Evening star., 1895-04-26
The Order of Odd Fellows to Celebrate
Its Birthday.
RECEPTION TO Be GIVEN TONIGHT
History Of the Organization in This
Country.
THE DISTRICT LODGES

The seventy-sixth anniversary of the
| founding of the Independent Order Of Odd
| Fellows in the United States will be cele-
brated in this city tonight by a reception to
be given to the officers of the grand bodies
| of the order and commandant P. NJ, in Odd
| Fellows Hall, on 7th street northwest,
| from to 10 o'clock.
AS a preliminary to the affair of the
evening the Pat,iarchs Militant will as
semble at $3.50 o'clock at the 7th street
hall and parade over the following streets:
| Down 1th street to d street, to Sd street,
| to Pennsylvania avenue, to 18th street, to
| F street, to 1tn street, to hall. The parade
will be under command of Commander Will
| liam I. Galliher, and will be escorted by
| the Canton Potomac Drum Corps.
| The reception this evening will include
| an interesting musical and literary pro-
gram, and will be followed by dance. A
| large attendance of Odd Fellows, their fam
| lilies and friends is expected.
Extensive preparations have been made
| by the general committee of this city
| for trip of the entire order of this juris-
| diction to visit Philadelphia May p. on the
| occasion Of the dedication of new Odd
| Fellows temple on Broad street. special
| train will leave the Baltimore and Ohio
depot at an early hour, SO as to be in time
| for the festivities Of the day. A feature
| will be grand parade in the afternoon.
| The celebration of Odd Fellow anniver-
saries in Washington is always of pecu-
| liar interest and appropriateness, for the
| reason that while American Odd Fellow
| ship had its birth in Baltimore. 1t early
obtained an important footing in the Dis
| trict.
| had its origin in London, England, about
| 1I45. The character attributed to the ear
| liest societies or lodges of Odd Fellows is
| that of assemblages mainly for social pur-
1 sv,ttt "a
collection being made to aid needy mem
| bers. About the year 1900 the lodges in
London and Liverpool were known as The
| London Order" In 1909 member of the
London lodge removed to Manchester and
| introduced the order into that city. where
| it was so favorably received that several
| lodges were speedily organized. and in 1914
the lodges in Manchester and vicinity were
&C nsolldated under the title of 1.-The Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows of the Man
chester Unity"
Founder of American Odd Fellowship.
The father end founder of American Odd
Fellowship as it is today. Thomas Wildey,
was born in LCrdon, January Is. 1852. and
on reaching manhood was initiated into an
Odd Fellows lodge, where he soon became
distinguished for his zeal and integrity. He
CT me to America in 1917 and settled in Bal
timore, where he sought the acquaintance
of the few struggling members who had
preceded him.
He resolved to institute lodge of Odd
Fellows, and by an advertisement in the
Baltimore American of 1919 found enough
men to join him. April 26. 1919. they. or
ganized themse elves into a lodge, which
they named washington Lodge of Odd
Fellows" receiving its warrant or dispen-
sation as a free gift of the Manchester
Unity of England.
| visited this self-instituted body in the latter
Part of the year 1919. and on his retdrn
to his home procured from the Duke of
York's Lodge of the Manchester Unity,
located at Preston, q document, dated Feb
ruary l. 1920. clothing the American organ
ization with the powers of grand. as well
as subordinate lodge, under the title of
Number 1, Washington Lodge, the Grand
Ledge of Maryland and the United States
of America"
This action of a subordinate was subse-
cuently confirmed by the grand committee
of the Manchester Unity February -,
1921, Washington Lodge surrendered the
English charter to a body of past gfands'
and the Grand Lodge of Maryland and the
the members of Washington Lodge receiv-
ing subordinate charter from the new
| grand lodge. In 1893 the self-instituted
lodges of Philadelphia, New York and Bos-
land organization, and that body Immediate
ly forwarded charters to the subordinates
as well as grand lodge charters for Penn
sylvania, New York and Massachusetts,
separate the powers of the national. from
state organizations and the project was
consummated February %, 1926. when the
first meeting of the Grand Lodge of the
United States was held. In 1926 Thomas
Wildey, the presiding officer of the Grand
Lodge of the United States, known as "the
grand SIRE visited England and obtained
from the grand committee of the Manches-
ter Unity an independent charter, granting
to the Grand Lodge of the United States
authority Ito conduct the business of Odd
Fellowship without the interference of any
other country so long as the same is ad-
mnistered according to the principles and
purity of Odd Fellowship"
The Final Separation.
For several years intimate relations exist
ed between the two Grand Lodges, but in
1912 it was found that serious differences
existed in the work. After fruitless en-
deavors to recorcile the differences the
fostilities of the Manchester Unity
threatened in 1912, and consummated in
1S43 by their attempt to institute lodges in
the United States resulted in an entire
severance Of the existing relations.
The objects of American Odd Fellowship
are Ito visit the sick, relieve the distressed.
bury the dead and educate the orphan 1t
seeks Ito improve and elevate the charac-
ter of man, imbue him with proper concep-
tions of his capabilities for good, enltghten
his mind, enlarge the sphere of his affec-
tions and lead him to a cultivation Of the
true fraternal relation designed by the great
Author of his being" The motto. Friend
ship, Love and Truth" was known and
used in connection with the order in 1878.
The organization for attaining these OBJ
jects has two branches, closely connected,
yet entirely distinct-lodges and encamp-
ments.
The Order in the District.
The order was established in the District
OF Columbia November 26, 1927, when Cen
tral Lodge, No. 1. was instituted. One
year later, November "a. 1925 the Grand
Lodge of the District of Columbia came
into existence. In January. 1884, Column
bian Encampment was instituted. and April
%, 1916, the Grand Encampment of the Dis
trct of Columbia was organized at Alex
andria, Va, .hcn a part of the District of
Columbia. Georgetown Lodge, No. 2, was
instituted January Is, 1928. Since the or
ganization of the Grand Lodge, in 1929
twenty-five additional subordinate lodges
have been instituted. Georgetown, No. 2,
Concord No. 3, and Jonathan, No. 4, have
ceased to exist, while Pocahontas, No. 5.
Potomac No. s, and Mount Vernon. No. A.
| were transferred to the state of Virginia
by the change in the geographical bound
ary of the District of Columbia.
Marley Encampment, No. p was insti-
-lrio Vo ANN