The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-18
GRAND OFFICERS ELECTED
ANNUAL SESSION OF GRAND LODGE
OF ODD FELLOWS,

Grand Master-Gramd Secretary Bots
ford Also Observation-Disclosures Crittcises
Financial Policy of Order in His An
nual Report -Reports ofOther OH C ers.
The Grand lodge of Odd Fellows OF
Connecticut held the first of it's two big
sessions in the Odd Fellows building
yesterday. 1t opened in the morning
al 10 o'clock with about 500 delegates in
attendance, among whom was Grand
Secretary Pinkerton of Worcester,
Mass. The meeting was caleld to order
by Grand Master z. S. Robbins of Nor
witch, who opened the meeting with the
reading of his annual report Follow
ing him came the reports of Grand Sec
rotary Botsford and Grand Treasurer
Marigold of Bridgeport. The names Of
1876 members of the order were proposed
for membership in the Grand lodge. and
all We're elected. Nominations for Off
GERS of the Grand lodge for next year
closed the morning session and the
meeting adjourned at l o'clock.
During the recess the delegates din
ed and then enjoyed short walks in
groups of five and six around the CEN
trail portion of the city. All wore their
delegates badges and caused consider
able comment among other pedestrians
The convention was one of the largest
held in years in point of numbers, as
present besides the delegates were Il
number of grand masters from other
states.
The afternoon session opened at 8
o'clock The first business transacted
was the election of the new officers.
Those elected We're as follows:
Grand master, Horace H. jackson,
Bridgeport; deputy grand mastee, Sci h
G. Brakeman, Shelton; grand warden,
William S. Hutchinson, South Man
chester; grand secretary, Frederick
Botsford New Haven; grand treasurer,
William HI. Marigold Bridgeport; grand
representative, zebulon R. Robbins.
Norwich.
The appointive officers are as follows:
Grand marshal, j. A. Carpenter, Tnr-
rington; grand conductor, Henry H.
Nichols, Danbury; grand guardian, AL
bert L. Mansfield, Putnam; grand her
aid, Horace Huntington, Meriden;
grand chaplain, Rev. Charles A. Smith,
Plymouth.
Following the election of officers
came the reading of the reports of the
other officers and finally the installa-
ton of the newly elected officers. This
ceremony over retiring Grand Master
Robbins was presented with a beauti-
full jewel by the msmbers of the lodge
as token of their earnest esteem for
their retiring head This ceremony
closed the business of the me citing and
the session adjourned.
Friday evening the second Odd Eel
lows session will be held here, and it
is proposed to make this take the form
of celebration. Fully 1,500 delegates
are expected to attend. and these on
their arrival will be met by the Odd
Fellows of the city. Their Journey to
Music hall where the business meeting
and later the festivities are to be held
will take the form of a procession.
Leading it will be Cantons Sassacus
and Aurora, while music will be furn-
shed by the Second Regiment band.
The most interesting of all the reports !
If the several officers yesterday was
hat Of Grand Secretary Frederick L.
of this city. 1t showed that
he total disbursements of the eight |
lodges amounted to $144-
80 % and the receipts to $40, 73067, |
eaving deficiency of $3,423.56 Secre- |
airy Botsford said:
The financial condition of the lodges |
lid not improve during the year 1898; |
Ind Immediate action should be taken
~ this Grand lodge to change the |
present system, in which there is no
or equity from beginning to
md. This is shown in the fact that
twenty-five lodges show an actual loss,
while sixteen more report a gain so
mall that in some instances benefit |
f one week for sickness, and in the
emainder one death more, would have
wept away every vestige of gain and
'laced them in the losing column; thus
howing that forty-one lodges, nearly
ne-half of the whole, are in a condi-
ion so critical that a small matter may
lace them on the wrong side of the
edger.
Forty of our eghty-three lodges are
aging an average of nearly fifty dol
IRIS benefit to a brother on the>death
f his wife, without the contribution
one cent from any member, or any
revision whatever made for reimburs-
lg the funds Of the lodge to the amount
f the benefit paid Is this sound?
A majority of the lodges have re-
emily adopted the minimum initiation
se of five dollars, thereby causing an
and unsoufd competition,
18th detriment to themselves and 9TH I
IS. The experience of the last three
ears has shown that it is bad finan
al policy, the amount received being
italy inadequate to create a reserve
md for the payment of funeral bene- j
is of even one-half that promised to '
le candidate; and when $500 is prom
ed on the death of brother and $50 S
I the death of a wife, not one-siXth. Z
hen, again, with the desire to increase /
lie membership, there is great danger
trough the overworked committee of I
vestigation of receiving members in t
igible, both physically and morally. 6
is better to grow slowly and strong c
IAN rapidly without strength The /
ininum fee should be not less than a
n dollars. /
For some years it has been apparent g
those closely watching the order that C
p have been drifting away from the d