St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-20
CAN KEEP A SECRET.
Women in st. Paul Whose
Ability i'll This Line Is
Proven,
For They Are Members Of
Some Of the Strictest Sc
eret Orders.
A Branch Of the Knights of
LabOp--The Eastern
Star.
Daughters Of Rebekah--The
G. A. R. Relief Corps
Good Templars.

There are two things women can
never do like man-throw stone and
keep secret. There's a kick-out-one.
foot-squeal-and let it go style about
their Stone-throwing, and self-con-
seriousness about their tongue-holding
that betray the sex. Il know some
thing, and | won't tell" is the nearest
approach they make to not saying a
word. It's as hard for them to keep a
secret as it is for small boy to go along
the street clad in his first trousers and
not cry out to the passers-by: "See
ME; how big l am.'' They do say that
certain female lodges are often obliged
to call special meetings, at which the
only business done is to give the grip all
around and shout the password in a
chorus, that safety-valve may be
opened and the lives of the members
preserved against explosion. But for
all the agony attendant upon keeping
still about anything, there are over a
thousand women in st. Paul who be-
long to secret societies. OF these, the
organization that must intllct most suf-
ferlng upon its members is Local AS.
sembly No. 1872, Order of Knights OF
Labor. Not only is the inner working,
but the names of the officers, and so far
as they may be, the names of the mem
bers, are withheld from the public. Mol
lie Day, a sewing machine operator in
LlndekeS, Warner & Schurmeier's. is the
leading spirit of the assembly. She is
an exceptional woman in that she keeps
secret in very gentlemanly fashion.
She is capable of telling everything, and
she tells nothing with
AN UNCONSCIOUS GRACE
that would do credit to a Royal Arch
Mason. She discloses that the object OF
the assembly is to protect the interests
workingwOmen, thatits members num-
Der about 800, and that it meetS every Sun
day night in K. of l.. hall. More than
this she will not reveal, and where the
wonder comes in is, she holds her tongue
consequential over her ability.
Constellation Chapter No. Is, Order
of Eastern Star, is secret So
ciety, in which siXty-eight women sit
weekly, and with becoming gratitude
eat the crumbs let fall from the table
Of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Only wives and daughters of the An
cient Free and Accepted are eligible to
membership. Their especial charge is
unfortunate children of Masons, though
their work extends to whatever requires
woman's attention and effort. Contrary
to what the uninitiated might imagine,
George Sand is not the patron saint of
the order. Instead, MasonS set her off
by the awful declaration that should
history repeat itself in her shape, she
would now be killed without remorse.
They make her the bette nOir of women
who would be Masons, danger signal
which reads: $50 far. and no farther
the peril of your life" Men join the
Eastern Star at will. but our connection
with it does not give us admittance to
any of their performances" says
one of the women a trihe re-
proachfully. "Still we fiatter our
selves that we gain more than they
know of, and are all able to correctly
interpret any Masonic cipher we may
hear or see" The women have their
password and grip, by means of which
they can make themselves known to
sister Masons anywhere in the country.
With but one or two exceptions the
offices are filled by members of their
own sex. The officers in the st. Paul
lodge for this year are: Worthy matron,
Mrs. Sarah E. Milham; worthy patron,
DR.. G. j. Woolway: cOnductress, Mrs,
William Dampier: assistant conduct
ress. Mrs. R. ID. Czeikowitz: chaplain,
A. r. jenkins; secretary, Mrs. j. T.
Hodges; treasurer, Mrs. r. A. Becker.
The work of instructing neophytes is
assigned to five women, who
CONSTITUTE THE STAR,
the five points of which are named
Ada, Ruth. Esther, Martha, Electa.
This year Miss Fink is Ada, Mrs. NJ. T.
Emery, Ruth; Mrs. A. r. Jenkins,
Esther; Mrs. De Vol, Martha, and Mrs.
H. c. Mccarthy. Electa. In the
Lauraine chapter at Minneapolis, which
was recently visited by Constellation
Chaper of St. Paul. the work of the star
is dramatiZed. The women dress in
costumes and convey their instructions
| in dramatic fashion instead of by lee
! ture. as is done here.
The emblem of the order is a star, on
the five points of which are engraved
significant figures. The color badge
worn has five colors, blue, yellow, white,
green and scarlet. The sash is of the
same cOlOrs, dotted with stars.
Odd Fellows also encourage their
wives, sisters and daughters in holding
4 l. L