The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-16

England, and receiving no countenance
from that source submitted, and was
reinStated
The next ten years were memorable
ones. The celebrated anti-Masonic ex-
element, which began in western New
York about 1927, rapidly spread to sur
rounding states, and extended to all
secret societies. In Rhode Island where
the order had just been established, it
took no root. In Massachusetts, it died
out. In Pennsylvania it suffered heav-
lily, and in Delaware the grand lodge
could not be instituted, though a char
ter had been granted. Almost every
where the craze lessened the numbers
or prevented increase.
Degree lodges were first established
in Pennsylvania in 1929. Prior to this
degrees were conferred in the lodge
room on Sundays. At first they were
resisted as an innovation on the rights
of subordinates, but since then they
have become general, where numerous
lodges are found in one locality.
(Such a lodge was in existence
in Utah several years ago, and
efforts have lately been made
to revive it, Country and isolated
lodges conferred degrees after the reg
ular lodge meetings. In those days the
transacted in the initiatory degree, and
1t was not compulsory for members to
receive all the degrees before entering
into the full knowledge of the workings
OF the lodge, but since then the degrees
have been changed from five to three,
and business is now in the third.
Thomas Wildey had been reelected
grand sire in 1929, serving until 1893.
In the latter year. according to a re-
port submitted by him to the grand
brody, women were first taken notice of.
The following extract is interesting,
and taken from an account of a trip
he made-a notable one-leaving Bal
timore in.November travelling by boat
down the Ohio mo railroads in the
western states in those days. ITO the
Mississippi, and thence down that
stream to New Orleans, reaching his
home on his return the following Feb
ruary While in Cincinnati NE institu-
ted the grand lodge of Ohio, and to
celebrate the event public exercises
were given in the Baptist church of
that city. In recounting this, he says:
our sire would also embrace this OBJ
portunity of rendering his thanks to
Miss Dellnger for the ardent zeal she
manifested, ETC."
In 1888, James Gettys, of the District
OF Columbia, was grand sire, and the
term shortened two years Gas at pres
enD, and he was succeeded by George
keyson, of Maryland. During these
years efforts were constantly being
made to induce the lodges in England
to discontinue their convivial practices.
to cease changing the work of the or
der, without consulting the American
body, so that uniformity of action and
principle might exist between them.
But 1t seems it was of no avail. The
Manchester Unity revised the lee
lures, and entirely altered the
initiatory ceremonies, and there
evidently being decided diff
ference of opinion between the two
lodges, the grand lodge of the United
States made a thorough revision of
their ritual, rejecting much of the old
version and purging out many crud-
tiles in style and sentiment.
In 1886 James L. Ridgeley. the pres-
ent grand secretary of the sovereign
grand lodge, was elected grand sire,
but declining the Office, Samuel II.
Perkins, of Pennsylvania, was chosen
in his stead, when further action was
ordered with the Manchester unity
with regard to their alterations of the
work of the order.
During 1888 Past Grand Sire Wildey
visited Texas, net then ceded to Uncle
Sam, and instituted Lone Star lodge
charter granted to a lodge of the I. O.
Q. F. of America to foreign country.
And so, as it was in the early days
of Odd Fellowship, it is in our day.
The leaders were to the front always,
and in many cases in the van of adj
vancing civilization aiming to extend
it's field of labor as rapidly and effectu-
ally as lays within the power of hui
man nature and human goodness. Such
work rests with voluntary leaders
who possess the stamina of goodness,
worth, energy. earnestness and cour-
age to quietly go forward regardless of
the jealousy and cost of clustering
selfshness and bigotry."
Next Monday, it is expected, will
close the series of cursory glances at
the history Of early American Odd
Fellowship, after which much other
interesting subject matter will be
taken up.