Morning journal and courier., 1882-05-18
Odd Fellowship.
Annual Session of the Grand Lodge, !. Q.
 Q. K,

O. k.
 The Grand Lodge. I. o. o. F., held it's an- nual session yesterday at Loomis' Temple or Music. There was a large attendance. Among the statistics in Grand Secretary Botsford's report are the following
 January 1, 1882 there were 5 lodges Jan uary 24, Clifton Lodge, No, 30, was institut- ed. making the total 54. The receipts were $G9, 733 D. Of this $3O, 3O1. p were ex pended for relief, $19, ,O99 O1 for ordinary and $2, 768 5 for extraordinary ex- penses-a total of 552, IS, which leaves the net receipts $17, 5G4 70. The funds of the subordinate lodges January l, 1881, were $1S4 ,679 42; the receipts, during the year, $69, 733 57, leaving $2J4 G11.99, from which $30, 3O1. .25, expended for relief, and $21, 8G7. 5 for expenses, are to be deducted. The latter sum includes $1 ,31G.1 15 surrendered by Lodge 84, with it's charter, and paid out by the grand lodge. The total fund is now $2O1 ,127.OG. The average amount of relief l paid to each member is S2.7S for all other purposes SILL which with the per capita tax of $2 S7 raises the average sum ex pended each member $G 7G-more than his annual dues. The grand lodge received S1,- 7O9. 4G from May II, 1881, to May 17, 1882- $1, PIP. 76 from the grand lodge tax, $3O0.25 from cards, $S9 O5 from rituals, digests, charters, etc., $57.5O from constitutions, $1 90 from odes and S53O for. charter fee. The number of members January 1, 1881, was 7,279. There were initiated during the year GAS admitted by card, S3 reinstated, 30 total, 6,O49. From this deduct SC withdrawn by card 215 suspended for non payment of dues expelled and S2 deceased-total 392. The present membership is 7,657. The l death rate is one in 9 56-1OO, an increase of 6 71-1OO. The mortality is in ] the older lodges and illustrates the neces- ..Az oIo rha ] number of years sickness was 5,724. The Daughters of Rebekah have fifteen 1 lodges, one-Norwalk, No. G-having sur rendered it's charter. Only 13 of the'e 15 re- ported the delinquent two are liable to ! pension. statement of membership is :: ! Brothers (January l, 1881, ) CSC. sisters, sos;
 brothers admitted during 1881, 79; sisters, l 59; grand total, G32 From this deduct 7 brothers and II sisters withdrawn 5G broth 1 CTS and 43 sisters dropped, one brother and one sister expelled and five brothers and six ! sisters dead-13O. The total left is ], ,5O2. From this are taken B from Ruth and 50 l from Myrtle lodges, which have not reported reducing the figures to 1,4l9.
 ] Grand Master J. W. Pond made able report, stating the visitations made by him
 and speaking of the order as meeting with
 continued prosperity. The report renewed the recommendation made last year that this
 R, W. grand body give 0 favorable con-
 sideration to the subject of yearly terms in
 our subordinate lodges. That recommends tion 1 would renew, as the reasons for yearly
 terms appear stronger now than at that
 time, and must be more apparent to the
 earnest members of the fraternity than ever before. Since then a radical change has
 been made in our work, both in the initiatory
 and other degrees by which instruction
 which was then imparted by tame lectures
 and indifferent action now requires more
 skill, more study and fair degree, to say the least, of dramatic ability.
 "Of the truth of the proposition that Odd Fellowship is progressive in its character, | those of us who have been some years in the
 order have witnessed abundant demonstra tions We have seen the improvements in
 our halls which have kept pace with
 our surroundings and with the prog ress of the age; we have seen decided Improvements in method of bus l mess as well as in system of dues and
 benefits; we have systematized and equal ized the burdens of transient relief we have
 witnessed the progress in our laws from a few crude enactments of local application to
 @ we'll defined code guiding and governing l our vast fraternity. Not only is this material l progress a constituent eleme nt in our order,
 but progress in intelligence education and 1 science is also an important factor in Odd Fellowship"
 Mir. Munson, of Waterbury, was elected grand master for the ensuing year and the grand secretary and grand treasurer were re- elected.