Omaha daily bee., 1889-11-03
WALKS AMONG The GRIP MEN
Those Who Labor In the Ranks of
Secret Orders.
HISTORY OF RUTH ReesKAH.
The Scottish Rite in Court ana the
Prospect of New Pythian
Temple-Other Interest
ing Lodge Notes.
The Degree Of RebeIxab.


mothers, daughters, sisters and widows of
members of the order, is now on firm
foundation, but this result has been attained
only after surmounting many difficulties
that loomed up as almost impassable barri.
ers. In the success attained is fittingly
illustrated the saying that what woman
wills she will, and you can depend on it,"
The proposition TO provide u degree for the
female relatives OF members of the order
was first made at the session of the grand
lodge of the United States, held at Cincin-
natl In 1850 AT that session Brother Will
lam l.. @. Smith, of Buffalo, N. Y, offered
"A resolution directing the committee on the
state of the order to inquire into the propri-
city of establishing an honorary degree for
the wives and daughters of Scarlet degree
members. and also one for the wives and
daughters of past officers. In some manner
not explained, the resolution failed to get to
the committee proposed, but found
its way to the legislative COM
mttee. Whether by accident or
design, subsequent events proved
that the change was lucky one. The legls-
lativc committee was composed Of Schuyler
Coifax, of Indiana; Past Grand Sire John A.
Kennedy, of New York, and John G. Larue,
of Louisiana. TO the indomtable WILL
energy and ability OF Vice-President
Colfax is due the credit OF having paved the
way for the splendid organization known as
the Rebekah degree. After carefully cou-
sidorng the question the committee failed to
agree and the majority, Brothers Kennedy
and Laure, made an adverse report holding
that 1t would be inadvisabe and inappro-
pirate to institute an honorary degree for the
wives and daughters of scarlet degree men,
bers and past officers
in Brother Colfax the ladies had a cham
piOn worthy of the cause. He disagreed
with the majority of the committee on the
main question, and had the courage to make
q contest before the grand lodge. In an ex-
haustive report he took the ground that it
would be inadvisable TO have special degree
for the wives and daughters of past officers,
arguing that the system should be as little
complicated as possible. The institution of
degree for the wives and daughters of all
scarlet degree members, he insisted, would
tend to increase the resources or subordinate
lodges by the advancement of the members
in the degrees, il would complete the then
imperfect system, in force IN most of the
jurisdictions, by which wives and
widows cards were authorized; it
would lessen and ultimately destroy
the prejudice felt against the order by many
of the fair which often tended to prevent
accessions to subordinate lodges; such de-
gree would materially assist Odd Fellowship
in peculiar and difficult cases OF sickness,
where the kindly nursingof woman Is needed
far more than the assiduous aud constant at
tendance of man. Following the report, only
very brief outline of which is given above,
was resolution, prepared by Brother Col
fax, which provided for special committee
to prepare an appropriate honorary degree
with signs and passwords, to be conferred
upon the wives of Scarlet degree mem bers
There was u long and earnest contest over
the majority and minority reports. Those
opposed to the proposition made a deter
mined resistance to the adoption of the reso-
luton offered by Brother Colfax, but their
tftn t1nIf fhat, ,N.at tl,N.,
but little past the age of twenty-seven, de
Tended his position with so much earnestness
and skill that the resolution was adopted.
Schuyler Co'fax, w. S. Martin, of Mssis-
sippi, and h. G.. Steel, of Tennessee, were
appointed as the committee TO prepare the
degree. The report was submitted at the
session Of 1851, when the opponents again
made stubborn tight to prevent the adop-
tiOn of the degree. Again were the friends
OF the proposition successful the degree be-
ing adopted by vote of forty-six to thirty
seven. Although adopted, the degree was
surrounded by many restrictions. From the
first the policy of the Sovereign Grand lodge
towards Rebekah degree, was conservative
one and the advance has necessarily been
slow. For time IL was recorded n
mere side degree for Scarlet degree mem
bers and their wives only The ritual was
printed soon after the adoption OF the de-
gree, aud accepted by all of the jurisdictions
except Maryland and North Carolina, vino
failed to authorize its subordinate lodges to
annual password should be given by ladies
at the outer door, The uegree ritual was
translated into German in 1854, and the de-
gree declared to be necessary qualification
for noble grand of q subordinate lodge. In
1860 it was held not to be legal to ballot upon
an. application TO confer the degree on the
wives of Scarlet degree members and in
1864 the grand lodge refused to pass n reso-
luton authorizing Rebekah degree members
to form themselves into associations for the
purpose of more freely carrying out the ideas
of the promoters of the degree. Following
in this same line, Grand Sire Veitch. in
1862 decided that II subordinate lodge could
not legally establish u union degree of Re
bekah and hold regular meetings for confer
ring the degrees. In his report for 1866 he
called attention to the fact that, in some
jurisdictions, despite thu decisions declaring
them Illegal, societies of Rebekahs were IN
III full operation, anu asked that suitable
legislation be passed to crush them out. But
the Indies, undaunted at the reverses and
exceeding slow progress, kept ahead of the
procession and have gained full recognition
step by STEP
No action was taken on the recommenda-
tion of Grand Sire Veitch. Grand Sire San
ders succeeded to the chair, and was very
liberal in dealing with the question at the
session OF 1867, recommending that separate
lodges be established. AT the next annual
session series of resolutions, reported by
Representative White, afterwards grand sire,
were adopted These authorized subordinate
grand lodges to institute degree lodges of the
Daughters of Rebekah with power to con Ter
the degree on wives and widows of Odd Fel-
lows; to "elect and appoint their own officers,
provided the past grands of subordinate
lodges only shall be eligible fer noble grand,
and that the warden, outside and inside
guardian shall be taken from the male mem
bers, any brother or sister to become /, mem
ber, without ballot, upon paying the dues
provided by the bylaws, the brother to re-
main a member so long as he was in good
standing in his own lodge and paid his dues
to the degree lodge, ana sister to remain a
member so long as her husband is entitled 10
remain member, or so long as she remains
his widow and pays her dues to the lodge"
1t was not, however, until 1871, that the
grand lodge provided for ballotng for men,
bers of the Rebekah degree lodges, making a
majority vote necessary TO elect the appli-
cant. The next advanced step gained by the
Rebekahs was in 1877, when the grand
lodge removed the restrictions by making
any contributing member eligible to the of
flee Of noble grand, and since that law was
promulgated the ladies' have presided over
the daughters lodges. The scope was
further enlarged in 1850.
Another important event IN the legislation
Tor the benefit of the Rebekah degree was
IN 1884, when authority was given represent
alive OF state Jurisdictions of the degree
lodges 10 meet annually and consider such
questions as would tend to enhance the in