The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-03
|ssss I,slsinoE.s Nd, Asri! g. 1870. "

without recognising any superior body
muthortty, I'D without any thought Of /
0poeAtt0n with other organizations Of Ii
sssssssss; = bos ~ y sSa and stI Rc.s,y an - J
Thonas 4. Wildey Was the leading msmh
0f No. body, and IL Justly entitled to
nAImed and recognized AZ it, founder. T
eArllegt lodges orKanixsd were regarded
aeeem blagAs mainly for social purpose
6sina ssksn for needy members.
s "A the latter psrt OF the year 1919 a meu
1T of 4 lodge d Preston, England, visit,
ANe United States, n came ACROSS Wasl
ln9ton lodge, No. l. He felt that th,
sa.ns g % united in some yay With 4
Aheir powers should be enlarged. Accort
Indy On hin return home he procured froi
Nhe Duke Of York's lodge, of the Manche
III Untty. located al Preston. a documer
dated Feb. i, 1890. clothing the America
orgsnization with The powers Of : grand 2
Wsll a. : subordinate lodge, under the It'll
# pf No. 4. Washington lodge, the gran
lodge Of Maryland and Of the United Stats
Ok America. il thus occurred that a subOr
dinate lodge In America was granted by
subordinate lodge of England a charte
subordinate lodge and OF . grand lodge o
N state, but also of the CRANE
lodge or the entire United States.
The granting Of this charter by the lodg,
Nh 10 Preaton was aftsrward confirmed by TIL
grand cOmmittes Of tho Manchester unity
lcan brethren OCT. "a. 1890. Il was formally
accepted by them and continued to be the
NJ WarrAnS Of authority for conducting their
lodge until Feb. %. 1921, at which time a
committee Of past grands assembled for the
purpose Ct efecting 9 more perfect T ! { organ;
charter was thereupon surrendered to the
committee OF past grands. who. after reeu-
larly organizing a grand lodge OF the
United States, granted to the original lodge
! charter under which they afterward con-
tinued to work. The new charter, it is per-
haps unnecessary to say. cut off all powers
belonging to a grand lodge of the United
states. an we'll as to a grand lodge of the
state, and the brethren at Baltimore once
more took mp their work with ths powers of
4 subordinate lodge only.
~ In the meantime other self instituted
lodges made their appearance in Philadel-
phla. New York and Boston. In 1923 those
lodges were induced to recognize the Mary
land organization and received charters
from 1t. Charters wers also issued for
grand lodges in Pennsylvania, New York
and Massachusetts. During all this time
lodge OF the United States were one and
the same body, In April, 1924, however. it
was deemed advisable to separate the pow
srs Of the national from the state organ
~ization, and the parting was conaumated
February p, 1926. when the first meeting
OF the grand lodge of the United States
was held. Fraternal relations were kept
M with the Manchester unity in England,
and its authority was recognized az the
source upon which the authority of the
American organization proceeded, or was
derived. In 1896, arandsire Wildey visited
England and obtained from the grand
committee of the Manchester unity ar in
dependent charter, granting to the grand
lodge OF the United States authority to
conduct the business of Odd Fellowship
without the interference of any other
country, 80 long as the same should be
administered according to to the principles
and purity of Odd Fellowship"
The relations between the Manchester
Unity and the American party continued
intimate for several years. Finally differ
snces in conducting the work arose, the
American Odd Fellows insisting they were
conducting their lodges according to the
most ancient usage and that the Manches-
ter Unity was departing from the ancient
usage. This dispute gave rise to a very
voluminous correspondence between the
two parties. In 1912 the grand lodge of
the United States dsputized James L.
Ridgely and ]. d. Williamson to proceed
to England and endeavor to adjust the
differences. After fruitless efforts to ad-
just the differences the deputies returned,
and Upon, their report being made to the
grand lodge of the United States that BODY
adopted a set of resolutions. the most sig
nifcant of which was as follows:
Resolved, That until the annual nova
BILE committee shall restore the work of the
order to it's ancient form as used in the
United States. or until the resolution passed
at the Isle of Man annual movable COM
mittee, and reiterated at the Wigan annual
movable committee, proposing to estab-
lish lodges in America, be rescinded, all
intercourse shall cease between the two
bodies"
This resolution and the subsequent at
tempt of the Manchester Unity to institute
lodges in the United States resulted in the
entire severance of the existing relations
between the two bodies, which relations
have never been restored. The two organi-
cations, however. still have many features
Of work in common and are very closely
allied in their sympathies and objects.
The encampment degrees were adopted at
2 very early period in the orders history,
The Canton degree has been organized as a
part Of the work of the order for about six
years. In the year 1851, uuder the leader
ship of Schuyler Colfax, the degree of
of Rebekah. first called the
Female degree, was established. The vote
the question authorizing the considera.
tlon of the creation of the degree and the
consequent admission of ladies to partici-
pate in the benevolent work of the order
- - e"t NAAA RAsC pdI lluLl6uEHIt
carried in favor of the ladies by
the casting vote of the Grand Sire Brother
Moore.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellow
ship now has upon its rolls more than a
half million names in the United States and
Canada. They are all grown men, identi-
hed by citizenship in the several states and
counties where they hold membership. |
They are taken for the most part from the
ranks OF me. chants, mechanics and pro-
men,; from among those who are
forward the great industries and
broadening the craftsmanship of our coun-
try and time. Architects. builders, trades
men, statesmen, ministers, lawyers, physi-
clans. sages. philosophers are found in our
working together for the good of all. |
We have few aristoct ats or nillionaires
among us. Aristocracy cannot survive in
an Odd Fellows lodge, for we think
that all men are brothers and that
one brother Is as good as
another, 30 long as he conducts himself like
an honest man. Millionaires are not usu- |
ally made from the material we call by the
name of benevolence. In our halls all stand
equal f~ooting;lthe rich and. poor, the
nigh and low, the learned and unlearned.
the employer and the lahorer, meet upon
q common level; cooperate in deeds of
benevolence, bear like burdens, share like
honors. and each and all are entitled to the
same sympathy and the same love and the
Same aid. Each Odd Fellow looks upon
every other man as his brother and upon all
men as children of the same Almighty
Father. The Odd Fellow recognizes a com
mnnity of feeling and sentiment and an,bi-
hon and hope and destiny in all mankind.
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