Morning journal and courier., 1888-05-17
GRAND LODGE OF ODD FELLows.

Growth of the Order in the State Dur. ing the Year-Oheers Elected.
 NEW LONDON, May 16.-The annual meet ing of the Grand lodge of Odd Fellows of this State was held here to-day and was pro- nounced the largest attended meeting of Odd Fellows ever held in this State. The officers ! of the Grand lodge were taken for drive
 about the city and down the Harbor road this morning by the committee of Pequot lodge who were charged with extending the proper courtesies to the visitors. At 1O:30 1 o'clock the Grand lodge was called to order by Grand Master B. s. Keith and the chairs were filled by the regular officers. Seventy seven new members were then taken into the Grand lodge and the reports of the grand
 master, grand secretary and grand treasurer were read.
 The report of Secretary Frederick Botsford showed the present number of lodges in this
 Jurisdiction to be sixty-two, one having been added during the year. From the subordi-
 nate lodges the receipts amounted to $107,-
 435.52 Of this there was paid out for relief
 $43, ,253. 61 and for expenses $45, ,s06. .S3, leav-
 ing balance of receipts over expenditures of
 8.372.O9. The total funds of subordinate
 lodges on January 1, 1887, were $297, ,074. AS.
 The membership of the order in the State a year ago last January was 10,107. There
 were initiated during the year 967, admitted
 by card 51 and reinstated 25. The with drawals by card were "A, 221 were suspended for non-payment of dues, 5 were expelled and IF members died, leaving net gain in membership of 626. The number of weeks sickness was 8, ,462 or an average of five days, sixteen hours and twenty-six minutes per member. The death-rate was one in every ninety members, nearly one and one-quarter per cent, being large increase ever the preceding year. There are seventeen Daugh- ters of Rebekah lodges with 8 membership of l,663, gain during the year of 224. Secre- tary Botsford's report included the following:
 Several times in my annual reports have | advocated the establishment of an Odd Eel lows home in this jurisdiction, and the sug- gest1on has heretorore been met with the ar- gument that the time has not arrived for &C., | tion in this direction. From my standpoint ! 1t seems to me that the time has arrived when \ at least the initial steps should be taken for | the erection of a home. Odd Fellowship is ! progressive in it's character, and our order ' has arrived at that point where action should ! De taken to guarantee every needy member | support, or at least protection against de- \ pendence upon public charity or the alms- house. recommend the subject to your careful consideration.
 It was decided to hold the next annual | meeting in Hartford
 The plan of representation was not chang ed, as the new plan was laid on the table un- til the next meeting.
 The following officers were elected: Grand \ master, Ralph Burnham, of Hartford; deputy grand warden, James Bishop, of New Haven; grand warden, Frederick s. Hunt, of Bridge port; grand secretary, Frederick Botsford, of New Haven; grand treasurer, J. W. Smith, of Waterbury; representative to the sover- eign grand lodge, Bradley F. Keefe; grand | chaplain, Rev. D. G. Ashley, of Lyme; grand Henry F. Paine, of Hartford; grand conductor, Henry Inglass, of Middletown; grand guardian, T. D. L. Manville, of An sonia; grand herald, B. H. Johnson, of New Haven