The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-02-13
The Iowa Retail Clothiers.
They Are Having an Interesting, Profitable and Enjoy
able Meeting.


vide for a convention. Eyerybod!
who has tried 1t knows that 1t takes
whole lot more trouble to provide
for convention, when provided TO
as | have reason to believe yourself
and the various committee have don,
on this occasion. Every announcement
and every little or big thing YOU have
done has been done in matter tha
is a credit TO those who plan and thos>
who executed it, and ] on behalf o.
the Association appreciate what YOU
| have done for us. have confession
to make and in that viii embody al
apology | was cut Of favor a year
ago with the cciWention coming tc
| 0skloosa, I want to say to you now In
all sincerity that ! am most heartily
glad that we did come to Oskaloosa
believe we are going to have the best
| convention we have ever had and
am quite positive that we viii have
one of the best times that we have
ever had at any convention. We want
vCu. to become a part of us as, for
three day 5, we shall be part of you
and, when we leave here on Thursday
night | trust you will say of us as was
said in my own town. when the con.
vention had adjourned, that was one
Of the best crowds that ever struck
Cedar Rapids. ] wish again on behalf
of this organization to thank you for
your very sincere and cordial greet.
I ing.
Annual Address.
The greatest reason | can see for
the existence of the Retail Clothiers
Association is the exchange of ideas
through the medium of gatherings oil
this character. The exchange of ideas
which enables us to raise our stand
ards and get ourselves on higher
plains. The exchange of ideas between
members engaged in the same line OF
business in different towns and cities.
| would not really dare to tell you gen
tlemen right now what | think about
the future of this organization. If
were to do so, ! venture to say that
there is not a man assembled here
now who would not say that | was oven
optimistic But the enthusiasm dis
played last week at the Illinois con
yention where were represented men
from the six state organizations which
are now fully organized, convinces me
that nothing can stop us we must have
National Association. We will un-
doubtedly have a great many severe
problems to confront us and 1t is GO
ing to require a masterful spirit and
masterful energy for us to cope sue
cessfully with those problems. But
most sincerely feel that it can be done.
We are here in all the yigor of our
manhood ready to do our part of the
worlds work, anxious to have share
in the great civic uplift of our day
and desiriCuS of establishing and
maintaining the highest of business
standards This organization is al
ready wonderful force and no one
can attempt to foretell its future
growth. As stated above already
there are six state organization repre-,
ing total membership of nearly LOCO
members with a combined capitalize
tion of goodness only knows how
much. | want to say for myself that
the grandest, the greatest and the
most beneficial education that man
can get is from the close association
of men from different points of the
world. When men gather together
from different parts of the country
and discuss business methods open
and above-board. it points out plain
er way to do business, an easier way
to do business. and a more profitable
way of doing business. ! believe that
Iowa has better retail clothiers, clean
er stocks, men whose financial condi-
ticns are in better shape, fewer who
are on the point of failure or ragged
edges than ever before in the history
of the state. One of the reasons for
this is the close touch we have had
with one another Naturally when men
whose ideas and sympathies are along
the same lines. each one in turn helps
the other by this annual coming to-
sether. One will rub something of
from one and he in turn on the other.
In the great contest of life man can
not live alcne There is more than
self to be considered There is life
in all its various forms which find ex-
preston in companionship. Like
seeking like, giving birth to morality
and spirituality, becomes the corner
stone of society. The spirit in man
responds to the spirit in other men,
hence brotherhood and companion
ship.
The individual man is limited. 1t is
absolutely impossible for any man to
rear a palace alone. His individual
efforts but tiny, his manufacturing at
best primitive. With the same man
Joined to other men there is no end
to his mastery. His hut becomes a
D2lace. He compels the winds to obts
his will: mountains are unlocked,
and pour forth their. treasures In
streams of gold and minerals and pre-
cious stones He travels, he studies,
he investigates. The whole range OF
his vision. social and physical, Is en-
larged The man on the individual
side Is content with the present and
immediate, he Is content with little.
his horizon is measured by the plane
on which he stands alone. Beyond
the narrow margin, the unknown melts
into infinite starry depths. But man
OF the social side mingling with men,
is not content with limited views mol
with the things OF the immediate. He
would 20 forth TO see what lies beyond
the stars.
One great question In life then Isl:
Shall we live for self or shall we live
for others? As you decide. your char
acter will rear a palace or a hoyel, a
temple of helpfulness, or den Of mis-
cry.