The President-General, at this point, made a most interesting and instructive address upon the work of the Society, pointing out what had been accomplished during the past twelve months and indicating what its general policy would be for the future. A review was made of the work of the different officers of the Society, and recommendations of an appropriate and timely nature were presented. Unfortunately, the text of the President-General’s remarks cannot be given as the stenographic clerk was temporarily absent.
The Secretary-General presented and read the following report, which, by unanimous vote, was accepted and placed on file:
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL.
It is with much pleasure I present the report of my office for 1909, which has been to the Society a year of success, prosperity and great advancement.
At the commencement of my term of office as Acting Secretary-General in September, 1908, there were 538 members enrolled on the books. Many of these had not paid dues for a number of years, and had lost all interest in the Society and its objects, while others had deceased and no record had been kept of them because word had not been communicated to the Secretary-General.
A general house-cleaning took place, and a list of members in arrears for two years and more was prepared and submitted to the Executive Council, which ordered extra notices sent to every delinquent in order that each member in arrears might know the extent of his obligations.
The Committee on Delinquent Members appointed January 16th, 1909, sent out printed notices, through this office, urging the necessity of prompt payment of dues, and in short every reasonable means to stimulate payment and activity was taken. Some responded, but the majority did not and their names have been stricken from the roll of the Society.
January 16th, 1909, the date of the last annual meeting, the Society had 687 members, 149 applicants having been admitted since September, 1908. During the year 1909, 239 members were admitted, largely through the energy and recommendations of the Committee on Membership, of which John J. Lenehan, Esq., is chairman and active head. During the year we lost 7 by death, 13 by resignation, and 23 by order of the Executive Council for non-payment of dues. This leaves the membership of the Society in good standing at present as follows: Life members, 74; annual members, 828; total, 951.
Although the membership is satisfactory in numbers and the Committee on Membership has performed a wonderful work during the past year, the Society is not as large as it should be. Efforts should be made to ascertain the names of those Americans prominent in all walks of life, in whose veins Irish blood flows and who are interested in seeing that the history of our country chronicles and credits the doings of fellow citizens of Irish blood equally with those of other nationalities, and each member should constitute himself a committee to act in conjunction with the Membership Committee and obtain an addition to the Society wherever he can, always assuring himself that the applicant he presents is of good character and intelligence and interested in the work for which the Society is organized.
There are few distinguished families in the United States that are not partially of Irish ancestry, and since our Society has become so well known throughout the country it has stimulated those who have never cared, for reasons best known to themselves, to cause it to be known that Irish blood flowed in their veins, not only to admit the fact but really and truly to assert it, and willingly to accept the credit that comes from such ancestry. Many men whose entire time and energy are devoted to extensive business will take little time to inform themselves of the doings of our Society, unless members in different localities will take it upon themselves to seek out just such men, inform them of the work we are doing, and enlist their hearty coöperation in it.