Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-27
ORDER OF B,NAa BIRTH.
The Session of the Grand Lodge
Extracts from The Presidents Re"
mort.


Birth No. 5, comprised Of the Lodges In
Maryland, Virginia, North and South Caro-
lima and Georgia, and the District OF Column
bia. has Just closed their annual session at
Richmond, Va, and, as has been announced
by telegraph in our columns, elected our
well known citizen, NJ. j. Solomons, Esq,
as President. We have received a copy of
the report of the retiring President, and, as
Of interest to the fraternity throughout this
section, we make the following synopsis:
PREsIDENT's REPORT.
In August last, while on visit to the city
Of Baltimore. l deemed it my duty, as well
as a great pleasure. TO visit officially, with
various members Of the General Committee,
the several lodges in said city. was graft
fed to observe that those lodges were 10y
ally devOting themselves 10 promoting the
prosperity OF our order. Ny thanks are
due to the officers and members of Jedtd-
iah, King David, Covenant, Ludwig Phillip
son and Monumental City Lodges for the
many courtesies extended TO me, and sim
cerelY regret that my short stay prevented q
visit to Hasmonea and Gabriel Riesser
Lodges.
No new lodges have been formed in the
district during the past year, nor has our
membership varied 70 any extent, as will be
seen BY the report Of the Secretary.
Something should he done at once TO in
crease our ranks. The young men Of our
persuasion should be induced to aid In the
great work still to be accomplished by our
noble order; and IN this connection | deem
it eminently proper to refer you to the able
and thoughtful suggestions on this subjec
embodied In the recent report Of Brother
julius Bien, President Of the Executive
Committee Of the order.
The suggestion also alluded to by him in
said report, that steps should be taken to
bring about a union Of the various Jewish
orders, has my cordial approval, and | rec
ommend that suitable action be taken at this
meeting to set on foot this, in my opinion.
desirable object. So thoroughly am
impressed with the importance Of this meas
ure that l cannot refrain from appending
Brother Bien's remarks on this subject, and
so copy them entire:
'since the foundation of the Order of
B'nai Birth a number of other Jewish or
ders have sprung into existence, professedly
Iursuine the same objects, following SINH
lar aims and carrying out Ike principles.
To see the Israelites of this country divided
into so many camps, when more than ever
thew should present a united front, and
when, moreover, there is no apparent good
reason for their separate existence, is
source of deep regret to all who have the
welfare and best interests Of their brethren
at heart.
They cultivate the same ground, but the
field is circumscribed; hence most of these
societies are recruited chiefly from mem
bers of our order and those
OF each other, and are kept
together from the material benefits held out,
ment, fashioned after our own.
Membership in q number OF organiza-
tions naturally imposes a great and fire.
0uently onerous tax, which often becomes
too heavy to bear, and in consequence mem
bers, from inability to pay their dues, are
SUSPENDED and finally drop off. So the
benefits sought are lost, and with them
the moneys already paid to secure them.
This happens generally TO those who, with
a scantY income, can Ill afford the loss OF
either. Besides, the large sums expended
needlessly for administrative purposes
would be sufficient to provide homes for the
INDECENT and helpless, educate the orphans,
and help those struggling with adversely.
But this Is not the worst feature. The
energy that should be concentrated in
united action for the amelioration OF
the condition of our race is
FILTERED away the praiseworthy pur-
poses OF the orders degraded TO mere
traffic in benefits, and the opportunity
wasted TO present an unbroken front when
ever emergencies call for grand and united
efforts.
Earnest steps should therefore be taken
TO bring about a union Of the various jew
ish orders, and l have reason to believe that
such an endeav0r will fGd sympathy and
hearty cooperation among their leadlI g
members"
The number OF deaths during the year
exceeded that OK any year stree the forma-
ton Of this District Grand Lodge, aggre-
eating thirty-two, for which 500 600 were
uafd bv assessments, So, coo from the surplus
fund. and uine assessments Of forty five
cents each frcm the endowment sinking
fund.
PRESIDENT GARFIELD.
Ia the midst of profound peace, and at a
time when nothing disturbed the public
mind. on July 2, 1881, the people OF the en-
tire civilized world were startled by the an
nOuT cement that the President of the Uni
ted States, James Abram Garfield who had
but few months before been indicted into
his high office, had been stricken down by an
assassin's bullet. 1t is unnecessary for me TO
detailed the painful scenes incident to his
long suff ring. Suffice It 70 say, an allwise
Providence claimed the martyred President,
and he WIS laid TO his long rest.
Owing to the illusirious position held bY
him, and the long and arduOus services rem
dered TO our country, l directed the Secre-
tary OF this Grand Lodge to prepare a suit
able tribute Of c0ndOlerce and forward the
same to the family OF the deceased. This
duty was ably performed by the Secre-
tary, ard he VIII no doubt furnish in his
report cory Of the same.
ENDOWMENT SINKING FUND.
Early in the past year it was apparent to
those who gave the subject g study that the
number OF deaths would exceed twenty, and
that in consequence the trustees Of the Ell
dowment sinking fund would be called
upon to withdraw from said fund the
amounts necessary to pay the endowments
OF brethren who should die after the limit
Of assessments had been called from the
lodges. Questions then arose as to the
amount to be withdrawn upon the decease
Of a brother, and in what time the trustees
should forward TO the Secretary of the
Grand Lodge the amount. The endowment
law being silent on the subject, after ad-
vising with the Secretary and giving the
matter careful study, ! came to the conelu-
sion that the general committee must make
the order, and that the amount Of 81 900
to be withdrawn for each death was
an endowment, and not an assessment, and
should be collected pro rata through the
several lodges from the endowment sinking
fund according to membership, and that the
amounts should be sent forward without
unnecessary delay.
Ia the event that this Grand Lodge should
decide to reject the proposed endowment
law, submitted last year by the majority of
the special committee, l would re recommend
that provision be inserted in the present
law requiring the trustees OF the endowment
sinking fund to forward calls from said fund
within sixty days, under the same penalty
TO lodges for failing to forward assessments
and also to provide for what amount should
be Withdrawn.
1 am gratifed to state that SO far as heard
from, the lodges, as well as their trustees,
have endesvored to comply with all the
provisions of the law, and where it is other
wise. only the letter Of the law has been
transgressed, and not the spirit; am per-
suaded to believe that ere long no irregu-
larities will exist whatever.
In this connection, for the sake Of infor-
nation. would recommend, should the
present law be retained, that section be
amended by requiring the United States
registered securities to be registered in the
name of "The Trustees OF the Endowment
Sinking Fund OF District Grand Lodge No.
5. l o B. B in the custody Of - Lodge
No. -"
THE ORPHAN ASYLUM FUND.
The report to be presented by the Board
Of Control viii no doubt be gratifying to
the members of this Grand Lodge and its
generous patrons. The fund is gradually
Increasing, and demonstrates the wisdom Of
the protector that in union lies strength.
The predictions made at the inception haye
been happily realized, and the interest on
the fund, with small contributions from the
lodges, have amply maintained the orphans