THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



34 3 



you were running- a 200-acre farm. Mag- 

 nify your calling-. Be proud of it. Make 

 it a success. 



The National Association Remembers its 



Manager and His Good Wife in a 



Most Happy Manner. 



On the first day of the Harrisburg con- 

 vention, near the close of the evening 

 session, the editor of the Review ad- 

 dressed the chair as follows: — 



Mr. President — When a good man 

 passes over the river to the great beyond, 

 we mourn his loss, we write eulogies, and 

 heap flowers upon his cofifin; how much 

 better, how much more sensible, if we 

 would sing his praises and bestow our 

 gifts, while the heart is yet warm and can 

 beat in response. In line with this thought, 

 I would like to say a few words regard- 

 ing our genial Manager N. E. France. 



I have visited him at his home, traveled 

 with him over his State and that of my 

 own, looking after infected apiaries, 

 roomed with him at conventions, bunked 

 with him in a week's trip across the con- 

 tinent when this National convention was 

 held in Los Angeles, and had long and 

 continuous correspondence and personal 

 consultation with him regarding the man- 

 agement of the affairs of this Association. 

 If there is any man in this Society, who. 

 better than another, knows Mr. France, I 

 am that man: and I say it freely, openly 

 and proudly, that no man in this country 

 has worked harder, longer, more unceas- 

 ingly and more unselfishly for the up- 

 building of bee culture, and especially lor 

 the good of the members of this Asscc'a- 

 tion, than has Mr. N. E. France. Not 

 only this, but he has been very scantily 

 paid. No private concern, or corporat;cr', 

 could obtain, for five times the amount 

 that he is paid, such services as he has 

 given; and yet, no word of complaint has 

 ever passed his lips. 



In view of all this, I have long felt that 

 we mem.bsrs c.'ght to show our apprecia- 

 tion in seme '"iLting, substantial manner; 

 and, with this end in view, I recently sent 

 out to the members a postal that read as 

 follov/s: 



Flint, Mich., Sept. 26, 1907. 

 bro. Member of the National— 



If any man in this country has worked long and 

 unselfishly for the good of bee-keepers, and es- 

 pecially for the members of the National, it is our 

 General Manager, N. E. France; and I have long 

 thought what a kind act it would be for us all to 

 club together and present him with some little token 



of our appreciation. Suppose we contribute a littl 

 mite apiece, and get a gold watch and chain, as 

 good as m.oney will buy, have a suitable inscription 

 engraved inside the case, and present them at the 

 coming convention at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; 

 therefore, let me ask you to send me whatever 

 amount you can afford to spare— no matter how 

 small the amiount, if it is sent freely, yes, gladly— 

 and with the money thus received I'll buy the watch 

 and chain, have the inscription made, and see that 

 the presentation is properly made at Harrisburg. 

 As ever yours, 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON- 



There were hundreds of responses, and 

 the remittances were such as ought to 

 have pleased the man who was to be the 

 recipient of the token of appreciation. The 

 majority of the remittances were ten cent 

 pieces; then a large number sent a quar- 

 ter apiece; quite a number sent one dollar 

 apiece; two or three sent $2.00 each, one 

 or two sent S3. 00 apiece, and two sent 

 S5.00 each. It all amounted to a trifle 

 over $75.00. But the most pleasant fea- 

 ture was the letters that accompanied 

 the remittances. 1 think our good friend's 

 ears must have tingled about the time I 

 was reading those letters. So many of 

 them wrote: "This is the very thing that 

 I have been thinking of doing for a long 

 time, and now you have got the start of 

 me." I doubt if there was one cent in 

 that contribution that was given other 

 than freely and gladly. Once in awhile 

 some one waxed witty, or facetious in a 

 genial way. I remember that one man 

 wrote "Yes, I think Mr, France needs 

 watching, and I wouldn't wonder if he 

 needed chaining, too, so here is my quar- 

 ter to- help do the job." 



And now a few words about the watch. 

 The Philadelphia watch company make 

 as good watch cases as are made in this 

 country, and we have bought the very 

 best case that they make. Into it we 

 have placed a full-jewelled (IZ jewels) 

 Elg'n movement; and, as fobs are now 

 more fashionable than chains, we have 

 attached to it a gold fob. But there is 

 one more feature ahont this time piece 

 that 1 should prize above all else. It is 

 tiie inscription engraved inside the case. 

 It reads as follows: "A Token of Appre- 

 ciation from Members of the N. B. K. A. 

 to their Manager, N. E. France," A man 

 ought to be proud to merit such an in- 

 scription, and Mr. France certainly is de- 

 serving of it. Mr. France may already 

 possess a gold watch, but. if he does, he 

 can give it to one of his boys, as we wish 

 him to wear this watch the rest of his 

 life. Bro. France, please come forward, 

 and allow me to "watch and chain you." 



Mr. France came forward with flushed 



