Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-11
THE MYSTIC BRETHREN.
THE GRAND LODGE OF ODD
FELLOWS.
Close OF the Standardization OF
Omeers-RepOFts- Complimentary
Bang ueG-Exeursion To-Day.

Grand Lodge Of the Independent Order Of
Odd Fellows wzs convened IN this city, at
Odd FeIlows' Hall, yesterday a O'Clock
8. n, with . very large attendance Of Rep
resentEtiTes and Past Grznds. A considers
! bic amount Of business was transacted, and
the election Of officers for the ensuing year
I took place a. II O'Clock a. N
Grand OFFICERS.
J. B. Richardson, OF Lumpkn, n. "
J. CutbbeFt shecut, Of Augusta, r ".
| Deputy Grand Master.
Henry Beusse, Of Athens, r. ". Grand
Warden.
John G. Deitz, Of Macon, R. ". Grand
Secretary.
Jobu S. Tyson, Of Savannah, R. ". Grand
| Treasurer.
Thomas A. Askew, Of Savannah. R ".
Graud Representative 70 Sovereign GrAno
Lodge.
GTfHa. Georgia, was selected as the place
10 hold the next annual session Of the Grand
Lodge.
me reports Of the Grand Master, Grand
Secretary and Grand Treasurer were read,
/ We make such extracts as are OF general
interest:
GRAND NAsTER AsEEw's REPORT
Another year has passed; another year is
measured IN the calendar Of Odd Fellow
ship. By brotherlY love and charity
wears work has 70 be reviewed by you, while
| the record is already made in the Book OF
Time, whether as faithful servants our
/ duties have been discharged faithfully, or
/ IL we have failed TO comply with our oohga-
| tons We meet to-day within sight OF the
| spot where the first Lodge Of Odd Fellows
vas instituted in Georgia. We are where
| Odd Fellowship had its fist struggle Tor
| existence IN this State, thirty-nine years ago.
/ How many changes sfncei Yet the Lodges
| instituted here IN 1912 and 1913 still exist,
| and are represented to-day IN this session /;
/ and we have with rs the first Noble Grand
/ Of the first Lodge Instituted and the nrst
/ Grand Master Of the Grand Lodge formed
10 Georgia, Alvin \. Miller, Of Oglethorpe
/ Lodge, No : and we sit with those who,
| a. the Old Guard Of the order, the men OF
| 1872 10 $50, are still active in the discharge
/ Of their duties IS Odd Fellows. Surround
/ ed, then, ss We are BY these associations, 1t
/ should inspire Us TO united efforts 70 per
| petuzte and increase the usefulness OF this
/ noble brotherhood, and we should reverence
/ these veteran Odd Fellows who have so
nobly stood BY the order from its early
struggle in our State to this the time Oh its
| prosperity.
By the laws Of the order, you are made
| the judges OF the acts Of your chief eXeeu-
| tive officer, and It becomes my duty 70 rem
i der 70 you an account OF my stewardship,
/ so that YOU may In your collective wisdom
and justice either sanction what / have done
or correct that which may be amiss. That
/ you will do this with credit TO yourselves
and a kind consideration for errors commit
ted, I fully believe, aud will therefore sub
NIT the following:
STATE OF THE ORDER.
While the past year has not been marked
by any great increase OF membership, while
the charters Of some Lodges not properly
worked have been demanded, while only
one Lodge has been instituted, yet 1t is 3
source Of qualification that a deep interest
has been awakened In Lodges situated 10
/ the cities, where most Of our Lodges are
/ located, and the greatest increase Of mem
bership has been in those places where It
has been said we would lose groend on &C
count OF the many mutual aid associations
| that had been started with more attractive
| features than we could offer. The Lodges
that have BECOME defunct were located In
sparsely settled neighbOrhOods and their ex
isteuce was never on firm basis.
There Is now an awakened interest mani
! tested by most OF the Lodges making re-
turns, to advance Odd Fellowship and place
| Il 10 that high and lofty position where II
| belongs and the cheering reports from the
| District Deputy Grand Masters OF the re-
vival, a. II were, now going on ia their
| Lodges shows that 10 the near future our
| beloved order will throw of, as 1t were, the
inactiOD and lukeWarmres5 that have had
hold Oh II in the past, and make to- Lodge
rooms once more craved and a res r. for It's
members, and place Of pleasurs and en-
| iOyment; and by showing 70 the world 10
| their daily intercourse with men and breth-
rem that Il il an order based on principles
| that are eternal, and fitted for the wants of
mankind, will thus command the attention
and awaken that interest that will bring a
desire to unite with our great Brotherhood.
Looking from this standpoint, we will
soon see new impetus given 70 the energy
Of those who have already enlisted In the
grandest service that ever called men to
deeds Of self denial aud liberation, and
make the coming year one OF great pros
perity for the order. For full report Of
membership and the increase and decrease
during the year, L refer you to the Grand
Secretary's report.
While peace aud prosperity have pre-
vailed, yet grief aud sorrow have afflicted
US, and we yet mourn the loss of many
members OF this Grand Lodge who have
been called from their labors here, we trust,
TO a happy home in Gods kingdom.
| attended the meeting called at Macon,
and there met both OF our Worthy Grand
Representatives, AdOlpA Brandt and John
.. -
John G. Deitz, our Deputy Grand Master,
and d. u. G. Masters or Representatives Of
all Lodges save two called TO meet at that
place Our Grand Representatives carefully
explained and impaired the new secret WORK
TO the satisfaction Of all present. 1t was then
arranged that Representative John B. Good
win should give the work at the meeting
called at Atlanta the next night, that Rep
resentative AdOlph Brandt should give II at
Augusta at the same time, and that should
give it al the meeting the same night at Sa-
yannah. The arrangement was faithfully
carried out Although all the Lodges were
not represented at Atlanta, yet our worthy
Brother, Representative Goodwin, gave
It to several OF the Lodges after
wards, either to their Representa-
tiyes who called on him, or be visited
the places where the Lodges were located,
while others / directed afterwards to re-
ceive the work from their nearest District
Deputy. / think all the Lodges working
received the new work as early as practi-
cable. Before leaving Macon TO attend the
meeting called at that point, / drew my
warrant on the Grand Treasurer, John s.
Tyson, for three hundred dollars, sufficient
to cover the expenses of the meetings
called to give the new work, which amount
handed to the Grand Secretary at Macon
TO pay warrants drawn on him for that pur-
pose. The cost Of all these meetings by the
plan adopsed and carried out amounted to
Sl9l 20, and the balance is in the hands Of
the Grand Secretary, and will be accounted
for In his report.
The Grand Secretary having asked my
opinion of the price to be charged by this
Grand Lodge for the new books, the Sover-
eign Grand Lodge having set the price to
State grand bodies at 81 90 and 81 25, re-
spectively, and knowing the great expense
that subordinates would have TO incur by
the new work, and believing that this
Grand Lodge should, on supplies, charge it's
subordinates only sufficient TO pay charges
Of expenses, ETC., instructed him TO charge
an advance Of twenty five cents on each
book, and IL is for this Grand Lodge TO say
IL that shall be the price in the future.
II this new work is properly rendered,
and every Lodge furnishes itself with the
regalia and paraphernalia called for, 1t will
be an expense that but very. few Lodges In
the State can stand, and, II the letter OF the
law is carried out, but few Lodges can com
ply, for more members are called for TO
confer some Of the degrees than we gener-
ally find ia our Lodge rooms, and, to make
the present work successful and impressive,
nothing should be omitted, for II any
part is omitted, the beauty OF the
whole is destroyed. Our city Lodges
NAV be able to york the degrees
successfully, but our weak country Lodges
will be deprived Of that pleasure. While
the new work is a great improvement over
the old, as far as an expression OF our opin-
ion is concerned, yet / fear that its beauty
and usefulness win be marred by its imper-
feet rendering by Lodges outside OF our
cities, as the expense OF putting the new