We Lithuanians have three important problems to solve which must be cleared up as soon as possible. The delay in solving these problems is weakening and depressing not only the individual, but also the whole group, both materially and spiritually.

Our first problem is the urgent need to better the economic standing of our people. This can be accomplished if all of us will only make an effort to deal with our own business and professional people. We already have a sufficient number of all kinds of tradesmen, merchants, and not a small number of physicians, attorneys, dentists, engineers, etc. For example, many of our people who are 2in need of furniture; instead of buying from a Lithuanian they buy from a Jew or some other non-Lithuanian with the excuse that the Lithuanian did not have such beautiful furniture or that his price was higher. It is probabl that the Lithuanian merchant did not have the desirable kind of furniture, and if he did, his price was probably higher. However if he did not have the desirable kind of furniture in stock that day, he could easily yet them the next day by ordering from the factory. His prices might be higher, but if he would have known that a Lithuanian will do his buying from a Jew for that reason, he undoubtedly would have reduced his prices in order to make the sale. Moreover, I have learned that our people refuse to trade with our own merchants largely because of envy and not on account of higher prices.

Our people also fail to properly support our tradesmen, such as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc. This lack of proper support is especially true in regards to our professional people--physicians, attorneys, etc. Take for example a Lithuanian who becomes sick and is forced to turn to a physician. If his case does not require a specialist, a Lithuanian physician will always be more sympathetic, more conscientious, and probably more qualified to help such a patient to get well. Furthermore, it is more pleasant for a patient to deal with a physician of his or her own nationality, because both speak the same language and can understand each other better; it is also more advantageous from a financial standpoint, because a patient will not be exploited by a Lithuanian physician. On the other hand, if the patient's condition is such that requires the attention of a specialist, it is only a matter of logic in the science of correct reasoning, that a physician 4is in the best position to know and recommend the best specialist. In this regard our sick people should unfalteringly heed the advice of a physician, and not that of an old woman or a saloon keeper. Old women only know how to cook beans, and saloon keepers only know how to pour beer into a glass, but about the competency of a specialist, they only know as much as a pig knows about the clouds. A sick person who accepts advice from an old women or saloon keeper, from an advertisement in a Lithuanian newspaper, or any other questionable source, very often becomes a victim of exploitation. Such a patient usually does not receive proper attention, because he either was led astray from a good specialist or did not even hear of one. Real specialists do not advertise in newspapers, and only reputable physicians are in close contact with them.

What has been said about a Lithuanian physician can also be said in regard to a Lithuanian attorney. If a Lithuanian who is in trouble needing the services of an attorney would turn immediately to a Lithuanian attorney, he would undoubtedly save much time and money. When a specialist is needed in a certain case, an attorney is in a better position than anyone else to employ or recommend the right specialist. So much in regard to the problem about the economic uplift of our people.

2. The second important problem of our people is the need to understand the basic principles of personal and general hygiene. An old adage says: "A healthy brain in a healthy body." But do we live a hygienic life? God forgive us--not only the families living on 6farms and in cities, but also our intelligentsia--priests, physicians, attorneys, authors, etc.--are living in a primitive fashion, guided not by brains, but by instinct. I will not write much about doctors. They are familiar with the rules of hygiene, but they carelessly neglect to adhere to them; they teach others to follow these rules, but neglect to follow them themselves. In this manner many doctors commit an unpardonable sin; as a result many did between the ages of thirty-five and forty from tuberculosis or some other disease. Apparently they are punished by nature for giving the world an evil example. It is not necessary for a doctor to live expensively, but he should lead a hygienic life. He does not require one or two pounds of meat for a meal; he should be satisfied with only a quarter of a pound for one meal and remain healthy in both mind and body. People have a right to demand that 7doctors practice what they teach.

We read in our newspapers of the deaths of many of our young people, especially brilliant students, who, if they had lived longer, promised to accomplish great deeds for our nationality. Who is to blame for their untimely deaths? They them-selves are to blame! None have died from starvation; they were victims of contagious diseases. They died mostly from tuberculosis, which they could have escaped if they had made an effort to do so; but, through carelessness, they elected to become national or scientific martyrs. In other words, they died because they were seeking knowledge, but failed to find it. They failed to find it, because they were led into the wrong tracks in their very early days; had they been acquainted in their early days with the principles of hygiene, they would not have met untimely deaths.

In this connection we ourselves are partly to blame. At present, doctors advise mothers of the great importance of cleanliness in rearing children from the time of birth to five years of age; during the past ten years this advice alone has reduced infant mortality fifty per cent. However, the doctors forget about the importance of hygiene to mothers and other grown-ups from the time they are five years of age until they reach old age and the end of their lives. I would be very delighted, and it would be very beneficial to our people, if all our doctors would assist in popularizing the principles of hygiene,

3. Our third and probably most important need is the establishment of Lithuanian schools in America. This problem is very important, and is very easy to solve. This problem can be solved without 9committees, buildings, or special financial contributions. All that is needed is a revolution. Let each Lithuanian organization, club, and lodge, divide its members into three or more groups in the following manner: Into the first group place all those who can neither read nor write, and set aside for this group one or two hours per week in which to learn how to read and write in Lithuanian and English; into the second group place all those who are able to read and write and set aside a regular weekly period in which this group can meet and continue their education by studying history, geography, etc.; into the third group place those who desire to learn some kind of trade or profession. This latter group should be directed to the various public evening schools, which exist in all the larger cities. In these schools, students can study without a tuition charge and learn the following: Carpentry, 10the blacksmith trade, tailoring, cooking, sewing, book-keeping, stenography, commercial law, etc. All these branches of learning can be obtained without charge during evenings after working hours; it is not necessary to travel to Valparaiso or Muskegan; and it is not necessary for the Lithuanian public to aid such students financially.