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     Preceding the opening of the first business session, solemn pontifical mass was celebrated in St. James Church by the Rt. Rev. James A. Duffy, D. D., Bishop of Grand Island.

     Following are the officers of the mass:

     The Rt. Rev. Bishop, celebrant.
     Rev. Adrian Brass, Madison, assistant priest.
     Rev. Anton Link, Sidney, deacon.
     Rev. James Hermes, Broken Bow, sub-deacon.
     Rev. T. P. Moser and Rev. Alois Weiss, deacons of honor.

     Rev. J. F. Borer, Omaha, and Rev. A. Muenstermann, Kearney, masters of ceremonies.

     The Mass in Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, composed by Prof. B. H. Patterson, and an Ave Maria, by the same composer, were sung by the choir of St. James Church.

     An eloquent and appropriate sermon was delivered by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Duffy.

     The first session of the convention was called to order in the Kearney Chamber of Commerce at 10 a. m.

     Mayor Bolte of Kearney in a brief address presented the State Deputy with the symbolic key of the city of Kearney. State Deputy Francis P. Matthews responded briefly.

     State Warden J. C. Tighe then took up the password, assisted by Thomas E. Gerin of Omaha.

     Rev. Anton Link, acting State Chaplain, offered prayer.

     The State Deputy named the following Committee on Credentials:
     Dr. E. G. Zimmerer, State Secretary, chairman.
     R. E. Chaney, Fremont.
     George M. Harrington, O'Neill.
     Vincent Kokes, Ord.
     M. B. Griffin, Omaha.

     Their report, as follows, was on motion adopted:

To the Worthy State Deputy and Members of the State Council of Nebraska, K. of C.:
Gentlemen:
     We, Your Committee on Credentials, beg leave to report the following brothers present and entitled to seats in the convention:

     These entitled to a voice but not a vote in the deliberations of the convention.

     The State Deputy announced the appointment of the following committees:

     The following telegram from the Rt. Rev. Monsignor L. A. Dunphy, State Chaplain, was read and placed on file:

"Hon. Francis P. Matthews, State Deputy,
  Care of Midway Hotel, Kearney, Nebr.
     Sincere greetings to the officers and delegates assembled in convention. May your deliberations and resolutions be for the greater good of the order and of the members individually. May your convention result in greater love for God, for country and the constitution.

     The State Deputy then announced the previous appointment of the Rev. Anton Link of Sidney as acting State Chaplain.

     On motion of W. H. Laughlin of Grand Island it was voted that the State Deputy and the State Secretary be instructed to wire a suitable reply to the message of the Rev. State Chaplain.

     At this time the Worthy State Deputy, Hon. Francis P. Matthews, presented his annual report, which was accepted and ordered filed on motion of Brother Lanigan of Greeley.

     Following is the report of State Deputy Francis P. Matthews:

Members of the State Council:
     By virtue of the authority reposed in me as your State Deputy, it is my duty at this time to declare this, the twentieth annual meeting of the Nebraska State Council of the Knights of Columbus, duly convened, and in accordance with the provisions of our laws and

rules I hereby submit my report as your executive officer for the past year.
     There is a special significance, it seems to me, gentlemen, of the State Council, in the fact that this is the twentieth annual meeting of our state organization. Two decades have passed since this State Council was organized and this subordinate branch of our great society on the convening of this convention passes out of its teens, and as it were, assumes a man's estate. That is something to be noted and something to be proud of, and quite naturally the consideration of that thought directs our attention to the beginning of this particular division of the Order.
     It was on March 4, 1905, that nine men met in the private office of the then Territorial Deputy and later first State Deputy of Nebraska and established the Nebraska State Council of the Knights of Columbus. Those men were Timothy J. Mahoney, Constantine J. Smyth, and T. J. Fitzmorris of Omaha; John A. Maguire and A. B. Johnson of Lincoln; Arthur F. Mullen and P. J. O'Donnell of O'Neill; J. P. Cox and E. D. Fitzpatrick of Columbus. Those men were the pioneer members of the order in the state. They blazed the trail and shaped the way for the Order's history in Nebraska as it has been written from that day to this. That they planned well, that they builded carefully, that they accomplished in the measure of successful men, is evident from this meeting today and the experience which confronts us as we look backward over the years which separate us from that first State Council meeting.
     Each of the men who participated in organizing the Order in Nebraska is a conspicuous figure in our local history, but two of them today, through the mandates of fate, stand out above all the members which the Order has claimed in this commonwealth since it was established here. Those men are the first and second State Deputies of Nebraska--Timothy J. Mahoney and Constantine J. Smyth. Great men, great leaders, great Knights of Columbus were they, and noble children of the Holy Mother Church. Death has claimed them both, one of them but a few weeks ago. They sleep today in the bosom of eternity and they repose, let us pray in the arms of the Infinite God. They were our first leaders and, as your spokesman on this occasion, I deem it my duty, here at the very threshold of this Convention, to bid the regular proceedings of this meeting pause for a moment while we acknowledge our debt of service to them and pay a formal tribute of love and reverence to their memories and worth as men.
     Brother Mahoney was summoned to his final accounting a few years ago. Brother Smyth's last leave-taking was imposed upon us in April of this year. Today they are joined in our thoughts by death, as, while they both lived, they were ever united in our considerations. This is not the time, this is not the place and these are not the circumstances under which their lives should be examined and their careers explored for examples to prove them worthy of our homage. Their characters are, known to us all. Their lives are as available for our consideration as the pages of an open book. The universal esteem in which they were held by men of every class and race and creed in the communities in which they lived their years bespeaks their worth as men and puts high the mark which should measure our regard for them.

     It is a solemn thought for you and for me, my brothers, to realize that those two lion-hearted leaders are irrevocably absent from our meetings and that eternity has placed its seal on their existence.
     They were the men who, above all others, started us on our way as Knights of Columbus in Nebraska. They pioneered from one end of the state to the other and they established the foundations upon which our State Council so securely rests today. Not only as Knights of Columbus, but as Catholic laymen did they point the way, and their private lives were as blameless and inspiring almost as human experience affords.
     They championed, fought for and pursued the right in public and private affairs with a stubbornness that was at once uncompromising and unrelenting. They never wavered from the path of righteousness and no act of theirs ever made a brother blush or a Catholic hang his head. Their lives equally were a good example. Their manhood equally was an inspiration. Their memories equally are a benediction; and in your name, for the Knights of Columbus of Nebraska, at this, the twentieth meeting of our State Council, I promise them that the example which they gave us shall be heeded, that the measure of Knighthood which they believed in shall be handed on by us unchanged; that the lofty ideals of Knighthood and Catholicism which they cherished and practiced shall endure and be bestowed upon our successors untarnished and undimmed by any act of ours.
     It is my duty, gentlemen of the Convention, at this point in the proceedings, to review the affairs of the Order and call to your attention what has been accomplished in its name. Those things conveniently divide themselves into two divisions. First, the accomplishments of the years previous to 1923; and, secondly, the accomplishments since the last State Convention.
     The achievements of the Order have been many and it would be out of place here to attempt to mention all of them. However, our attention can profitably be directed for a moment to some of the outstanding accomplishments to our credit.
     Did you know that in its Insurance Department the Order has what is universally admitted to be the best fraternal insurance plan and association in existence, and that through it we have paid to the relatives of the deceased members in the past forty years approximately $20,000,000; that in 1904 the Order established and endowed in the sum of $50,000 a chair of American history in the Catholic University of America; that in 1912 it gave one half million dollars to the same University for its general purposes and that as a mark of appreciation the University awards fifty free scholarships in perpetuity; that it has contributed from its general fund hundreds of thousands of dollars to relieve distress caused by disasters of international, national or almost national importance, including the earthquakes of San Francisco and Japan, the awful calamity of Halifax and the havoc wrought at various times in different places by fire and flood and wind; that the members of the Order themselves contributed the first $1,000,000 used to inaugurate the war work and that the huge cost of administering the war millions was met by the Order, thus making it possible to apply one hundred cents of every dollar collected for war work to the actual service of the soldiers for whom it was intended--a proud record not equalled (sic) by any other war welfare agency;

that, acting consistently with its record of service in the interests of true Americanism and public welfare, the Supreme Council in 1919 at Buffalo appropriated $50,000 to establish a system of Council schools which, though not originally intended for the benefit of ex-service men, nevertheless, by their existence, made it possible for the Knights of Columbus to be the first organization to offer to the men who won the war, free opportunities for educational advancement?
     Did you know that the Order has successfully promoted widespread distribution of various Catholic publications, including many volumes of prominent writers and 30,000 sets of the Catholic Encyclopedia; that the various lecturers whose travels are financed by the Order have addressed over one and a half million men and women, two-thirds of whom were non-Catholics; that to protect the United States from organized propaganda obviously designed to undermine the spirit of American nationality, in 1921, the Order organized the well-known historical commission to encourage investigation into the origins, the achievements and the problems of the United States, to interpret and perpetuate the American principles of liberty, popular sovereignty and government by consent; to promote American solidarity, and to exalt the American ideal; and that that commission, in performing its work, has enlisted the efforts of some of the ablest talent in the world and has won for the Order, because of its accomplishments, the very highest praise from the best leaders of thought in the nation?
     There are other creditable achievements in the experience of the Order which might be discussed at length but which must be passed by with not more than mere mention. For instance, there was work done in counteracting the circulation of the so-called bogus oath, and other vicious attacks on the Order and the Church; the contributions of funds made to the American Legion and the disabled American veterans amounting to $50,000 and $25,000, respectively; the extensive hospitalization work for ex-service men, the contributions made toward fighting legislation directed against the parochial schools, and the many munificent educational and charitable endowments made by the many state and subordinate councils of the Order, and the many hospital endowments, free employment bureaus, protection of Catholic minor wards of the city and the state, establishments of day nurseries for Catholic mothers--all of which are outward manifestations of the activities of our members who equally, by force of decent living, are accomplishing in some small way, the mission of the apostolate of the laity.
     Finally, there is the welfare work in Rome. At the Convention of the Supreme Council In San Francisco in 1921 it was unanimously voted to establish an endowment fund of $1,000,000 for financing welfare work in Italy undertaken then at the direct personal request of the late Pope Benedict XV. This fund has been made available and the Order's noble efforts in responding thus generously to the appeal of the late revered Pontiff, to use the language of the Supreme Knight on one occasion, "will have an imperishable history in the archives of the Church, as the Holy Father has directed that an official Papal medal be struck for the year 1924, the obverse side of the medal to hear the image of His Holiness Pope Pius XI wearing the tiara, and the reverse side a modeled representation of St. Peters playgrounds. The fact that these Papal medals are struck only, when

some great event takes place (the last time it was done by Pope Leo XIII on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as Pope) indicates plainly the very great impression which the work of the Knights of Columbus has made on the mind of the present Pontiff."
     Surely, my brothers, all these things which I have mentioned, supply a noble record to make up the history of our Order's forty-two years of existence.
     We of Nebraska have had our share in making that record possible. The men who have comprised the Order in this state, since it was introduced here some twenty-three years ago, have been worthy of the privilege of Knighthood which was theirs and in unstinted measure they have contributed to every call for funds or support or action on every occasion. The history of the Nebraska State Council with credit to us all compares most favorably with the splendid record of our national body.
     The time since our meeting at Sidney a year ago has been marked with credit to the Order both within and without the state, and now let me refer to some of the achievements of the Order since that date. A primary consideration always, I find, in the State Deputy's report is the record of membership. On December 31, 1923, the Order had sixty State Councils and 2,368 subordinate Councils, with a total membership of 771,955. These figures represent a net increase of seventy-eight subordinate Councils and a net increase of 6,221 insured members, but a net decrease of 8,455 associate members during 1923.
     In Nebraska a year ago our membership was 10,986. On April 1st of this year it was 10,398, a net decrease of 588. The number of subordinate Councils remains at forty-one, at it was a year ago. The net loss of membership in Nebraska is readily explained. First, there have been surprisingly few initiations during the past year, due, no doubt, to causes of which you gentlemen are better informed than I. Fortunately many classes are arranged for the months of May and June and it is safe to say that before too warm weather arrives the present loss will be more than made up. Four classes were initiated since April 1, the figures of which were not included in the membership credited to us on that date. The number of new members acquired in these classes alone reduces the loss of membership to less than 350.
     There is one cause of decrease in membership to be noted in considering that matter. Special Supreme Agent Fred V. Milan visited every Council in Nebraska since the first of this year, and as was his duty, reported to the Supreme Secretary the suspension of every member not in good standing. This action cost us many members temporarily. For instance, in Omaha there were suspended 140 delinquent members, many of whom will untimately (sic) be reinstated. This same thing happened in a smaller measure in a number of other Councils. On the whole, therefore, there is no cause for alarm about the condition of our membership.
     One encouraging feature of the newly acquired membership is the noticeable increase in percentage of insurance members in new classes. In 1923 it amounted to 12.6 per cent increase over the net increase of insurance members in 1922. That record spells stability for the Order because insurance members, according to statistics, maintain their membership best.

     During the past year the laws and rules of the Order were amended by the Supreme Council to provide for an Admission Committee in each subordinate Council before whom all candidates for admission are required to appear. This admission committee can be made a powerful influence for good in the Council and through it the quality of new members can be absolutely controlled. Your attention is directed to the laws and rules governing the selection of this committee and you are earnestly urged to give your Council the benefit which can be made to flow from a property selected and fully functioning admission committee.
     In January of this year at a meeting of the Supreme Board of Directors, it was voted to increase the size of "Columbia," the Order's official magazine, on July 1st, next, from twenty-eight to fifty-two pages. This means that 'Columbia" will unquestionably, from point of size, as well as from point of circulation, become the largest Catholic magazine in the world. Each member is entitled to receive a copy of this official publication regularly and Council officers are urged to see to it that this privilege is enjoyed by every individual of their Council.
     In September, 1923, the Order opened a correspondence school for members on a tuition at cost basis. It is not possible here to enumerate the details connected with the operation of this school, but it should suffice to call it to your attention with the recommendation that those entitled to do so avail themselves of the opportunity for advancement which it affords.
     Perhaps the greatest forward step which the Order has taken in a single instance during the past several years is reflected by the action of the Supreme Council at Montreal covering what has been termed "Boy Activities." The report of the committee dealing with the subject embodied four special recommendations: namely, the establishment of a two-year Post Graduate course in Boy Leadership in some university; the establishment of scholarships in this Post Graduate course, with one for each archdiocese: the creation of a Junior Order of Columbian Squires, and the encouragement of our members to take practical training in Boy Leadership. Acting on the recommendations of the committee and by virtue of the authority granted them by the last Supreme Council meetings, the Board of Directors have arranged for the two-year Post Graduate course at the University of Notre Dame. The scholarships mentioned have been arranged for and are now being conferred upon those nominated by the respective archdioceses. Intensive courses of training in Boy Leadership have been provided to various Councils and with these three preliminary steps worked out, the committee in charge, under the direction of Deputy Supreme Knight Martin Carmody, with painstaking care, has been studying th (sic) matter of the organization of the Columbian Squires, and it is reported that definite and specific recommendations relative thereto will be submitted by the committee to the Supreme Council this year.
     Those most vitally interested in the Boy Activities work of the Order have suggested that each State Council undertake to finance a scholarship in the Post Graduate course in Boy Leadership at Notre Dame for each diocese located within its jurisdiction. The cost of this scholarship is $10000 per year and this includes board, room, tuition, books, laundry, transportation and field work, This is a

recommendation of great importance and will have further consideration elsewhere in this report.
     Since May, 1923, excellent progress has been made in connection with the Order's activities in Rome. The work instituted there, as before mentioned at the request of Pope Benedict XV, is marching forward with rapid strides. Three playgrounds have been completed and the one known as St. Peter's Oratorio, located just outside the Vatican grounds, was dedicated during the month of April. On that occasion high officials of the Church, including the Papal Secretary of State, Cardinal Gasparri, our own Cardinals Hayes and Mundelein, together with many other Cardinals, were present to participate in the ceremonies. At the conclusion of the exercises those who had participated were addressed by the Holy Father himself, at which time he expressed his appreciation of the work which you as individual members of this Order have made it possible to carry on under his very eyes in the Eternal City.
     In 1923 the Supreme Board of Directors contributed the sum of $10,000 to Archbishop Christie to assist him in financing the litigation instituted in the state of Oregon to determine the question of the constitutionality of the so-called Oregon School Law. During the month of April, three United States judges unanimously decided that that compulsory education law is unconstitutional.
     The work of the Knights of Columbus historical commission is being continued with the same satisfactory results reflected each year since its work was authorized.
     During 1923 and 1924 there have been in operation sixty evening schools under the direction of the Order with a total enrollment of 52,958. Of this number, 73% were former service men and women and 27% were civilians; 45,367 students were enrolled in our Correspondence School. The Order continues its hospital welfare work in behalf of the disabled ex-service men. In this connection, it is appropriate to mention that the headquarters of the Mid-West Department in charge of the hospitalization and school work for ex-service men is located at Omaha in this jurisdiction and is conducted under the direction of former Supreme Director Patrick J. McCarthy of Toledo, Ohio, as manager. The work being performed through this department has commanded respectful attention in the territory affected by it and the standing and prestige of the Order in this jurisdiction has been enhanced by reason of the able administration of the welfare work radiating from our state.
     Since January 1st of this year Special Supreme Agent Fred V. Milan of Minnesota has visited each Council in the state of Nebraska and reported on conditions as he found them. I am glad to say that with few exceptions his report is very complimentary to the officers in charge of the various Councils and in no instance did he find anything more seriously wrong than a lack of information as to the duties of the officers and the consequent inability to properly dispatch business of the Council and administer the Council activities coming under their jurisdiction. Through the assistance of Mr. Milan, I have acquired a more intimate knowledge of the conditions existing in each Councils affairs than would have been possible without his help and I feel that because of the reports which he has made after his visits about the state, we will be able to make better records

in our respective Councils during the coming year than otherwise would have been possible.
     Briefly and with meagre detail, gentlemen of the Convention, I have related for your consideration an account of the most conspicuous accomplishments to the Order's credit. I am confident that I express your thought, as well as my own, when I say that it is a record to be proud of and that the history which the Order has thus far made for itself in the nation and in Nebraska supplies a fitting background for whatever experience awaits us in the future.
     But it is not enough for the State Deputy in his annual report to confine himself to events which have passed. It is expected that, in addition, he will suggest to the delegates assembled in the State Council meeting such recommendations as he may have to make which, in his opinion, if adopted, will operate for the betterment of the Order during the following year.
     Accordingly, I must trespass upon your time for a few additional moments while I offer for your consideration those proposals which one year as State Deputy has led me to believe would improve the condition of our Order in the state.
     First of all, let us increase our membership and thus extend our influence, but let us at the same time remember that quality means far more to us than quantity as an organization. Let our members be a picked body of Catholic gentlemen; selected, not because of wealth, or honor, or position, or influence, but chosen because individually they represent the highest type of Catholic American manhood. It is my hope and aim that each Council will confer the honors of Knighthood on at least one class of candidates during the coming year and that no less than one-half of each class will join our ranks as insurance members.
     During the past year no new Councils have been established in Nebraska and no applications for charters have been filed. Furthermore, while your present State Deputy is in office, a strong showing will have to be made before an application for a new charter will be approved. My personal belief is that we can better serve our interests by building up the Councils which we now have than by taking from them to start subordinate Councils elsewhere.
     To interest prospective members we must stimulate interest and create enthusiasm among our present members. This, I believe, can be done by bringing ourselves into more frequent and closer contact with one another. There are at least three ways in which this can be accomplished and I, therefore, have these three recommendations to make.
     First, that the District Deputies and Grand Knights should come together for consultation and mutual advice more frequently. I suggest that during the coming year the State Deputy be authorized to assemble the District Deputies at least twice and not more than four times and that the Grand Knights be assembled with the District Deputies at least once and not more than twice, as in the judgment of the State Deputy seem advisable, and that the expenses of the
     District Deputies on such occasions, when not paid by the National Council, be paid by the State Council, and the expenses of the Grand Knights be paid by their respective Councils. This is a recommendation which should be freely and fully discussed on the floor of this

Convention and I will thank you to express your minds openly on it, so that whatever disposition is made of it, it will reflect the best judgment of us all. The plan is being successfully followed by our neighboring state of Iowa and what is good enough for Iowa, at least, is worthy of our serious consideration.
     The second means of promoting personal contact that I recommend is that there he held either once or twice during the year District meetings of the officers and members in the various districts; that is, I suggest that on a day appointed by the State Deputy, a general meeting be held at the most centrally located place in each district, which every member in the district should be invited to attend, and at which a program at once instructive and entertaining should be rendered and at which matters of interest to the district and membership at large should be discussed and disposed of.
     The third method of making us acquainted with one another that I offer you is embodied in a suggestion which has come to me from our present State Secretary, Dr. Ethnond G. Zimmerer. It is that we institute a state publication of some kind. Dr. Zimmerer and I have discussed his recommendation at length and have both concluded that a separate publication of our own would be prohibitive in its cost. However, there is a way out and that is provided by the publishers of "The True Voice," who have agreed that they will give us two columns per week of their valuable space to be used exclusively for Knights of Columbus purposes. I recommend that this offer be accepted and that this State Convention authorize that the space available in the "True Voice" be officially used by the officers of the State Council. There should be an appropriate acknowledgement (sic) made by this Convention of this generous offer.
     If these three methods of becoming acquainted are utilized namely, regular meetings of the Grand Knights and District Deputies, regular District meetings of members and officers, and the regular publication and circulation among our members of items of general local interest, our organization will become more real to each one of us and we will soon find ourselves so interested in the Society that we will reflect to a degree of enthusiasm which will automatically attract worthwhile new membership in large numbers.
     As State Deputy during the past year, it has been gratifying to me to note the renewed interest on the part of several Councils in the annual Communion Sunday. Primarily, we are an order of Catholic then and our value to the Church, to our country and to ourselves is measured by the extent of our Order's influence for good on our members and those who come into contact with us. Influence is best exerted by good example and it is not necessary for me to say that it is a most edifying spectacle and convincing proof that we amount to more than a group of individuals devoted to material, selfish and transitory purposes when our membership publicly professes the faith that is in them and in a body approach the Communion Railing. The late Past State Deputy, Constantine J. Smyth, was ever an ardent champion of the annual Communion Sunday and it would be an appropriate tribute to him to have this custom generally re-established in this state at this time. I recommend that hereafter an annual Communion Sunday be consistently observed by all the Councils in Nebraska.
     In entering upon the business of arranging for the State Council

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