St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-18
Interesting Proceedings Of the Fifteenth
Annual Session ofthe Grand Lodge
I. 90. T.
Reports of the Grand Patriarch and the
Grand Representative in
Detail.
The PatriarchaI Circle and the Mill
tant Degree Discussed at Some
Length.
Officers Elected for the Next Year,
The Next Place of
Meeting.

The first days session Of the Grand en-
sampment OF /. 0. o. i. was held yeSter-
terday in their hall on Wabasha street.
The following were the officers in attend
arce: w. X. Read. G. p; w. w. Hart
lev. II. P: j. Fletcher Williams, g. S.;
W. il. Wells, G.. J. w; Ed. A. Stevens,
r. r. There are Twenty-Five encamp-
ments in the state, and Faribault, North
ield, Sank Center, Saltwater and Preston
were not represented. The following are
the delegates present:
No /, St. Paul, r. W. Cassidy; No. 2.
Rochester, II. Mcleod; No. 3, st. Peter, Christ
Rinkel; No. 4. Owatonna, J. Newsalt; No. 8,
Minneapolis Herman Helm; No. 6, Hastings,
Henry Warsup; No. Z, Lake City, ID. Z. Estes;
No. s, Mankato, j. NJ. Karmany; No. 8, Red
Wing, William T.. Hawkins; No. 10, Winona,
H. G. Thurman; No. IL, Cannon Falls, w. G.
Sherman; No. l., WinneDago City, +. N
Ware; No. -, Waseca, Ii. G. Woodbury.; No.
il, Minneapolis W. G. Wheeler; No 10, st.
Paul, w. s. Shank; No. Il, Dodge Center, K.
G. Hill; No. 10, Brainerd, X. II. Paine; No.
o. Minneapolis, X. n. Prittain; No "a, Wa
basha, john Shermuly; No. %, Fergus Falls,
T. Shaver; No. 20. Winona, +. Is. Newell;
No. ~, Moutevideo, A. j. Wood; No. 20, Aus
tin, ID. Il. Stimson.
The report Of the Grand Patriarch w. X.
Read was submitted and adopted. The
report shows good progress in the brother
ton. Peace and harmony prevails and
they are stronger and more at unity than at
any previous season. One new encanp-.
ment has been added since last year, at
Austin which now numbers tWenty-seven
members A large amount of cores
pOndence has been had going to show that
the encampments are generally in a flour
ishiHg condition, and working in great
harmony. Reports from nearly all the
encampments are quite encouraging, and
the order in st. Paul and Minneapolis has
been booming" and has added greatly to
its numbers since the last session, as well as
Home Encampment No. II, at Dodge
Center. which has had a surprising growth.
At the last session Of the Sovereign Grand
lodge, the committee appointed to revise
the degree for Uniform Degree camps,
submitted report which was adopted
recommending the virtual adjustment of
that degree, and submitting instead a new
degree, entitled the "Patriarchs Militant"
1t is purely of military character, designed
chiefly for display, and its government
rests with the members thereof; thus the
Sovereign Grand lodge relieved the Grand
Encampment from legislation in reference
10 the same. The Uniform Degree camps
within the jurisdiction have adopted the
new form. Il recommend" says the Grand
Patriarch, that the action of the SOver-
eign Grand lodge in this respect, be accepted
cordially, as the evident intention is TO
iratemiLe and bring together in harmony,
all our members who have desire to be-
come members of a military degree, and
also allow that class to be self-governed,
without requiring Grand Encampments TO
eXpend time in endeayOnng to manage the
same, when not One-haIf the members of
the grand body might be in possession of
The degree"
The sovereign grand lodge at its last ses-
sion adopted law requiring lodges TO take
action after Jan. in cases where members
still hold utilization with what has been
known as the 'Patriarchal circle" am
Informed that most of our brethren, who
were members of the Patrarchal circle
have withdrawn from the same, and wish
to continue, as in the past, recognized Odd
Fellows, and they are now unquestiOned,
active and jealous members of the order.
l bid them a hearty welcome.
In presenting you this report I shall have
discharged and concluded my official duties
as grand patriarch and again become pri-
yate member. In my actions in an official
capacity have endeavOred to do my whole
1uty inpartially and justly. If / have
failed TO do 50 in anything, | invoke your
kind charity for such shOrtcoming. retire
from this high and honorable post to which
You chose me a year ago, with most CRATE
full feelings to all the brotherhood in our
jurisdiction, and with the warmeSt regards
10 all whom l have met officially. Year
after year. as we assemble in these Ses-
siOns, we miss the well known faces of
some of our brethren who have left our
ranks to join the glorious hosts on high,
since the previous meeting. Let us, too.
act well our parts here, and fill our various
stations with fidelity and zeal, so that our
homes may be honOred as theirs are And
now, hoping that harmony and love NAV
prevail during our session, and prosperity
ana success to the encdmpmentS may await
our labors, l close this report.
FROM GRAND REPRESENTATIVE.
The report of the grand representative.
Ed A. Stevens, was next submitted. in
which was given the action of the Sovereign
Grand lodge: The official reports showed
the encampment to be in a healthy and
prosperous condition, the gains for the year
(lSS4t being one grand and twenty-eight
subordinate encampments and S,4O5 mem
berS, the totals being grand encampments.
A; subordinate encampmentS, 1884; en-
campment membership, 95.257 The ex-
penditureS for relief by lodges and encamp-
ments during the year aggregated S2,111,-
926. Sc. making grand total of $40. 600, 900
expended by the order for works of human
benefactlon, independent of the vast
amounts distributed by our mutual benefit
or insurance auXiliaries.
Undoubtedly the most important bust
ness of the session, in view of the compli-
cations that had seemingly surrounded the
question, was the consideration of the re-
port OF the special committee on uniformed
degree, which consideration resulted i'm the
abolition OF the former uniform degree and
III the adoption of new work. purely
military in its character and designed tn
become the distinctive display of the order.
The new degree-PatriarchS Militant-was
the result OF much study, all details being
elaborated, and eXemplified by a trained
body of Odd Fellows from Louisville, XIV.
In the preparation of the degree the ann
was to produce work that would be worthy
OF the order and in keeping with its teach
lngs, and work which would be alike ac-
ceptable to known members of uniformed
degree camps and alleged members of the
patriarchal circle" and to that end those
nigh in authority in the latter were freely
consulted and gave satisfactory assurance
mat III the event of the adoption of the re-
port harmony would prevail. Had it not
Deen Tor certain ill-advised and greatly mis-
understood legislation on a kindred matter.
winch has been greatly magnitied and dis
torted III certain circles, ''all warning eIe-
mentS would be at peace" While the new
WORK was not ready for use until the begin
hlng OF the present year, the membership
already outnumbers the membership of both
of the former so-called
sEMI-MILITARY FEATURES.
The Patriarchal circle membership have
generaiIy accepted the new work, and the
Indications are that ere another saSSinn nf