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ILDIXOIS STATE BEE- KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



173 



PRESiDrENT YORK'S ADDRESS. 



I/adies and Gentlemen: — We are 

 met in the 41st annual convention of 

 the National Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 in a city of great historic interest, as 

 it is the oldest surviving settlement 

 in the 13 original States, having been 

 founded in the year 1614. Even 

 "Yankee Doodle" was written in a 

 house still standing, on the east bank 

 of the famous Hudson River, opposite 

 Albany! 



We are met in one of the greatest 

 honey producing States of the Union; 

 a State which contains, also, some of 

 the best and most extensive bee- 

 keepers in all the world. It is a 

 State rich not only in honey-produc- 

 tion but also in almost everything 

 else that benefits a civilization like 

 ours. Surely, we who have come 

 from a distance are honored here by 

 friendships and associations that we 

 will carry with us for many years 

 after this meeting. 



This convention represents the 

 greatest association of bee-keepers 

 ever gotten together in this country. 

 While other countries may have or- 

 ganizations of larger membership, no 

 doubt our Association represents a 

 greater number of extensive honey- 

 prodiicers, and more pounds of honey 

 produced annually, than any other 

 similar orffanization in all the world. 

 Hence, in many ways, the bee-keepers 

 of this Association are leaders in al- 

 most everything that makes bee- 

 keeping worth while anywhere. There- 

 fore there, is a responsibility resting 

 tipon us that is upon no other class 

 or country of bee-keepers. The ques- 

 tion is whether we will measure up 

 to our opportunities and responsibil- 

 ities in the j'ears to come. If we are 

 to do this, our organization will have 

 to progress faster than it has done 

 during the past few years. The 

 things which this Association has 

 done in years gone by will not con- 

 tinue its success in the years to come. 

 The new times require new ways of 

 doing things. The organizations of 

 the future must be far ahead of those 

 of the past, in what they "do to ad- 

 vance the interests of their member- 

 ship, or they will fail utterly. The 

 question then arises, what can this 

 Association do to help the large mem- 

 bership which it has secured, and 

 produce for them the results which 



they have a right to expect? This is 

 a big question. I do not feel that I 

 am able to answer it fully, or perhaps 

 even partially, but I am going to have 

 the hardihood to leave a few sugges- 

 tions with you, which, I hope, or at 

 least think, may lead to something 

 better in the months and years just 

 ahead. 



While the National Bee-Keepers' 

 Association has done most excellent 

 work for its members during its many 

 years of existence, it seems to me 

 the time has come when some ad- 

 vanced steps need to be taken. For 

 a number of years its principal ob- 

 ject has been that of defending its 

 members" in their right to keep bees 

 in certain locations. Ignorant and 

 jealous neighbors have often been "a 

 thorn in the flesh" of some bee- 

 keepers, but when their complaints 

 were taken into the courts of law by 

 the Association, we have won in 

 nearly every instance, and rightly so. 

 That very important feature, or ob- 

 ject, of this Association is rapidly 

 passing away. In other words, there 

 is not now the demand for such de- 

 fense, as the right to keep bees has 

 become so evident that to-day it is 

 seldom questioned. 



As stated in Article 2 of the Consti- 

 tution of this Association, its objects 

 are: Eirst, "to promote the interests 

 of bee-keepers; second, to protect and 

 defend its members in their lawful 

 rights; third, to enforce laws against 

 the adulteration of honey." The third 

 of these objects is practically taken 

 care of by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, which is enforcing the pure food 

 law in a wholesome way. Then it re- 

 mains for us to consider the first 

 object, of "promoting the interests of 

 bee-keepers." It is true the other 

 two objects are in the interest of bee- 

 keeping, but as they are taken care 

 of, it seems to me that we should be- 

 gin at this convention something look- 

 ing toward the promotion of one of 

 the still greater interests of bee- 

 keepers. I r-efer to the disposition of 

 the honey product, and advertising its 

 use. This means a business organiza- 

 tion more than ever. 



In the first place, the Board of Di- 

 rectors, number 12, is too large, and 

 they are too scattered. Three, or 

 possibly five, capable men are suflBc- 

 ient. It takes too long now for the 



