Ot'TOBBB 13, 1921 



The Florists'' Review 



27 



■it ^ 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS 



IT MEANS a great deal to :ill of us to 

 leave our own places in these strenn 

 ous times, but aetually we are here, 

 at the sixth annual F. T. D. husiness 

 meeting, for bettering our juofessioii 

 ■.anl, therefore, the time you are spend 

 ing- at this meeting ean 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 

 110 one but himself to blame. 



Also, consider that if it had not been 

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

 town order business would not have 

 grown to the volume of today and 

 thank (iod that wc had these F. T. 1). 

 orders during this last year. Thev 

 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 

 iiess life of this great country, Canada 

 as well as Europe. These times have 

 not been the same as on preyious occa- 

 sions, where only sections, such as the 

 Pittsburgh district, had more to sufi'er 

 than other districts. 



What of Other Industries? 



The great automobile industry, uot 

 alone in Detroit, but in other towns — 

 ri-member not all automobiles or gaso- 

 line engines are built in Detroit, a great 

 many towns having and sharing in this 

 industry and its tributaries — ha.s had 

 to sufi'er from a general shutdown; 

 ether sections, again, suffered through 

 strikes, and various labor troubles; even 

 the south suffiTed on account of the 

 low price of cotton. Hut, 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 V. T. D. stamls for 

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

 tell it"; "Determination, let's stand 

 l)y it."' And don't forget that there arr 

 higher powers whidi rule and guide this 

 world and its humanity and deal out 

 health and wealth, misery and pro^- 

 |ierity. All we can and are able to do 

 is our best. Every day we do that we 

 have a better night's rest, as we sleep 

 best when our conscience is at ease. 



\Vi' meet here on Canadian soil. This 

 alone should be enough proof of wliiit 

 F. T. ]>. cooperation means. Five dol- 

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

 <'ration is $'> on both sides of tho fence 

 and 1 only wish that all other trades 

 would be .'ible to follow our footsteps 

 .iiid inst«'ad of a 'if'> Canadian bill, which 

 I'ejiresentH 500 cents, being worth oulv 

 448 cents in American money a few 

 thousand fe»'t across a river, it would be 

 worth $'rr. 



Our Canadian F. T. D. members have 

 bi'en loyal to our organization and some 

 of them have l)een with us from the 

 start, not alone as members, but thev 

 have been hard :nid faithful workers 

 for our cause. With their help it will be 

 much easier to transfer our F. T. 1). 

 enthusiasm to their and our brothej- 



.\il(ln>ss (if I'liilip Itri'iliiic.vcr, ini'siih-iit ol' lln 

 F T. 1)., (Iclivi'ietl at the couvi'iilioii ;il 'roiuiil.i 

 Ocldhci- 11 to 13. 



florists in Great Brittiin and her colonies. 



At this year's mating it is more in 

 keei)ing than evef before tluit all con- 

 tributions and collect ions stiall 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 an<l 

 that have interfered to a great e.xtent 

 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 

 y(uir 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 ma>' 

 discuss jiroblenis which may not be 



clear to them at the gathering and that 

 each member can lie heard and wisdom 

 be gained. 



Do not forget that the young blood, 

 our sons, our daughters or our bi'st store 

 or office men are either at our meetings 

 or reail all about the transactions at our 

 meetings. They come to learn and noth- 

 ing bores them more than old " fogy- 

 ism." Set them an e.\ample and they 

 will be easy scholars. Forgcft not that 

 some of them are, perhaps, even able 

 to teach us all something, and great 

 satisfaction is it for them if older peo- 

 jde ailojit some of their younger 

 methods. 



There is another thing of great im- 

 portance which I wish to bring out at 

 this meeting; s|ieaking 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. I), staff introduce you and many a 

 new friendship can be started right here 

 at this meeting. The time for this is 

 well spent. Kemember personal acquaint- 

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

 orders for all of us. Our this year's 



(CoMliiiiicil on paL'e (IS ' 



Philip Breitmeyer. 



