drop in membership, when the need for the society was no longer acute. The final meetings were held in 1942, with Frank Linjanen serving as chairman and Impi Rautavirta-Salo as secretary.

According to Linjanen, the civic club counted among its achievements the election in 1931 of Helmer Frankson to the office of mayor. It was through Frankson's support, in turn, that John Harju subsequently became the community's legal counsel, Andrew Harju the engineer, Henry Luoma assistant to the secretary, and Alex Nelimark an employee of the local motor pool, and "many other Finns receiving lesser positions." Later, Jack Rivall was made secretary and treasurer, and through him Henry Carlson, John Huhtala and Charles Kivi became officials in public works departments, etc. In general, whenever any Finn applied for a position, the civic club's significant support backed him up. In the absence of Finnish candidates for a given office, support was usually given to some other, Protestant candidates, who would in turn usually remember the Finnish votes which had helped him get elected. Their assistance, subsequently, helped some Finns into office : thus Emil Salminen reached the school board and Jim Isaacson became Town of Stuntz supervisor, a position also filled by John K. Mäki, Carl A. Aura and A. A. (Barney) Koskinen. In a much earlier period in civic life, F. Hiltunen (1902-03) and J. H. Ollila (1904) had already served as town secretaries. Similarly, John O. Rivall was Purchasing Agent for School District No. 27 in Hibbing, a county position, and Kalle Leonard Haataja (Hart) served as a state official, as inspector of mines. Gust Carlson had been elected selectman in 1896, Gust Pearson the following year, and Oscar Bay in 1905. At other times, as in 1906, all six Finnish candidates for office failed to win, and other defeats followed in 1907, 1911 and 1912.

Relief Activities : The first organized charitable undertaking of the Hibbing Finns was a Red Cross chapter formed in 1917 by 30 interested persons, who saw membership grow to 70 before World War I ended. Fund raising experience was gained in the drive in 1938 to collect money ($358.88 realized) for participation in the Delaware Tercentenary. But the Russian attack on Finland in 1939 brought forth a truly magnificent effort.

The festival program on Finnish Independence Day, 6 December 1939, had perforce become the first opportunity to aid Finland on the heels of the attack made upon it, and a week later a definite relief program w as in existence. At that time a committee

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