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Mrs. Montgomery Moorf, Bellevue, Halifax. iS>rgani3ind Secretary in (3reat JSritain: * Mrs. Gordon of Ellon. Office of the Al)er(1een Association, Imperial Institute, Loudon. ^Treasurer: v^ - . Mk. Fred. White, - ■ ' Ottawa. IRccoroinfl Secretary: Mr. J. Herbert Larmonth, Ottawa. CorreeponDind Secretary : Mr. 6. F. Whitley, Departnr.ent of Agriculture, Ottawa. RULES. 1. The Association shall be known as the "Aberdeen Asso- ciation," and each Branch shall add the name of the town in which it is situated. 2. A supply of reading matter shall be sent to each applicant monthly, except duringjune, Jul y and August. In these months Branches will act according to their knowledge of circumstances. 3. The Association shall be undenominational and shall rigidly avoid any semblance of religious or political bias, and shall send out such literature as shall suit the religion and as far as possible the tastes of the readers. 4. There shall be an annual meeting of the Association to be held during the meeting of the Women's Council to which the Central Board and the Local Branches shall make their reports, and if any repre- sentative of a Branch is unable to be present the Branch shall elect a substitute. BYE-LAWS. 1. That the Central Board shall consist of the Presidents of each Branch, together with a representative appointed by each Branch who shall be able -to attend meetings of the Board in Ottawa. 2. That the Central Board shall meet regularly three times a year viz.- in October, February and May, and that special meetings shall be convened by the President when required. 3. That the members of the Association, with the right to vote at the Annual or Special Meetings of the Association, shall consist of : — (a) Life Members who have subscribed not less than $25 at one time. (d) Subscribers to the Central Association of not less than $1 annually. {c) All Members of Local Branches who have fulfilled the obliga- tion of Membership imposed on them by their own Branch. List of Questions sent to each AppucANr for LiXFitATURE in Order that Every Recipient may Receive Suitable Parcels AND SUCH Religious Papers as he may wish. What is your nationality ? To what Church do you belong ? Are you married or single? If married, how many are there in the family ? It children, state ages. Do you receive any papeis from other sources ? Are there any persons in your neighbourhood receiving literature from the Aberdeen Association ? Can you pass on the literature to any neighbours ? What kind of literature do you prefer ? SUMMARY OF PUBLIC MEETING, MAY iqth, 1898. A public meeting of the Aberdeen Association was held in the Normal School, Ottawa, on Thursday evening, May 19th, 1898, with His Excellency the Governor-General presiding. Tliere was a large attendance of Cabinet Mini^ters, Members of Parliament, delegates to the -National Council of Women, and influential residents of the Capital. His Excellency the Earl of Aberdeen said :— This work is twice blessed in a special way. It sends forth helpful literature, and it establishes sympathy. This is a large country, and we require large sympathies to develop it ; nothing like narrow notions will suit Canada (applause), and it is to be regretted that sometimes we meet people who do not recognize the claims of people far off as well as those at hand. (Applause.) Her Excellency the Countess of Aberdeen, President of the Association, then addressed the meeting as follows : Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen : It is difficult for those who are in the inner circle of any Associa- tion, and who believe in it, to realize that there is a large circle of people who know absolutely nothing of its operations, and to whom its very name conveys nothing. We, of the Aberdeen Association, for in- stance who have read hundreds of letters fron. lonely settlers in all parts of Canada, who have been touched with the intense gratitude' ex- pressed for this simple monthly gift of a few old papers and magazines, and who by degrees are realizing the really great benefits that may accrue to the country at large by an organized and systematic circulation of such literature, feel so confident of the sympathy of all good citizens and kindly hearts for this enterprise, that we are apt to forget that there are thousands of people in Canada who know absolutely nothing about our aims. The help which we need is easily obtained, and is not costly if distributed over a large number, but we do not receive it, simply be- cause we have not taken measures to make our wants known, nor to enlist on our side the help which would assuredly be ours if claimed. Will you allow me this evening to treat you as if you belonged to the outer world who are strangers to the Aberdeen Association, and may I tell you why and how it was originated, and a little about how it is carried on, and what is the sort of help we require for it ? Those of us who know the great West of this continent can easily picture to themselves the country, the scattered hon^esteads, the primitive shacks, the miners' huts, which are inhabited by those pioneers who are winning for us this vast and fertile territory at the cost of endless toil and hardship. Doubtless there are many here who have brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, neighbours and frienas, out in those wtstern regions, and they will know something about that life which looks so full of freedom and attraction and of golden hope on the outside, and which, when you come to it, means not only so much grim toil.privation of all comforts, but often the lack of all that makes life worth living to men and women of education and culture. Such conditions are inseparable from a new country,however full of beauty and of natural resources. Its development must be the price of isolation and much hard work, and they are not true friends of the country who would con- ceal this from intending emigrants. The land is full of hope, and the reward is sure to come, but it has to be striven for. The traditions of the first settlers of this continent are maintained there by a great effort. Where there are families of children, we will find the little school-house within a possible distance, available for per- haps half the year, and maybe there will be the church. But there you come to the end of the resources of civilization which are at hand. Look at the walls, bare of pictures and ornaments ; look at the little shelf in the corner, with its few treasures which have been read and re-read, and on the table the little sheet which is published weekly or bi-weekly in the town some dozen or twenty miles off, and which is the only source of information as to what is going on in the outer world. Think of the men, especially the bachelors, who are living out their lives amidst these surroundings, who have to come back to them after their hard day's work. Think, still more, of the women wno can- not even have the variety of getting away to the fields or the market, but who have to face the constant monotony and daily drudgery of the housework, year in and year out, if the children are to be cared for and the home is to be kept together. Think of the children who are growing up amidst this environment, where the conversation must naturally turn on the all-absorbing topics of crops and the markets, and whetherthe ends will meet. Isit any wonder that under these circumstances we hear of the drift of the young people to the cities ? Can we believe that that life which is lived in so narrow a groove can tend to the higher life of the nation of which these people must be the backbone ? In the old country we hear a great deal about the monotony of country life, and of what can be done to overcome it. It does not appear to us that country life in the ordinary sense of the word suffers from monotony when there is any centre of population at all. From what we have observed, there is a flow of life, of fun and sport, and interchange of neighbourliness and simple gaiety, and there is such a 4iBfinite determination to have church and school and hall and hospital and library in every small centre — which make country lif; very attractive. But it is of those who live twenty and thirty and forty miles away from post-office or village, and where neighbours are few and far between — it is of the miners and lumbermen and keepers of lighthou?'^';, as well as of the farmers and ranchers that I am speaking. What can be done ? That is the question which some ladies at Winnipeg asked one another some eight years ago. Cannot we, whose lives are so amply endowed with opportunities, help our brothers and sisters who are doing so much for us and our country? Out of that question came an answer, which has by degrees grown into an associa- tioi which desires to reach, as far as possible, all these settlers who cannot obtain reading matter for themselves, who feel that they cannot afford to obtain the literature. These ladies organized a plan by which monthly parcels of literature could be sent out to such settlers. They were very doubtful of the experiment, at first. I hey did not know how they could get the names of the people who really needed it, or whether it would be abused, or the right people would not get it. They did not know whether they would be able to get enough literature to send. But no sooner was the announcement made to missionaries and to immigration agents and to merchants and others living in these districts, that they would be willing to send out the parcels of old maG;azines and books to such persons, than the applications came in fast and furiously. And from that time to this the work has grown, until some fourteen hundred families are supplied every month with parcels of this literature. One of our rules is, that parcels are only to be sent to such families as are heard from twice a year. There must be correspondence between each family and the lady who is sending out literature. In the first place we always send out a circulat asking what sort of literature is desired, what church the family belongs to, whether there are children, whether there is any particular kind of literature desired, and the answer comes back. Another rule is that every parcel must contain some secular literature and some religious, the latter to be of the character preferred by each recipient, according to the church to which he belongs. Then, beside the literature, we try from time to time to send them pictures, games, flower seeds, etc. We are now considering whether something could not be done, by initiating some definite courses of reading with questions, giving certificates, etc. We have tried it in a very small way for the children, and found the most ready response ; and often they write us and ask us for school books, and other books for the education of the children who cannot get to school through many of the winter months. We think that there is surely scope for the useful development of our Association along the lines originated by the Chautauqua system, but in a more simple form. But far more eloquent than any speeches that can be made on behalf of our Association are the letters received by our workers from r the recipients, and which make each feel convinced that her particular list requires the very best of the treasures we have to give. Specimens of a number of these k»tc»-s, hoth from French and English families will be found in our reports, out [lerhaps you will allow me to make a few quotations from some. One man describes the arrival of his parcel as " the welcome visit of a dear friend," — another as " the light of our home." " I must tell you how useful the picture papers are you send us. Our house is nearly papered with them from top to bottom and we have made frames for the good ones. We cover the walls with cheap factory cotton and then paste over. It is more durable and warmer than any wall paper besides being pretty to kok at and such a pleasure and amusement for winter evenings." " We are in receipt of your kind letter and hasten to answer it at once. We received the parcel of books you sent and were well pleased with them. The little magazines were a treat for the bairns. We have neitlier church nor school although wc have been here thirteen years in May. It is a very lonel> p)ace. There are a few English farmers but their children are nearly all grown up and far apart. Our nearest store anb«erve pictures cut from the illustrated weekly magazines sent adorning the walls of the cabins of some of the Indians Pving on the Reserve near by. I think I can assure the Society through you, that this literature sent here performs its duty to assist in the entertainment of fully as many indigent persons as on any station of the Society, for I believe that the number must run up to at least one hundred and possibly double that number. As you may be interested to learn my method of distribution I would say that after enjoying the magazines myself I give the ones containing illustrations and short stories to a l)oard- ing-house here which caters to the miners and others of the poorer class. From this point the books are carried to all quarters by •>t» men themselves, into camps, mines and dwellings. Others of the list, such a« wels and papers of the higher class I donate to private families here who hav ient education to appreciate them. A very few of the best I keep myself and . ^ only to those qualified to enjoy. Thus I think I make good use of all sent, and as this is a new and struggling district where few can afford to subscribe to current literature I feel that your Society can feel assured that it is doing an excellevit and appreciated work. Please accept therefore, my thanks, sincere and heartfelt, both for myself and for the many others who are the recipients of your bounty. " Lac Chapleau, 22 Fevrier. " Nons avons re9u voire lettre le 31 decembre avec un paquet de livres et des images dont les enfants ont eu bien de la joie et les conservent comme de pr^cieux souvenirs. Mille mercis de vos generosites, vos livres charment les enfants et les grandes personnes, et ils egayent les longues veillees d'hiver " St. Louis DE Lancjevin, 24 Janvier. Je m'empresse d 'accuser reception de vos deux derniers envois et je vous en remercie bien cordialement. Mes enfants or.i beaucoup aime les poupees en papier et les images, ils vous trouvent bien bonne oe leur envoyer cela. J'aihuit enfants dont I'aine a seize ans, ils vous adressent leurs mille remerciements " Fletf Sprina, I Janvier. Je me fais un devoir de repondre h. votre bonne lettre aujourd'hui etant le iour de I'an. J'ai re9u votre dernier envoi et je vous remercie beaucoup du goflt que ous avez eu en choisissant tous ces bons et beaux livres Je vous envoie mes plus grands souhaits pour la nouvelle annee et que vous jouissiez d'une bonne sant^ et que vous ayez de la prosperite dans toutes vos entreprises, J'ai aussi k vous remercier de votre carle de la nouvelle annee, je vous remercie beaucoup de ce present " Lac Marguerite. Mille fois merci pour vos envois de livres qui nous sont si utiles et servent k nous et k nos enfants pour les instruire. C'est bien trisle d'etre ici seul avec sa petite famille, k 2000 lieues de ses pareiits que nous regjeltnns ainsi que les amis laisses la bas. Vos bons livres sont intfiressants, nous instruisent et nous rendenl le courage si utile ici plus c le partout ailleurs pour qui est sans autre fortune que son courage et son savoir, C'est bien peu, et les colons qui emploient d'autres sont si rares et si loin. Nous les pretons aux voisins qui les aiment aussi. '* Saahtlam. 1st March, 1898. " I am in receipt of your letter of the 22n(l ultimo, and in reply would first of all endeavor to thank you and the kind ladies of your Association for your very great kindnf "= to us people who are, one might say, living out of the world. I am sure you CI nave but liitle notion of the pleasure your kind favors have given us from time to time. I find no words sufficient to show my gratitude. Therefore I shall say noth g but just this, God bless you and the good Lady Aberdeen. What a greats grand, warm, loving heart she must have ! She throws sunshine round everywhere she goes. " Now, as to the kind of reading I would prefer, first and uoove all would be some good sensible Christian literature ; second, anything except the usual abusive twaddle touching Ireland ; third, being an ex-Colour Sergeant of Her Majesty's Imperial Service, anything of a military nature would give me much pleasure. 8 These letters require no comment. In the words of our Winnipeg Secretary, "comedies and tragedies unfold themselves continually throughout the year's correspondence, and it often strikes our workers as indeed pathetic that in some instances our Association seems to be the friend to whom they desire first to confide their trouble. The o'.d folks that loved them are no more. The friends whom they knew have passed away, or have moved to another part of the country." And so for these solitary lives this correspondence with an un- known friend, which seems such a little thing, may yet be doing a great patriotic service, besides unlocking the hearts of those who have grown weary of life's struggle, and who are tempted to think that '• nobody cares." And as regards the parcels themselves, do not these letters give us an idea how the magazines and papers of the Aberdeen Association may shed a radiance over life, charming away the aching sense of lone- liness, the feeling of desolation that so often comes to those shut out from the outer world ? The story of adventure and the tale of heroism, the explanation of a scientific truth, the picture of the life of some leaders in thought or action, which we passed over so lightly as we cut ihe pages of the magazine, have a new meaning when received in those far-away places of the earth. Can we not imagine the rush for the papers when the mail arrives? Can we not picture the breathless interest of the group gathered round the father in the evening ? Can we not conceive how new aims and new motives transform the whole life of many a young man and maiden who ponder over an article which has revealed new truths to their hearts ? This then is the work which those who support the Aberdeen Association are doing; they are helping many a family tj fight the battle of life, lightening the burden of overworked fathers and mothers, educating the children in a thousand pleasant ways, and giving whole- some recreation and food for thought to many a solitary young fellow far from all kith and kin, and who may be thereby strengthened against temptation and directed towards noble ends. And now how do we want you to help us ? For I know that those letters have stirred your hearts and have made you long to be participators in this. Perhaps you will say that with free postage granted us by the Post Office authorities, free carriage by the ocean steamships and railway companies, free service rendered by our oflScers, and free quarters for many of our branches, that we require no assist- ance. And still more perhaps will you think this when you hear of an English Branch working under the Marchioness of Dufferin at the Im- perial Institute, and of a Scotch Branch working at Glasgow, both sending us large contributions. But the truth remains that we do need help, for there are numberless small expenses to be constantly met, the cost of conveying parcels from the railway depots to the various offices, the cost of paper and twine, the postage of letters, printing ex- 9 penses, and so forth. We should have been lon^ ago bankrupt had it not been for a generous gift of $500 from Mr. Andrew Carnegie, but we feel that we ought to be able to support ourselves now, and that we ought also to prepare for a time when we shall probably have to pay for the rent oi a Central Office and a paid Secretary, pw ing to our ever-increasing business. We think that a large increase in our membership would best meet the circumstances, each member paying an annual subscription. But besides subscriptions we want our friends to bear us always in mind when they are disposing of their old magazines, or of any other literature which would be bright and attractive. And then besides papers and books, and especially consecutive num- bers of the same magazine for a year, we are grateful for coloured pic- tures or prints in good condition, and games small enough to go by post for our Christmas parcels. And when you have become subscribers, when you have sent us all the nice literature and pretty things you can, please do us yet an- other service — please speak a good word for us whenever you can. Tell others what the Aberdeen Association means, and how gratefully its parcels are received —tell them that there is no charity, no desire to patronize about it, but merely ihe expression of a frank brotherly in- terest between those who live in cities and have abundance of literature at their disposal, and those who live in lonely places and have no such advantages — tell them of the influence that this circulation of good literature is having in the homes of the West, and especially amongst the young people. Tell them that we are not crabbing the country or minimizing its resources or its bright future because we speak of the necessary solitariness jof the lives of the brave, bright pioneers who have shown their belief in it by making their homes there, but that we are on the contrary helping to bring happiness and contentment to the very best class of settlers, who desire something outside material ad- vantages. And tell them too that apart from the direct helpfulness and brightness which our organization brings in its train, that the in- direct good of forming links between East and West, between dwellers on the prairie and in the forests with those in the cities is a very real source of strength to the country. Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for coming here to-night, and for showing your interest in this scheme. I thank especially the Ministers and the other friends who are to speak to us, who have spared time to come and express their personal approval, and T leave the Aberdeen Association with the utmost confidence in your hands, and I know that from this evening you will all be Aberdeen Associa- tion members. (Applause.) 10 Hon. Sydney Fisher, Minister of Agriculture, said :— The Aberdeen Association does not seem to me to have brought itself sufficiently before the people of Canada, when we think of the great good the Association has performed for the people of this country. Those who dwell in the cities like most of this audience, can hardly appreciate the isolation, the loneliness, the lack of information and pleasure the people in the country labour under. Coming as I do from the country parts of Eastern Catiada I know perhaps better than you do of this, and still more perhaps it is the case of the settlers who dwell out in the Western plains, isolated miles and miles from the nearest neighbor and away from all the advantages of older civilization. Sir Sandford Fleming being next called upon, said :— The object of the Association is a most deserving one and has already been productive of great good. I need not go over what has been so well said by Her Excellency and Mr. Fisher about those people who in the long winter months have nothing except what comes to them from a distance and which this Association largely sup- plies. I am told that there are at least thirty thousand people in the North-west alone in setdements, and so far removed from the centres of civilization that they are dependent solely upon such an Association as this, and I know of no other to supply them with what they want. Hon. Sir Adolphe Caron, said : — Your Excellency, I wish to refer for one moment to a question which I think is of very great importance. It is to us Canadians a very important feature of the development of our national life that we should have more population. We have an unlimited territory and Providence has given us unlimited prospects as far as prosperity is conoerned. We want to have within our territory the best people to come and shake hands and make Canada what we hope to make it, one of the greatest colonies of the British Empire. (Applause.) We want to have within our own country people who will be good, educated people, not edu- cated in the sense of being classically educated, but educated sufficiently to make good citizens, and it there is one thing which will contribute towards that object it is the establishment of this Aberdeen Association, which is an institution destined to work, as it has worked, for the greatest benefit to Canada. The Hon. William Mulock, Postmaster-General, said :— I think that all who take part in the work can feel that they are con- tributing to the comfort of others at a very slight expense; perhaps no other work done with so slight expense bears such good fruit. Is it not a satis- 11 faction to know to-night that there is an Association gathered for the promotion of the happiness of those people faraway in their lonely homes who will feel more associated with the more fortunate people, and will feel that while their Excellencies are about to leave Canada, their hearts are in the good work they have organized ? When I took charge of the Post Office Department I was not aware of this organization. And I made my acquaintance with it in a very funny way. The literature is taken on trucks to the Post Office. One morn- ing I had enough curiosity to ask the porter what he had on that truck, and he said, "Lady Aberdeen, sir." (Laughter.) On further explanation I found what the true significance of it was, viz., that he had a load of literature from the Aberdeen Association. Subsequently I learned the part the Department was playing in assisting in the free distribution of literature, ihroug i the work undertaken by my predecessor. Sir Adolphe Caron, and so far as I am concerned, as long as I am in charge of the Department, the permanency of the service through the mails will be assured. (Applause.) Frank Oliver, Esq , M.P., said :— For myself and the slight connection I have with the Fress I can assure the Association of my help, and from my knowledge of the people connected with the Press generally, with their philanthropic sympathies, and their general desire to do good, I have no doubt whatever that throughout all Canada they will be glad to assist the object of the Asso- ciation when they become aware of its existence and of its deserving character. I might say one word as I come from the Western pai t of the country where I understand the work of the society is chiefly ctrried on. I will support, I think, what has been said in one of the letters, that it is hard to understand just exactly the extent of the advantajjes from the work be- ing carried on by the society. It is hard for those who do not understand the conditions there to understand the value of the distribution of good literature amongst people who appreciate it, in that country, I will not describe the situation there as others have already done sn, but there are some disadvantages, and it is on account of the disadvantages that the opportunity is afforded for the good work of this society. The people who have gone there have gone there not as exiles or strangers, but went there with big hearts and with the highest intentions of building for themselves homes and laying the foundations of such a country as you have here. I would not like this work to be understood altogether as a matter of charity in the common usage of the word. It is an expression of sym- pathy on the part of the people here towards the people theie, and as such it is especially elevating and valuable. It is womanly sympathy ; and wb'in I say that, I mean it is the most precious thing there is in the wo d to-day. 12 •Realizing the value of the work I certainly hope that it will go on . The field is large and is widening, and that is what we want. And I certainly think that as a tribute to the judgment and the graciousness of the lady whose name the Association bears, it would be one of her happiert remembrances wheti she leave? this country, that this Association should go on and flourish in the east and in the west and for the good of all people in Canada (Loud applause.) Professor Robertson, Commissioner of Agriculture, said : — I cannot help giving expression, although brief and inadequate ex- pression, to our appreciation of the unselfish and self-spending labours of Her Excellency in Canada. The work of this Association is closely connected with nation-building. Some men say that the ladies in public affairs are always " pottering " about little things. That is one of the sayings men whisper among themselves. Let us think it is not want of courage, but consideration for the feelings of others which keeps them from proclaiming it aloud. Home-making, which is at the bottom of all wise nation-building, is not a trivial affair. A nation can be no stronger than are its pt )ple m themselves and in their homes. Just as far as this Association »lps to make boys and girls and women and men stronger and belter, j. so far is it a benefit to the nation. A Scotch boy was supping his porridge one evening with the beams of the sun glinting across the kitchen and gilding his horn spoon. Suddenly he put the spoon on the dish and holding his hands over his breast said, — " My ! I've swallowed a whole spoonful of sun- shine." Later on he said brighter things and did better things. He fed other people on his sunny sayings and unselfish doings. The supplying of good books is the shedding of the kindly light of soul- sunshine mto homes. Two things make a boy strong, gentle and just — his food and his sentiment. These are what hold a nation together. Sometimes there is a weakness of sentiment or a want of robust and lofty sentiment. The remedy is to distribute more good books — or im- migrate more Scotch people. (Laughter.) People soon deterioiiate when there is a lack of fun in their lives and homes. As they are without that, just so far do they lack in the sense of fairness. You will notice that people who do not appreciate humor are edging towards selfishness. The saving grace of humor, and the goupel of it in fine books, are a great power to prevent what is wrong and to promote what is right. The Association da?s much good in strengthening the hearts ot men and women who go to settle and work in lonely places. When men and women, old and young, are cheered in their hearts, they do better work, and they are able to bear what of privation comes to them with less crushing grief. While the bodies of those dear little ones (referred to by Her Excellency and Mr. Mulock) those sweet children 13 who were drowned in the lake, are blanketed bv Gcd's green grass, their souls go marching on. When the soul is made good and glad, the good is everlasting ; and that is the kind of work the Aberdeen Association is doing. The Association is carrying on a good work in creating new ties of sympathy and attachment between those who livfi widely apart. That does good to all concerned. It prevents that sort of separation which is dangerous to the unity of the State, and whicn is sometimes caused by distance and diflference of occupations and interests. It helps to bind us all together. The Aberdeen Association is doing a noble work in helping to make the people gentle as well as strong, in laying the foundation of home life and national life When men suppose that gentleness is a little thing, they should remember that could the throne of Britain itself, in all the splendour of its might and majesty with a firm foot on every continent, upheld by the grateful love of free peoples, could even the throne and all that it stands for in greatness and goodness, find a voice, it might well say to our Queen, '* Thy gentleness has made me great." And when we look back on the many good works of Her Excellency, her thoughtfulness and ardent devotion to the welfare of the people of Canada, we may think of her and say of her, as also of His Excellency who represents the Queen in our country, " Thy gen- tleness hath helped to make us great." (Applause.) Hon. Wm. Paterson, Minister of Customs, said :— I did say that I would prefer to come as a listener, but if that is not to be implied as a contract, I would like to say a word or two. I did want to hear a little more about the work of the Associatic n. I was pleased to hear the way the aims of the Association have bten endorsed by the meeting. In my official capacity I had occasion to consider whether the usual formality would not have to be observed as to the contributions of books from England, but when changes in the tariff did take place it happened that these gifts found a place on the free list of the Customs. (Applaus ) Skill is required in the work of such an organization, and energy is required too, even in those good woiks which commend themselves to the community as a whole. I trust that the men and women of the country will recognize that they are called upon, not only to give their sympathy, but to give material assistance towards this good work. u Directions to Donors of Literature. at Friends desirous of assisting the Association can do so either by sending donations of money, or contributions ot iitera- *"'^^' Those living in a district where a Branch of the Association exists can send their gifts addressed to " Aberdeen Association," Brandon, Man., care of Mrs. Kirchhoffer. Calgary, Alta., care of Secretary. Halifax, N.S., 237 Barrington Street. Hamilton, Ont , Court House. Kingston, Ont, care of Secretary. Montreal, Que. (English Branch), care of Bank of Montreal. Seigneur Street. (French Branch), Chateau de Ramezay. Ottawa, Ont, Mrs. Scarth, Langevin Block. Quebec, Que., care of Secretary. Regina, Assa., care of Secretary. Toronto, Ont, 87 Confederation Life Building. Vancouver. B.C . Mrs. Beecher. Hastings Mill House. Miss Cambie, Georgia Street Mrs. Tovey, 229 Columbia Street. New Westminster. Victoria, B.C., Provincial Buildings, James Bay. Winnipeg, Man., Lands Titles Buildings. It is advisable when forwarding contributions of literature to Branches as above, to send a post card at the same time to the Secretary of the Branch. Donors are in all cases requested to place a label both inside and outside the box or package. gj;|nj, \^«^»>^^S*S! and address and the date of the transmi^i^^^^^^^^ contri 15 For Old Country Friends. Small parcels (and all contribatlons however small are heartily welcome) will be gladly received by Mrs. MacLehose, 7 University Gardens, Glasgow. Any contributions sent to The Secretary, Aberdeen Association, Imperial Institute, London, willl be promptly acknowledged and duly forwarded to Canada. Mrs. Gordon, Ellon Castle, Aberdeenshire, who was formerly Secretary in Canada, will gladly give information and answer questions at any time. LITERATURE MOST USEFUL TO THE ABERDEEN ASSOCIATION. Weekly and monthly religious and church papers and periodicals of all denominations, in good condition. Agricultural, scientific and technical journals of the current year only. Fashion papers of the current year only. Good magazines of any date, in good condition. Sets of magazines in consecutive numbers for the year are mo&t valuable. Sunday School papers of all denominations for teachers and scholars. Christmas annuals and pictures. Children's books of all kinds specially acceptable. Standard works of history, biography, travel and fiction. All good books. French, German, Scandinavian and Gaelic literature for appli- cants speaking these languages. Daily papers are not required on account of their transient interest only, nor reports.