OCTOBBB 18, 1921 



The Rorists" Review 



27 



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PR ESIDENT'S ADDRESS 



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IT MEANS a great deal to all of us to 

 leave our own places in these strenu- 

 ous times, but actually we are here, 

 at the sixth annual F. T. D. business 

 meeting, for bettering our profession 

 and, therefore, the time you are spend- 

 ing at this meeting can hardly be called 

 a sacrifice. Please do call it an invest- 

 ment, for any one of you who will go 

 home from this meeting without having 

 learned something worth the while has 

 no one but himself to blame. 



Also, consider that if it had not been 

 for these F. T. D. meetings our out-of- 

 town order business would not have 

 grown to the volume of today and 

 thank God that we had these F. T. D. 

 orders during this last year. They 

 brightened up some of the duller days, 

 especially in sections of the country 

 where the general business depression 

 was more felt. 



Since our Indianapolis meeting last 

 year strenuous times have set in, not 

 only in our profession, but in all busi- 

 ness life of this great country, Canada 

 as well as Europe. These times have, 

 not been the same as on previous occa- 

 sions, where only sections, such as the 

 Pittsburgh district, had more to suffer 

 than other districts. 



WhaA of Other Industries? 



The great automobile industry, not 

 alone ia Detroit, ^but in other towns — 

 remember not all automobiles or gaso- 

 line engines are built in Detroit, a great 

 many towns having and sharing in this 

 industry and its tributaries — has had 

 to suffer from a general shutdown; 

 other sections, again, suffered through 

 strikes, and various labor troubles; even 

 the south suffered on account of the 

 low price of cotton. But, remember, all 

 and everything will right itself if we 

 just keep our heads high and do a little 

 more work and thinking, instead of 

 lamenting. Our F. T. D. stands for 

 "Faith, let's have it"; "Truth, let's 

 tell it"; "Determination, let's stand 

 by it." And don't forget that there are 

 liigher powers which rule and guide this 

 world and its humanity and deal out 

 health and wealth, misery and pros- 

 perity. All we can and are able to do 

 ia our best. Every day we do that we 

 have a better night's rest, as we sleep 

 best when our conscience is at ease. 



We meet here on Canadian soil. This 

 alone should be enough proof of what 

 F. T. D. cooperation means. Five dol- 

 lars' worth of flowers in F. T. D. coop- 

 eration is $5 on both sides of the fence 

 and I only wish that all other trades 

 would be able to follow our footsteps 

 and instead of a $5 Canadian bill, which 

 represents 500 cents, being worth only 

 448 cents in American money a few 

 thousand feet across a river, it would be 

 worth $5. 



Our Canadian F. T. D. members have 

 been loyal to our organization and some 

 of them have been with us from the 

 start, not alone as members, but they 

 have been hard and faithful workers 

 for our cause. With their help it will be 

 much easier to transfer our F. T. D. 

 onthnsiacim to thei^r and our brother 



Address of Philip Breitmeyer, president of tlie 

 F. T. D., delivered at the convention at Toronto, 

 October 11 to 13. 



florists in Great Britain and her colonies. 



At this year's meeting it is more in 

 keeping than ever before that all con- 

 tributions and collections shall be 

 omitted and our entire work concen- 

 trated for the benefit of our F. T. D. 

 organization and its many details. 



Collections and drives for this and 

 that have interfered to a great extent 

 with our last few meetings. This must 

 be an F. T. D. meeting and nothing 

 else. ^ 



Progress. 



Our session will be two days' work 

 and one day's play; so reserve your play 

 for the time set out for it and do not let 

 anyone take you away from attending 

 all our sessions. We need not alone 

 your attendance, we need your counsel 

 and we do not like to have someone 

 after the meeting is all over make re- 

 marks and say that such and such was 

 not brought up. 



It is my wish and the desire of our 

 directors, that more time be given over 

 to the stockholders, so that they may 

 discuss problems which may not be 



clear to them at the gathering and that 

 each member can be heard and wisdom 

 be gained. 



Do not forget that the young blood, 

 our sons, our daughters or our best store 

 or ofl&ce men are either at our meetings 

 or read all about the transactions at our 

 meetings. They come to learn and noth- 

 ing bores them more than old "fogy- 

 ism." Set them an example and they 

 will be easy scholars. Forget not that 

 some of them are, perhaps, even able 

 to teach us all something, and great 

 satisfaction is it for them if older peo- 

 ple adopt some of their younger 

 ,^method8. 

 '■"Ttejre is another thing of great im- 

 portance" tvhich I wish to bring out at 

 this meeting; speaking from experience, 

 it has always been a pleasure for me, 

 and I am sure for all of you, to get per- 

 sonally acquainted with fellow florists 

 for whom we have filled orders or who 

 have filled orders for us. Let the 

 F. T. D. staff introduce you and many a 

 new friendship can be started right here 

 at this meeting. The time for this is 

 well spent. Bemember personal acquaint- 

 ance will make more and better F. T. D. 

 orders for all of us. Our this year's 



(CoHtinucU on page 68 ) 



PhlHp Breitmeyer. 



