The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-29
CLUB or THE ODD FELLOWS.
ENCAMFMEST BRANCH TO BE MADE
SOCIAL Feature OF THE ORDER.


Grand Representatives Goodwin and
Daniel Address Members Of the
order on the Necessity OF Stimuiat-
ing Interest in Its Highest Depart
uaent-C ommittee of Fifteen TO
work Among the Subordinate
Lodges to That End-InterestinE
NTeetspE of the Fraternity Last
Night.
An aggressive effort Is TO be made to re-
vive interest in the encampment branch
Of ODD Fellowship in Savannah 70 stinu-
late its growth and convert II into the
social feature OF the order. II IS hoped
10 make the encampment the center OF
social l.fe among the ODD Fellows To
this eud the sick benedts may be wiped out
ard the Initiation fees and yearly dies
reduced 10 a minimum in order 70 induce
membership
The first steps were taken at meeting
Of Odd Fellows representing all Of the
lodges Of the city. held last night at the
edge room. Among those present were
many of the most influential and most
energetic members OF the order here and
several distinguished visitors. The meet
ing was called 10 near addresses from
Grand Representatives Goodwin and Dan
iel. Odd Fellows VINO for years have been
active in the upbuildiug of the fraternity
in Georgia and who have been honored
il the order by election to its most re-
sponsible Offices.
Grand Representative Goodwin made a
plain. straightforward address. di-
rectly 10 the point from be
ginning to the end 1t was
a forciDle presentation Of the necessity OF
a revival o. interest in both the subor-
dinate lodges and encampment work, anu
more especially in the latter. In the pasf
few years the encampment branch has
been going backward. decreasing in men,
bership aud steadily losing its ho.d upon
those who had united with it. From a
membership of fully ] 900 il has fallen of
until the last report showed but 574.
The importance Of the encampment to
the welfare Of the subordinate lodges and
the order as a whole was pointed out and
attention was directed to the beauties OF
its ritual and secret work. The three de-
grees Of the encampment. the highest in
ODD Fellowship Grand Representative
deur Of action and subimity of lesson of
any degrees in any secret order in exist
euce. By stimulating interest in the en-
campment, he maintained. healthier con-
dltions would be brought a bout in the SUI
coordinate lodges. One could not be bene-
flied without corresponding Improvement
to the other.
The low ebb 10 which the encampment
had fallen IN Georgia, in sorry contradis-
fiuotiou 70 state In many other fgarfs-
dictions, he stated. had led TO the move
ment 20 reaWaken interest and inspire new
activity in il. To this end he and Grand
Representative Daniel had been endowed
with authority by the grand patriarch to
! labor in upbuilding this branch in this
jurisdiction. The work had begun in At
lanta, where a special committee
/ Of fifteen from the encampment
had been appointed to visit the
| subordinate lodges and address the mem
bers. As a result of their work, seventy
nine applications for admission to the en-
campment had been already received,
with a probability of its being speedily
! increased to 100. The encampments in a
number of other cities have been stimu-
lated to new effort. and. he said. II Sa-
vannah comes up to the expectations of
the order throughout the state, the men,
bership will soon be restored to 1.00Q, at
least. II IS the ambition to put il there
I by Jan. l.
Grand Representative Daniel of Griffin
I followed with a beautiful tribute to the
| spirit of Savannah that made 1t such good
| soil for an order with benevolence and
/ charity as its tenets. He added TO the
/ strong plea put forward by his associate
/ an able argument for individual and or
/ ganized work among Odd Fellows here to
| bring the order out of the ruts to breathe
the breath Of a new life into the encamp-
/ ment feature, and make it what it was
intended to be. and should be,
! the grand capstone of the noble teachings
/ of the order and a medium for a social
and fraternal gathering of the members of
various lodges. Through its instrumental
ity he said. Odd Fellows who were unable
to visit each others lodges were brought
into close fraiernal relations once or
/ twice month and the bond OF union was
strengthened. Both of the speakers were
applauded and in addition to receiving the
| thanks OF the chairman of the meeting, p
| G.. r. Charles II. Dorset, were subse-
quently rendered rising vote of thanks on
motion Of y. G. L. II. McLaws.
Past Grand Patriarch Cummings Of
North Carolina, Capt. Amos Baker of At
! lanta. a member of the grand lodge OF
! Georgia; Capt. Hanna OF North Carolina.
! and other visitors. addressed the meeting.
Chief Patriarch Silva Of Magnolia En-
/ campment told Of the efforts that had oeen
made to increase the membership here.
After some further general discussion
Chairman Dorset was authorized to APP
point a committee of two from each lodge,
or fourteen in all. with himself as chair
man, to visit the lodges. present the
claims Of the. encampment, and otherwise
seek to arouse a new interest in that
branch of Odd Fellowship.
-s-e-S-