order that had its start in St. Louis, Mo., on March 4, 1854, the year I came to America. It is a fraternal order securing to its members both sick benefits and life insurance. Aside from this it aims to cultivate and perpetuate the mother tongue; to promote and elevate the general standing of social, moral and spiritual life, by means of lectures, schools and libraries; and to use its best influence to assist our newly arrived countrymen to become good American citizens in as short a time as possible. This order has spread from a little local association at St. Louis, Mo., to two hundred and twenty-six or more local lodges scattered all over the United States, besides a Grand Lodge in each state. Our state of Kansas has at the present time, 1914, eight subordinate lodges, and a Grand Lodge located at Wilson. The local lodge at Wilson is called “Rád Vesmir” number 115. The initials of the national order are C. S. P. S., standing for “Cesko-Slovansky-Podporujici-Spolek,” meaning Bohemian Slavonic Benevolent Union or Society. The whole membership of the order in the United States is about twenty-six thousand. The National Supreme Lodge at the present time is located at Chicago, Ill.; Ján Pecha, president; Jos. A. Smejkal, vice president; J. V. Luñák, secretary; A. J. Jambor, assistant secretary; Ján Klous, treasurer. Officers of the Kansas Grand Lodge are Ferd Pecival, president; W. F. Sekavec, secretary; Anton Matous, state trustee; Fr. A. Swehla, treasurer.
The following are the names and numbers of the subordinate lodges in the state of Kansas, and the location of each: Kalich (Eucharist) No. 74; president, Jos. Dressler, Holyrood; secretary Fr. J. Novotny, R. F. D. No. 1, Holyrood. This lodge has its own hall at Holyrood, which cost $8000. Kansas, No. 76; president, Fr. Pánek; secretary, Fr. Kraisinger, R. F. D. No. 1, Rush Center. Novy Tabor, No. 89; president, Václav Voltman; secretary, Anton Stránsky, Belleville. Zizkov, No. 100; president, Mat Knedlek, Hanover; secretary, Ján Brychta, Bremen. Zizkuv Dub, No. 109; president, Fr. Plucar; secretary, Jos. Kopsa, Cuba. Vesmir, No. 115; president, Karel Pekráek; secretary, Ferd Pecival; financial secretary, F. A. Swehla. Ant. Dvorák, No. 135; president Jos. Petrácek, Jennings; secretary, Jos. F. Pavlicek, Oberlin. Ellsworth, No. 189; president, Fr. Dolecek, Ellsworth; secretary, Step. Sekavec; financial secretary, J. M. Vondra.
Now, my dear reader, I do not mean to tire you by spreading here the constitution, by-laws and ritual of this great organization. It is too lengthy and dry for any one not directly interested—it covers sixty-two pages. But if any person is interested he can get a copy free for the asking—in either the Bohemian or the English language, or he can see a copy in the library of the Kansas State Historical Society.
Do not think that Bohemians are a very clanish people. Not at all we are on the whole pretty good mixers. I’ll point to one instance which can be proved by records. There are a half dozen or more American societies, lodges, clubs, companies, churches, corporations, etc., in Wilson, and you will find Bohemians in nearly all of them. Years ago when a lodge of the A. O. U. W. was started in Wilson they extended their recruiting among our people and soon had started a regular stampede, the like of which we could never get up in one of our own national lodges. In a short time they had more Bohemians than our own lodge, which had been struggling to increase its numbers for many long years, and with but small results. Bohemians mix
