PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND.

knight. Mr. Hearn has filled the highest po- sition in the gift of the order for several years. and under his wise and judicious ad-. ministration of its affairs the association is making such rapid progress that it now ‘ stands in the front rank of fraternal societies.

To Prince Edward Island belongs the honor of having the first council established in the maritime provinces of Canada, Char- lottetown Council, No. 824, having been in- stituted at the capital in December, 1903. Councils have since been organized in St. John, New Brunswick, and Sydney, Hali- fax and Antigonish, Nova Scotia; and St. John's, in the nearby colony of Newfound- land, is at this writing ready to don the robes of knighthood. The order will no doubt be es- tablished in other Catholic centers, so that in a comparatively short time the whole of Canada will be brought under the influence of its benign sway.

The order, like many similar organiza- tions in the earlier days of their existence, has had its ups and downs, but the tireless energy and indomitable will of its founders and promoters overcame obstacles which at times may have seemed insurmountable. To- day the surviving members (\f the order who stood by the guns in the ear y days, side by side with patriotic brothers since passed to their eternal reward, have the proud satis- faction of being living witnesses of the splen- did results of their unselfish devotion to a cause as noble as any to which mortal man could bend his energies. Prominent among the old guard is the name of Mr. Daniel Col- well, now occupying most acceptably the sec- ond position of importance in the order, that of national secretary. Based as the order is on the great and enduring principles of char- ity, unity, brotherly love and patriotism, it is natural that the Knights of Columbus should receive the hearty endorsement and approval

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of the hierarchy of America. With the flower of the Catholic clergy landing the way into the Columbian fold, followed by the most intelligent class of laymen, it is not surprising that in recent years the order has grown in influence and numerical strength until it now has a total of one hundred and sixty thousand souls, banded together for the noble purpose of promoting the spirit of fra- ternity in its highest conception.

Insurance in the order is optional, but this excellent feature should commend itself to all insurable candidates seeking admission to the councils. The interests of the insur- ance members of the order are safeguarded by a surplus of $1,509,000, and which, at the rate it is now being added to, will be doubled and trebled in a comparatively short time. While the sympathy of devoted friends is properly appreciated in the time of trouble, the most practical form in which a Knight of Columbus could manifest his devotion to those more or less dependent upon him would be to bequeathe them an insurance policy in the order. Banded together for mutual pro- tection, it is desirable that the members of the order in Prince Edward Island should take advantage of all the means which the organization places at their disposal, to ac— complish this end. The true Knight of Co- lumbus will exemplify in his own life the great principle of fraternal charity upon which the order is founded and which it dili- gently seeks to promote among its members. He will strive to be a faithful disciple of the great Columbus. under the protecting folds of whose glorious banner it is his inestima- ble privilege to march with his fellows along paths which lead to high ideals and a proper conception of the manifold duties and re- sponsibilities which devolve upon him as a member of the community in which his lot may be cast.