The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-07-29
TRIBNDIAL PARADE.
The Big Time the Odd Fellows
"- Will Have in Chicago. .
FIFTY THOUSAND MEMBERS

, FIFTY THOUSAND MEMBER
I VIII Take Part In tho Great Demon
stration...The Display to DO Made
, by the patriarchs Militant. =
A Very Notable Event.
CHICAGO, July 2S.-Within a weel
} there will occur in this city the larges
meeting Of secret society ever held
and Odd Fellows all over the countr,
are eagerly preparing for their FIRST trien
nial parade and grand cantonment Of til,
Patriarchs Militant. The demonstration
commences August and continues ar
entire week. Lodges and cantons from
all over the United slatesnnd from Can
ada will be here, to the number Of about
10000 members OF tho order. Most o.
these will come from the country within
two or three hundred miles Of Chicago
but from Massachusetts and Caliiornia
twill come large delegations. The
military will be cocks Of tho walk, and
their feathers aud gold lace and shining
swords will make a gittering array IN
the Lake Front Park, where the drills
and reviews will be held. 1tis,here that
part Of the Worlds Fair will probably be
located. The Patriarch Militant are ex.
pectcd to turn out 5000 strong. They
compose the largest semi.military organ.
iz.tion in the country, aud their phara.
phernalia is the handsoInest owned by
any such organization. 1t cost over
81 100000. The Odd Fellows are 100000
strong In America, aud claim to be the
riches. as well as the largest secret soci.
ETY. i'll the world. They say they are 90.
ing to demonstrate this iact in Chicago.
Whenever anybody claims the superia.
tive Of dimensions in any direction, he
naturally comes to Chicago, where there
is positively nothing that isn't the
largest" in the country, il not in the
world, except ASSURANCE, which is only
normally developed, as any Chicago man
will tell you.
on A GRAND SCALE,
However, the Odd Fellows and Patri-
arcbs Militant, with General John G.
Underwood at their head-Grand Sire
and Generalissimo, also tho largest Of
tices-are going to do things on grand
scale. The prizes amount ID $225 900 in
in cash, and the money is already in
bank here, together with S225 1000 more
to be used in paying the legitimate ex-
penses OF the big parade. OF the prize
money, $4,000 will be awarded among
the Patriarchs Militant, the other $1,000
going to the civil branches. The subor-
dinate and Rebekah degree lodges will
have degree stall contests in large hall
in the city. General E. X. Russell, OF
Oakland, CAL, will bring Rebekah de.
gree staff here from California, which
will exempliiy the work OF the
Rebekah degree as it is "ptaced
upon the floor" on the Pacific coast,
where the ceremony differs greatly from
those methods in use in the Eastern
and middle sections OF the country.
What "placing on the floor means is
one Of those things that the Odd Fellows
do not tell, but they are free to say that
the Ca!ifornians will wear robes and
dresses that are unusually rich. A
search in the regalia shops along Clark
street throws some light on the subject,
however. Evidently the central character
in the degree work is Rebekah, and the
robes Of high priests, princes and queens,
the dresses of virgins, Levites, Roman
soldiers and other Biblical characters
show pretty clearly that the secret work
OF Odd Fellowship is largely illustrative
OF Biblical history-wilh Rebekah in
bare feet and Watering in hand, demure.
ly waiting for Mr.. Eteazer to come along
and win her with Mr.. Jacobs jewelry.
L a.s0 A PLEASANT DEGREE.
Under this view OF the case, no doubt,
a ladder takes the place oithe traditional
creased pole, though by reason Of Jacobs
PASTORAL avocation, billy goat would
seem to be appropriate enough to be in
troduced on the scene. Seriously speak
ing, although there is doubtless more or
less pleasantly in the degree work Of all
secret societies, worthy and earnest pur-
poses must underlie the institution OF
Odd Fellowship, or it could not have ut.
tanned its present great proportions.
Its membership the world over, incIud.
ing the parent body, the Manchester
Unity Of England, is 100000. and half
Of these are in the United States and
Canada. The revenue Of the order in
this country is S6,0C0,00O annually, and
half OF this sum is expended in charities.
The membership is increasing at the
rate Of 10000 year. These proportions
could hardly bo maintained unless the
order were established upon something
! more substantial than fuss and ieathers.
Indeed, it was probably thought that
too little fuss aud feathers went into the
composition OF Odd Fellowship, and
hence came the patriarchs Militant, the
military branch Of the order, designed
and organized by Gen. John g. Under
wood and founded five years ago by tho
Sovereign Grand Lodge. The army now
has $4,000 uniformed members, divided
into GOO cantonP, or companies, which
are organized into battalions, regiments,
brigades, etc.
GREAT DISPLAY. Aa
AS already noticed, the displays will
be made, on the. Lake Front, beautiful
park lying between Michigan avenue and
Lake Michigan. 4 Here monster amphi.
theatre is now building, capable OF seat
ing $1,000 people. It's three blocks long.
During the week there will be several
displays Of fireworks on the lake. These
will be the handsomest ever given in
Chicago and will be worth coming good
many miles to Hee. The grand review
Of all the DAD Fellows in the city will
take place Thursday, August Z. 1t is ex-
pected that there will be over 10, 900 uni
formed men in column. or these from
1900 to 10 900 will be Chevaliers OF the
patriarchs Militant. The Generalissimo's
staff will consist OF $50 mounted men,
while the Trum Of Horses will include u
squadron OF Lanccrs and another OF Hus-
sars, making over 300 men, mounted on
the most gorgeously caparlsoned horses
and wearing uniforms and carrying ban
ners, flags and standards that will make
brilliant array OF color. The General.
| issimo'a hand will ronfain oua hundrnd