several of the founding members of the original local society resigned, among them Mr. and Mrs. Frank Nevala, Amanda and Henry Wuopio, Alice and Charles Wirta, Mr. and Mrs. John Lampela, and proceeded to organize a new socialist chapter - the so-called `yellow chapter' as the dissenting radicals labelled it - which remained faithful to the Työmies newspaper and the Socialist Party. During the entire period of its existence, some 20 years, it operated in rented quarters. It was big enough, however, to include auxiliary activities such as a dramatics group, a chorus, a band, a sewing circle and a women's group. The

Workers' club band in 1912. Front row: Ruotsala, Nurmi, Otto Miettunen,
John Laine, Ed. Grondahl, director, unknown. Back: Paul Blomberg, unknown,
Victor Mikkola, Emil Bay, Jeremias Hermanson, Adolf Karhu.

society owned land in South Hibbing but never managed to build on it. When the chapter came to an end, some of its former members started a Hibbing chapter of the Finnish Mutual Aid Society of International Workers Order and steered its program along policy lines laid down by the communist Työmies and locally devoted itself to aid in the maintenance of the Mesaba Range Co-op Park. The significance of the Mutual Aid Society among Hibbing Finns has been extremely limited, and as for any ideological activities it may sponsor, nothing is heard, at least not in public. That communist ardor had been high, however, is shown by the fact that at least several Hibbing Finns

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