The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-05
SHAW HEADS
 UNDERTAKERS Annual Meeting of State
 Association. TO MEET IN BIRMINGHAM Funeral Directors Had Two
 Good SeSSi OnS. P. B. Dixon of Mobile, Former Presi. dent Again Appointed on the State EmbaIming Board-Dele- gates Return Home.
TO MEET IN BIRMINGHAM

H'Seoiy oi tHe Aidpdind runtrdl llrec- tors and Embalmers Association since its organization eleven years ago was held in Montgomery yesterday at the Elks Home on Bibb street and a ma jority of the members of the Associa- tion returned to their home last night we'll satisfied with the outlook for a stronger and better organization.
 E. T. Shaw of Birmingham was elected President to succeed P. B. Dixon of Mobile, and Birmingham was selected as the next meeting place. The meeting was called to order at 10 o'clock by the President of the As sociation, P. B. Dixon, of Mobile. Prayer was offered by Rev. G. w. Patterson. D. D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church with his custo- the members of the association began in earnest.
 In the absence of Mayor Thomas H. Carr, Acting Mayor c. P. Mcintyre, delivered the address of welcome to the funeral directors and embalmers MT. Mcintyre made happy speech in which he made the visitors feel at home and offered them the cordial well come that Montgomery always feels for visitors within it's confines. President Dixon of tine association responded briefly and earnestly to the welcoming speech of the acting mayor. He said he wished to thank the citi- zens of Montgomery for the courtesies that had been extended to the associa- tion and expressed qualification that Montgomery had been chosen as this years meeting place.
 Address by Dr. Rice.
 One of the features of the meeting was an address '"rhe Funeral Director from the Standpoint of a Minister" which was delivered by Rev. John A. Rice, D, D., pastor of the Court Street Methodist Church. The speech was well prepared and was worthy of the applause it received from the members of the asociation,
 So pleased with the address were the undertakers that they voted Dr. Rice thanks and had the address en- tered on the minutes of the associa- tion. It will be printed and sent throughout the country in the report of this years proceedings.
 Some time was occupied after the close of pr. Rice's address in the ap- pointment of the several committees of the Association and in the hearing re- ports of the officers.
 Applications for membership were received from five licensed undertak- CTS of the State. They were Charles Wellman, of Mobile; Jesse M. Rog- CTS, of Tuscaloosa; William M. Hedge, of Citronelle; John c. Henry, of Mo- bile and R. V. Jones of Tuscaloosa. All were admitted.
 The meeting was then adjourned to meet again at ? o'clock yesterday af- ternoon.
 The afternon session was called to order promptly by President Dixon and the work was begun with a vim as a number of the members desired to finish the business and return to their homes last night.
 Presidents Annual Address.
 First on the program was the an- nual address of the President, MT. Dixon pointed out the progress that is making in the profession all over the country. He said that education had done much to raise the respect of the people for the profession and he hoped this spirit of education would not stop now when 1t had gone so far and had done so much good
 He praised especially the National Funeral Directors and Embalmers As- sociation and gave it the credit for the impetus for higher education and at- tIbuted to its influence the great pro- gress that has been made along all lines of the profession within recent years.
 The legislation pertaining to the business, he said was working nicely in Alabama and he thought that the rigid examination now required by the State Embalming Board would be of great benefit to the profession in Ala bama.
 "The only recommendations that I have to offer for your consideration at this meeting are those pertaining to Legislation" said President Dixon. We should have more scope, more rigid en- forcement of the law now in force, we should court the assistance of the State Board of Health, and the General Bag gage Agents Association, for it will eventually come to pass that there will be adopted a law whereby no one will be allowed to ship a body who does not hold license to do so, and to my mind the sooner we realize this point and prepare to meet it, by our knowl- edge, by showing the general public that we are fully qualified, that it is our desire to have these laws and urge their adoption and enforcement; let us show tc the ever scrutinizing public eye that we are fully competent that we can prepare a body and have 1t as perfectly inocuous as a piece of stone. then we will have all of the as- sistance from the outside that we may wish for.
 Must Educate Public.
 We have the task of educating the public up to the necessity Of the high standard we would have our profession looked upon before we can expect to have their assistance. respect and above all their confidence. Now to accomp- fish this the first essential is to de- monstrate to this ever cautious public eye that we are beyond any doubt fully qualified to do these things; show them that we are not running a gold brick scheme, but that we do all that is claimed of the profession.
 This. my brothers, is no small un- dertaking. Look back. will you, for a few months only-say twenty years lago-where stood the calling then? dare not call 1t a profession. It is not necessary for me to go over the ground