I take great pleasure in submitting my quarterly report; and I wish to congratulate the members upon the favorable standing of the society. Not only has the membership greatly increased and the fund for widows and orphans received sufficient contributions to put it on a sound basis, but also the state of health of the members, the progress made during the past months, and the general financial condition of our organization have been extremely gratifying.

In regard to the financial report, I wish to call your attention to the fact that our financial condition ought to be of great interest to every member who has the welfare of the Arbeiterverein at heart; and each one must derive great satisfaction from the improved condition of our treasury. During my term of office it has been my constant object to observe the utmost 2economy in making expenditures.

The funds of the society have been augmented, especially through payments to the treasury for widows and orphans, as may be seen from the report of the treasurer. Although under normal conditions we could have expected an increase in our net income, since we now have a larger number of members, our treasury balance is no greater than usual, because we were forced to assume greater obligations toward some of our members and also toward nonmembers. The greater part of our income was used to relieve the distress of widows, orphans, and dependents of soldiers. I take great pride in stating that the society has always shown a true spirit of benevolence, and has done much to make life more endurable for the poor and helpless. It has never permitted economy to restrict its charitable activity. And the general public has rendered valuable aid.

During the past quarter the membership has risen to 935; 110 new members 3were added to our roll, and 33 were stricken from the membership list for nonpayment of dues. While this information gives us cause to rejoice, we should exercise greater care in the future when accepting members, since quite a few of those who were lately admitted to membership have not met their obligations, and joined merely for sake of the aid which our members receive.

Financial Report

Widow and Orphan Fund

Recapitulation

Widows and Orphans Fund

Since the available money of the society was used for charitable purposes, little could be done for our library, which was used by many to promote their education. We have 740 books, most of them on science. Though we have spent quite a bit of money to increase the efficiency of our library, there is still much room for improvement; for there is an ever greater demand for good instructive books. In the future we shall give this phase of our activity more attention.

Our chorus is under the leadership of an able director and is making good progress. It has contributed much toward the success of our Sunday evening entertainments. However, it is desirable that more of our members participate 7in the activity of this branch of our organization--for their own benefit, and for the benefit of those who have not been endowed with "good" voices, but enjoy good vocal music.

Concerning our school for instruction in English and free-hand drawing I wish to inform you that the society found it expedient to discontinue sessions during the summer; however this work will be resumed when cooler weather sets in, and will be under the supervision of an able instructor, thus affording every member an opportunity to acquire a knowledge of the English language--and every citizen of the United States should know English--and of the art of drawing. This latter branch was introduced for the benefit of those who desire to obtain technical knowledge. Unfortunately, past attendance was not very good. Let us take advantage of this facility, even though we may never expect to make regular use of what we learn about the art of technical drawing.

In my last report I recommended that the society erect a hall suitable for the purposes of the society, assuming that our fellow citizens will assist in this worthy enterprise. Our organization is growing rapidly because its activity has made it very popular, and that fact, too, should be considered when we face the problem of obtaining the money to pay for a building adequate to our needs. The Arbeiterverein is firmly convinced that the Germans of Chicago will not be found wanting in their contributions for this worthy cause, but will take great pride in assisting to erect a monument to German unity, industry, and charity.

In conclusion, I wish to thank you for the confidence which you have shown during the past quarter, and for your generous and willing aid in the performance of my duties. Though it was impossible to please everybody, I assure you that it was my constant aim to promote the welfare of our society. I shall continue to keep this purpose in mind, and I hope that 9none of the members will be guided or controlled by petty jealousy or unjustified dissatisfaction, which might cause others to think ill of and belittle our organization.

A. Braun, President.

Chicago, May 27, 1863