The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-16

ODD FELLOWS CONVENE.
Grand E~mcampment Met
in Trenton Yesterday
Grand Lodge Today.
OFFICERS MAKE THEIR REPORTS
w. H. Courier Treasurer OF
the Ordor for Many Years
Declines Reelection.
Z PAINE'S CELERY COMPOUN|
Especial to ..The Jersey city News."1

Especial to THE Jersey City News."1
TRENTON, Nov. 16, 1s9S.-The fifty
| sixth annual session of the Grand En-
campment, ]. o. O.. f., of New Jersey,
convened in Masonic Temple at II o'clock
yesterday morning. with Grand Patriarch
W. ". D. Rolfe. OF New Brunswick, pre-
siding.
Grand Patriarch Rolfe, in his annual
report, says: while the membership
of this branch of the order has not IN
creased as rapidly as we may have de-
sired, we have cause for congratulatfen
at the progress made, considering the
%stringency of the times. Let us, as
Patriarchs, during the coming year re-
new our energies in the faithful dis
charge of our duty. seeking that reward
only which will brinS honor to ourselves
and prosperity to Patriarchal Odd Eel
lowship.
with ali the earnest and hard work
| of the year, that evil of secret societies,
dropped for non-payment of dues will
get in it's work. There should be some
| remedy adopted to stop this great loss.
| either harder work upon the part of the
| Seribes, or a system of letters recon-
mended by this Grand E-ncampment
and furnished as supplies. a committee
appointed by each encampment TO look
after its officers shall be elected in the
| delinquent, or some other means
The voted to change the
constitution so as to provide that here
after is officers shall be elected in the
| s-ubordinatel lodges, instead of on the
floor OF the Grand -Encampment.
w. H. Courier, OF JaTnesburg, who
has been the Grand Treasurer for many
| years, declined a reelection. The fol
| lowing officers were elected: Grand
Patriarch, Joseph M. Walling, Keyport;
Grand High Priest, Andrew Dedrick,
! Hackensack; Grand Senior Warden, AM
thony Moore, Jersey City; Grand Junior
Warden, II. A. Phillips, Newark; Grand
Scribe. Lewis Parker, Trenton; Grand
Treasurer. J. G. Robbins. Hamilton.
| Square; Grand Representative, George NJ
Mutt, Trenton.
The officers appointed were: Grand
Marshal, Samuel Karn, Morristown;
Grand Sentinel, G. L. Robbins, Borden
town; Grand Outside Sentinel, William
Rutherford, Camden.
Last evning, at Masonic Hall, there
was a meeting of the Department Coun-
Gil of the Patriarchs Militant, and at the
American House the Grand Masters and
Patriarchs enjoyed q banquet.
Today the Grand Lodge will meet: The
annual report of Grand Master G. Elem
ing Stranger, which will be presented 10
the Grand Lodge, contains mucn Nor
nation regarding the order in the State
that is of great interest. The Grand
Master says:-@One of the most pleasant
tasks of the year was my two VISITS 70
the quarterly meetings of the Board OF
Managers of the Odd Fellows home.
The property is beautifully situated. and
they estimate it to be worth ABOUT @z5,Wy
on which IS a mortgage of $4,000, with
little prospects of it's being paid off in the
near future. as it requires close economy
to make the income cover the expenses.
praise for their gratuitous and unselfish
work. | have one regret to express
that some of our brothers are denied the
privilege and comfort of living in the
home because of their lodge not being a
contributing member of the Home Asso-
citation, and l would recommend that
the matter be considered with q view to
adopting some plan whereby any aged
or INDECENT Odd Fellow in this State can
be admitted as an inmate. and that all
lodges may be contributing members OF
the Home Association.
Grand Secretary Parker says in his
report that the order contains 254 lodges
and 24,1S4 members, a decrease for the
year yea rs IF 2o sia2. a The r. 9 nae Df fefal eT reeeints
were $3.50, 679.16 He added:-"It appears
to me that the entire order, in all parts
of the country, must soon 90 INTO q
careful study of the paramount problems
the relation of dues to benefits and the
question of benefits themselves. l make
no suggestion about them now, but I am
satisfied that they must be squarely met
and settled upon some different basis
than that under which we operate at
present. In the line of benevolence we
are fully abreast of past years. In fact,
our expenditures in that department are
steadily increasing. Thus even while the
force decreases, the great objects of our
order are maintained"
In the election of officers there is a
lively contest for Grand Warden and
Grand Representative, the lodges having
failed to decide on a choice. The places
will be filled by an election in the Grand
Lodge.