, 1881-04-30

sixty Third Anniversary. - ~ 80
PrsgreN oa Ne gu1eea 3oa1ess

L
Tuesday. the e6th inst. d.vssa spsa
the Sixty Third Anniversary q the Oh p
lows in the United Ststes. A sysesa
created under American ausp;css L hs -.
cord second to none in the iistosy 4 bss.
violent organizations
On April a6th, 1873 the frst lodge WaaAr
| ington Lodge, No. I, was institztsd IN ~
| city Of Baltimore, BY few men sf haiAsd
education, and in humble sPh<s Of iis.
Soon after the Order acquired men Of sdses-
ton from every calling in life, many Il
whom testified their love for the institatiee
by the most valuable assistance cf bedg -
and mind in liz behalf. They eams u Ssa-
orally after the irst decade, and 70 thsa vs
are mainly indebted for what m.y prepefay
be called moral and Progeasive Odd Fellow.
ship.
AMERICAN ODD rELLowsHIr.
The Order has increased in annbse -
such an extent that the mind il alDsst b.
wldered TO conceive thai IL oosA Pshy
have groxnfrsn such small beziaaiass. Ths
Independent Oraer Of Odd Fellows has Ism
Supreme Grand Lodges, viz: IN The Usitsa
States, the German Empire, Austral;A -
New Zealand. 1t has about 50 Sabordinass
Grand Lodges in the United States. and
in the German Empire; 20 Grand Escamp.
ments in the United States and one in Aas-
tralia.
The Subordinate Lodges arc in the Usitsd
States q, IA, in the German Empire - m
Australia 63 and in New Zealand 20; nak.
ing total Of 6,S5s. In the United Stasss
there are nearly 1900 Subordinate Eneanp.
ments, in the. German Empire S. Aad IN
Australia and New Zealand 4. making in ~
2,0O9. In the Encsmpment or Superiee o.
Superior Branch there are 81. Ss6 member.
During the year ending 1871 there were 20.
57S limitations. and the sum Of 81. 70e. "a q
WIS spent for the relief Of the membssa
The total revenue for that year vas &A.5ls..
GEO g. From 1880 to December 3lst 1877.
we find the following aggregates:
limitations, l.O64. .9sS: members relieved.
SIG, 9S2; widowed families relieved l04 as;
members buried, "A, 10; The whole amolnt
of relief was sixty mine million, two hundred
and thirty-6v thousand, nine hundred and
eighty-nine dollars and forty five eean.
What the Order has paid in charity md for
the education Of orphans would I'LL vsluRs
and to-day We number / membership Of near.
ly half million.
The Order vas founded by Thomas
Wildey and John Welch, both natives d
England. Wildcy bad been initiated into
an Odd Fellows lodge in the city Of London
about 1904, he emigrated to this country in
1877 and on . mutual acquaintance bsing
struck up between the two they resolved to
form = lodge of Odd Fellows.
THE FIRST DIFFICULTY
Was to find the proper number for the Pur-
pose. Private efforts were made, AID every
means exhausted to discover other beothers.
but in vain. It then occurred TO them thas
resort to the newspapers might b. no's
successful. and this happy thought resulted
in the following. which appeared in The
Baltimore lAmsricdn on the 18th day ct
FEBRUARY, 1919:
"NorIcr TO ALL ODD FELLowA-A few
members of the Society Of Odd Fellows viii b
glad To meet their brethren for cnnsultatseo
upon the subject Of forming Lodge Ihs
meeting will be held on Friday evening, the
I'd Of March, 1919.
This had the effect Of adding two more b
the required number Of Eve and It vas nat
until another advertisement had appeared
that the other was brought to the surface in
the person of one Richard Rushworth. Net
moment was lost, but all the necessary r.
rangements were speedily made, - that a
Monday, April 26, 1919. the brothen INST %
the sign Of :" The Ser,x &ars," At public
house kept by certain Wm. Lupton, asa
then and there with all tho forms Of which
they possessed any knowledge. they solsaaly
instituted and opene,l lodge. which they
named Washington Lodge Of Odd feusvs.
Thomas Wildey was installed - Noble GfanA
and John WeIch as Vice Grand: The eeAes .
brothers were also given Offices, bat il y net
certain how they were distributed. In sseh
haste, but also with all dne formality md
dignity, was the first stone laid in the toun.
dation of American Odd Fellowship.