AlOlST 



I'JIT. 



The Florists^ Review 



29 



nillllll] It r 111 riTIITTTTTT;iHI7I Tll l Tl l.-"--'ttITrHI IHIllTt|ll I ri I I TTTrTTT I I I I 1 1 I I I I 1 1 I I 1 1 1 1 1 ! I 1 TT 1 1 1 1 ! 1 1 1 T 1 I I I I 1 1 I I I 1 1 IJ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 H 1 H m 1 I 1 1 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS 



iiwii |ii|ii|ii|ii|i Ill ■ Mi!fc^-'^;^^j;#p^^MMiiiiiiiii^ 



K arc jiuthorod lioro today, 

 ▼ ▼ T"^ in this, tlie groiitest Amori- 

 \^y / can city, an assenibla}i;c of 

 \^^ loyal members of a <jreat 



'''^ * "^ or<i;aniznti()ii. We have 

 come from the far west, 

 north and south, to this 

 extreme eastern city, and 

 those who ha\(> come in 

 these unsettled times show 

 their loyalty to this or^ani/atioii and 

 their firm belief in these United States. 

 It is with much happiness that we as- 

 semble in this sjjacions audit<irium, with 

 the evidences of the fact that we are all 

 Americans, owinjj allegiance to but one 

 ilaj:, and that the tlafjf of the American 

 fathers, tlie Stars and Strijies, the sym- 

 bol of free fjovernment— the Ked, the 

 Wliite, the Blue. 



Here we renew dur ]i]ed;,'es to stand 

 liy the ;,'reat an<l '^not\ man. Woodrow 

 Wil^dU, and wherever he leads W(> will 

 Idlldw, f(i uplidld the ri^lits (d' this, our 

 Aiiuiican country, and wlieii this ter- 

 f i b I e stru<;<;le is 

 (i\ ri- we hope it will 

 loinjj; ]i e a c e and 

 cumfort and jdenty 

 til evei'v nation for 

 all time. 



Citizenship. 



In tlies(^ streuu 

 ous times, my brotli 

 ers, it behooNt's US, 

 .MS true Anu'rican 

 citizens, to con- 

 ^crv(> our resources 

 in c\ cry way pos- 

 •-ible. to be able to 

 meet any dtun.'inds 

 that mav be made 

 oil \is during this 

 111 libir < t r n ^<il f, 

 :ind to 1m' able to 

 |■|■^ponl| i|uicd<ly to 

 ' \t'iy call ot' our 

 1 ountry. 



Xe\er b c f o r e 

 \\ e r e con\ cut ions 

 u p ]) a r (• n t 1 y ^ o 

 'landicapped as the 



lies that are called 



' !iis year, but, after 



1. it is a ^rrcat test 



'I- us ;ill, for surely 

 h a s iJeNcloped 



.iliility and inde- 



•■ II d (■ n c e. Yet, 



it li many hamli- 



:ips. \se assiMuble 



oday in wli.at T 



o|)c will be the 



reatest convention 

 if the so(Mety — per- 



ia]is not the (^reat- 



"<t in number pres- 



nt. not the threat 



-it in lavisii enter 



a i n m e n t. but 1 



■riio full text of the address of Uol.crt (". Kerr, 

 prosidciit of tlio Society of Americ:ni Florists, 

 dcdivered at the coiiveiitioii in New Vorl<. AiiK'nst 

 L'l. 1!»17. 



lK)pe the most idlicient, thi'ouoji our oji- 

 jiortunity for ical results. 



Our eonxentions in the ]iast have been 

 most efli(dent, but at this convention 

 tlie ojiportunity is provided not only to 

 ludp ours(dves, l)ut to }>re]iare to help 

 and comfort our brothers in the craft, 

 in this world war, over there. 



We are ojiven the opportunity to make 

 this conventicui different, and distinct 

 from all others. We have all apjireci- 

 ated each convention, eaidi tyjie of man 

 tliat siM'ves, and it is tlie same s|iirit of 

 appreciation of the circunist.ances that 

 makes this a convention different from 

 others. Old methods and manners are 

 (dianoiiier iu fact, must idian^c and 

 is it lud widl that the Society (d' Ameri 

 can Florists should be put to the test, 

 and show to all tliat our natituial con 



Robert C. Kerr. 



President •>! tin 



iclety "i .Xiiieiioaii Florists. 



\eiitions (b» not depiMid (ui (MittMdain- 

 inents.' And 1 am ]iroiid ol' the faid 

 that the convent icni o\cr wlii(di I am 

 alloweil to preside shows tliat loyalty 

 to serxice. 



Time has tlowii fast iliiiiiio- the last 

 ami most e\cntt'ul twcKc months, since 

 this oreat organization hoiioreil the 

 s(Mitli, and esjiecially Texas and Itoiis- 

 tiui. with our coincnt ion. 



I'rom iiostoii in the extri'me east to 

 San l-'rancisco in the ixtreme west, to 

 ilolistoll ill the extreme south, is a 

 i'ec(»rd of which any oi-j^anizat ion ma\' 

 lie proud. .\nd T fe(d |part icularl>' 

 proiul ol' beiiiiX ^'> closely associate<l 

 with this or^'.an izat ion when we are 

 making' such yreat pro^rress. 



As our (diarter indicates, we ;ire a 

 iiaticuial oriianizat ion. ami when wc 

 joiirne\ed to Sail I'raiicisi-o we not 

 only showed that we were natifuial in 

 s|pirit, but i-ie.ateil new interest, thereby 

 addinii^ both uumbeis to our member- 

 sjiip and money to our treasur\'. 



Then \(iii \dted 

 t lie r.ill \ en t ion to 

 11 oiiston, and it was 

 anotiier instance ot" 

 increased member 

 ship and increa>ed 

 1 1 easiiry. 



Membership. 



.\ t r a d e paper, 

 com nii'iit \wj, u p o u 

 t h e couxcntioiis 

 w !■ s t a lid south, 

 sa id, ■ ' The soeii-ty 

 will return to the 

 east \i\ sbiw aioi 

 easy >taL;i's. ' ' The 

 south is ot'teli con- 

 sidered sjdw, iiut in 



this case We lia\"e 

 not been --o sjuw , 

 for we ;ire this day 



I Ic'l i \ eri ll;^' tlie >o- 

 ciety ;i;.;ain to the 

 east, and T trii^r 

 that you will tiiid 

 its ;ifTairs in e\ eii ;i 



I I e t t e r condition 

 than upon its ,|e- 

 parture t"rom I'.os- 

 tdu to San I'raii 

 cisco. .\n<l, in I'e 

 turn foi' our lov.'iltv' 



to the society. We 



t rust you will lionoi' 

 both tlie west and 

 the south, with tlie 

 con\ention in our 

 midst, in some near 

 future day. 



While the i n- 

 crease iu our mem- 

 l>ershi|i duriiii^ the 

 last year li.as been 

 satisfactory, c o m 

 pared with pre\ i 



