now are; never have books been so cheap; never have there been so many public libraries, and the day is surely coming when with the aid of pluck and ambition the sons and daughters of the poor shall stand on the same educational basis as the wealthier classes. In fact that time has nearly come now, for almost every state of our Union has in it such an institution of learning as will compare favorably with our own at Columbus where the price to obtain an education means simply a little more than the price of living.

How very strange it seems that with education as cheap as it is, and when we know the advantages to be derived from obtaining it, still we find occasionally parents who think it more profitable for their sons and daughters after they have reached the age of fifteen to spend the greater part of the year with them upon the farm than to spend it in the school room. But the day of awakening will come when the great educational advantages of this age will be appreciated in the proper manner.

Time will not suffice for me to more than mention a few of the many blessings found along other lines with which this age is crowned.

In that beautiful old hymn, "Joy to the World," so appropriate at the Christmas season, we find these words, "He makes the nations prove the wonders of His love." With the principles and doctrines of Christianity instilled into the minds and hearts of the people by means of the church and Sunday school, and other Christian organizations, love for humanity was never taught and practiced so much as at the present time. In almost every city or town, and throughout the counties are the finest of charitable institutions and hospitals where everyone is cared for in sickness regardless of his religion, his wealth, or his social rank: The remarkable surgical accomplishments and wonderful cures that are being effected every day are alone making this age one long to be remembered.

Again we may repeat it is love for humanity that is transforming this world. As long as the spirit of Christ's love such as was manifested by His life and teachings. shall dominate in our civilization, so long shall we be a prosperous nation. I believe it is because of a stronger foothold of that principle of love that we are today at peace with all the world. For forty years the angel of peace has joined in harmony the north and the south; and the same spirit of good will which has blessed us at home has honored our name abroad. When we think of those four terrible years of war through which our country passed forty years ago; when we think of the awful sorrow, suffering and death that have been experienced in the lands beyond the sea during the past year we thank God for peace.

We thank Him that the star spangled banner is waving in freedom without one star lost from its field of blue! My friends, before we part today let us decide that during the coming year, more than ever before in the past, we shall appreciate our blessings and advantages. Let us stamp improvement on the wings of time. Whether our work is in the school room, the office, the factory, the home, or on the farm, let us so live every day and every hour that when we who are now young shall be nearing the end of life's pilgrimage, our children shall honor us as we honor the memory of our ancestors, those faithful, true-hearted, conscientious pioneers who made it possible for us to enjoy the privileges and advantages of which they never even dreamed.

THE OHIO STATE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.

Organized June 5, 1900.

Incorporated December 5, 1900.

OFFICERS FOR 1905.

H. S. Pulse, Lynchburg, Highland County, Ohio, President,
Samuel Decker, Flatrock, Seneca County, Ohio, Vice President.
J. S. McGinnis, Richwood, Union County, Ohio, Secretary.

J. H. Montgomery, R. R. 3, Richwood, Union County, O., Treasurer.

In presenting this brief report, in the preparation of which the utmost care has been taken, I have endeavored to meet the request for the history and growth of the Ohio State Protective Association. Few citizens of this great state of Ohio really appreciate the magnitude of this association, or realize how marvelously the volume of business has expanded as the growth of the organization has increased. Many otherwise well-informed people are unfamiliar with the workings of the Ohio State Protective Association, carried on in and through the local associations, and much of what I have written will doubtless be a revelation to the farmers and others interested in the subject of more and better protection against crime. The farmers need protection more than any other class. For many years prior to 1887 various anti-horsethief societies were organized in different localities throughout the state, and did excellent work; some of those societies exist today, while others have become incorporated and are members of the Ohio State Protective Association. It was not until March 21, 1887 (O. L. v. 85, p. 169) that the legislature passed a law giving the association power to become a body corporate, and giving the members more power to pursue and arrest a criminal without a warrant, anywhere in the state; to return the person or persons to the place where the crime had been committed and there secure a warrant. At the very beginning the laws of the state somewhat limited the work of the associations. The Ohio State Protective Association formulated and presented to the legislature a law amending the one referred to above. I am pleased to record the fact that the law was amended and passed April 29, 1902 (O. L. v. 95, p. 298), as it was presented to the legislature; thus giving the association more power and widening its field of usefulness. The farmers of the entire country realize the dangers which have been wrought upon them by so much crime, as they never have before.

Farmers should so combine everywhere to establish and maintain local organizations against crime. You can be of mutual assistance and protection to each other and protection to others outside of your organization. An organization of this kind can accomplish great good, you can do so more effectually

by corporation and by union than you can do as individuals. You can give to the State Association a greater reputation and you can assist each other, and certainly nowadays you cannot expect to succeed in anything without co-operation and without a thorough organization. We must make our power available. There is only one way to do it, and that is to organize. I am inclined to think that the farmers realize this as they never did before, that is, the necessity of doing something which they have not generally done in the past. It is true that some of the farmers have been laboring for years to organize associations, but the great mass of them and others have seemed to be indifferent until very recently. But now the farmers seem to be moving as they have never moved before. We find them organizing, and they are commencing to work, and the prospect is very encouraging; this work, well commenced, will be a finished work some time in the near future. Farmers should give this matter their careful attention. This interest has been manifested in the rapid work of organization among the farmers, which has been going on during the past few years in several of the states of the Union. The farmers are now organizing at a rapid rate, and while the Protective Association is forging to the front, they are doing grand work in bringing the farmers together for co-operative work, and the mutual benefits which may be obtained by meeting together, talking together, working together, and acting together. The farmers are inscribing upon their banners the motto: "United we stand to suppress all forms of crime."

It is the desire of the officials of the Ohio State Protective Association to organize the state upon even a broader plane than any of the other states have established. To do so will require time and patience and that share of encouragement and support which we trust the people of Ohio will give to the association, and to the efforts of the officers. It is a pleasure to record the fact that the agricultural papers, generally, and the press have shown a most commendable disposition to co-operate with the association in its effort to keep the farmers informed as to all that may be of practical service to them, and it invites applications for journals of proceedings by interested parties, an important consideration, thereby increasing the membership and enlarging its usefulness. Important progress has also been made during the past year in the organizing of new associations and the increase of membership in the old organizations. What can be accomplished in this line has already been shown in the report and statistics, and there is every reason to believe that equally favorable results can be secured wherever new associations are organized. It has the favor of a great many practical farmers, to whom it has already brought substantial benefits. Crudity and mistakes are here and there apparent, but the general efforts of the associations are toward the greatest usefulness; the wise action of the State Association, the cordial support of the people, state legislation, and the practical results already obtained imply that the State Association has made no mistake in undertaking this enterprise on a larger scale than has been attempted elsewhere. At the same time we should remember that quality more than magnitude decides the value of every enterprise, and that this one can attain its highest success only in proportion as the laws which underlie the practice of the associations are discovered and made available to the practical teachings of the association.

The growing appreciation of the State Association among the people has no better index than the increasing number of letters received. It must be borne in mind that these letters come from all sections of the country, from all classes inspired by the wants of those who are interested in protecting the lives and property of themselves and friends against the depredations of criminals. The

development of organizations in the rural districts has been very rapid of late and is full of promise for the immediate future, with results more certain and satisfactory. An immense amount of time is expended in the aggregate upon these local associations. To what extent they may be made subservient to the duties of the State Association is necessarily a matter of speculation. Everything that leads to a more intimate acquaintance between the State Association and the farmers throughout the state must be mutually advantageous. In closing let me commend the idea of organization. There is no reason why the farmers should not organize; organize for greater security of life and property by mutual protection, to promote true friendship and social intercourse, to cultivate the principles of justice, honor and integrity in its members, to suppress all forms of crime, and to secure the apprehension, conviction and punishment of criminals. All who are interested are urged to call a meeting of the best and most honorable citizens in their communities and organize an anti-criminal association, under the laws of Ohio, Revised Statutes (3705-11), Section 1 (3705-12), Section 2 (3705-13), Section 3, and Section 3709a, and make application for membership in the Ohio State Protective Association. For copy of journal and further information write to

H. S. PULSE, PRESIDENT,

Lynchburg, Ohio.

J. S. MCGINNIS, SECRETARY.
Richwood, Ohio.

CONSTITUTION OF THE OHIO STATE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.

ARTICLE I.

SECTION 1. Name. This Association shall be known as the Ohio State Protective Association.

SEC. 2. Objects. Its objects shall be to form a close union of all organizations constituted for the protection of the property of their members, the sup pression of crime and the apprehension and conviction and punishment of criminals.

ARTICLE II-MEMBERSHIP.

SEC. 1. Any association organized under the laws of Ohio, Revised Statutes (3705-11), Section 1 (3705-12), Section 2 (3705-13), Section 3 and Section 3709a, and whose Constitution and By-Laws do not conflict with this constitution, may become members of this Association.

SEC. 2. Every local association shall be entitled to two representatives or delegates; in the absence of one of these the other may cast the two votes of his association, and seven of such representatives present at any meeting shall constitute a quorum.

SEC. 3. Each local association shall defray the expenses of its delegates. SEC. 4. All local associations shall hold their elections for officers within sixty days prior to the meeting of the State Association, and shall report the names of officers so elected to the secretary of this association ten days before its regular annual meeting.

ARTICLE III-MEETINGS.

SEC. 1. The regular meetings of the State Association shall be held annually on and after the first Tuesday in February, 1902, at Columbus, Ohio, and shall be called to order at 10:00 o'clock a. m., and continue from day to day until its business is completed.