The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-09-17
ODD FELLOWS.
Annual Meeting of the Sow
ereign Grand Lodge.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Sept. 1.-THE an
nual session of the Sovereign Grand Lodge
of Odd Fellows was begun in this city this
morning, every State and Canada being
represented. After the formal opening
introduction of new members. annual adj
dress of Grand Sire Colon i. Campbell
and report OF Grand Secre-
tary Ross the following report
of the financial condition of Sovereign
Grand Lodge OF the fiscal year ending
Aug. 20, 1894, was presented by Grand
Treasurer Isaac Sheppard: Receipts, cash
balance, as per last report, s34,O76.72;
sundry receipts during year, s7i,-
45S.21; total cash reserve, s1S,53l.93:
expenditures during the year, S75, ,2S3 6s;
balance in hands of treasurer, S33, ,251. %.
The available assets of the Sovereign
Grand Lodge at this date are as follows:
Cash balance in treasury, s33, ,251.25;
Lehigh Valley Railway Co., AZ per cent,
1900; T.. w. q b. X. II. 4 per cent. bonds,
1900. Total, s63, ,20i.25.
The tolal available assets as per my re-
port, August 10, 1893, were 79,076.72,
showing loss in assets Of sJ5,S25.f7.
Abstract of annual address of Grand
Sire c. It. Campbell:
Officers and Representatives Once
more 1t is my privilege TO well
come you to the annual session of
the Sovereign Grand Lodge. When you
met in Atlanta, the jurisdiction forming
the territory recognized politically as the
Southern States contained less than 5000
Odd Fellows. Today the brotherhood in
the same section approximates 50.000,a net
increase, during the year under the Sow
ereign Grand Lodge, OF 32,S97, making at
the end OF 1893, membership OF $50, 1872,
or including the Sisters of Rebekah degree
sss, 43,giving satisfactory evidence of solid
growth.
Adding some 25 900 members in foreign
Jurisdictions shows total OF about nine
hundred and thirteen thousand members
at the end Of 1898. The expenditure of s3,-
313, 600 for purposes OF relief is q sufficient
evidence of Oddfellows hip. The condi-
tion of the order in foreign lands has not
materially changed during the year.
Among the Teutonic nations of
Europe very good progress
has been made as you will
see by the report of our special deputy,
Brother Herman Block. Among the
Latin nations, whether in Europe or Am
erica, the returns are not very satisfac-
tory. In Sweden the state OF the order
has warranted me in acting on the au-
thority you gave me last session and /
have forwarded TO the lodges in that
country charter for grand lodge.
During the year number OF residents
OF Naples, Italy, Joined in request for
charter for lodge in their cities. j am
prepared to recommend that their request
be granted.
In course of correspondepce with
brother Block on the Naples petition i
had occasion to discuss with him a ques-
tion which, while ii has not attained
any prominence in connection with Odd
Fellowship, has more or less affected other
benevolent societies in Europe; and
that is the development OF Atheism
among certain classes of people. Odd
Fellowship, while ii is free from anything
OF sectarian character, has always held
belief in Supreme Being as cardinal prin-
ciple; and has maintained the Fatherhood
of God as doctrine of equal importance
with the brotherhood of of man. IL has
insisted and does still insist that belief in
God is necessary to attain or retain place
within our ranks. The only part of British
North America not hitherto occupied by us
is the colony of Newfoundland, but pc
tition was received from st. Johns short
time since, and a charter granted for
lodge. The only section throughout our
jurisdiction where peace and harmony
does not prevail is the State OF Kansas.
The situation there deserves your serious
consideration. The Order of Patri-
archs Militant has not been idle, for
some eleven new cantons have been
mustered into service since last Septem-
Der. The enthusiasm which has charac-
terized the Sisterhood Of Rebekah during
the past rev years seems 20 continue un-
abated. AT the end OF 1898 there were
202, ,i42 in this department OF whom 1S0,612
were sisters. AT the same rate of increase
we may assume that there are today no
less than 1l5,000 noble women united
with US in benevolent work. The laws
governing this branch require careful
revision while the wishes of the sisters
themselves, especially conversant as they
are with the work, should receive from US
the most careful consideration.