Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-11-21
SOCIETY is GROWING
odd Fellows Pressing Close on co.
900 Membership
Mark.

| we are pressing hard on the line
of n 10000 membership in the sub
ordinate lodges and the quality of
the membership was never higher"
says Grand Master j. II. Kewley. of
Illinois Odd Fellows, in his annual re-
| port. Few old lodges have been
dropped or suspended temporarily
during the past year, and a number
of new and much stronger ones have
been organized.
The grand master refers TO the Re
| bekahs, the auxiliary of the women
to the Odd Fellows, and states that
they are generally prosperous and
Wherever we find n good Rebellah
lodge we are sure to find n good sub
ordinate lodge" President McKin-
ley is highly eulogized by the master
and anarchy riviled as directly OPP
posed to the ideals of Odd Fellow
ship.
1t is suggested in the report that
the Rebekahs amend the constitution
so that the assembly president may
promulgate and send out the pass
words. as the present system places
that work on the grand master of
the Odd Fellows. The legality of the
grand lodge may authorize the as
sembly to levy per capita tax on the
Rebekah lodges of the jurisdiction
not To exceed a fixed rate, or at such
a rate as may be approved by the
grand lodge from year to year. This
was previously done. but of late has
been dropped. Several important de-
cisions have been rendered both
from the grand lodge to the subor-
dinate lodges and the Rebekahs.
During the last year thirteen new
lodges have been instituted, but in no
case were less than twenty-five
names signed to the petition for in
stitution of the lodge. Two of these
were instituted by the grand master.
Twenty-three Rebekah lodges have
been instituted and the same rule as
TO the petition has been carried out
in regard to them.
\ few of the subordinate lodges
and the Rebekah lodges have been
consolidated and few weak ones
have been suspended, but this occas-
ion is limited. The increase is
marked. Five lodges were burned
out during the year but they have
rebuilt.
Funds of the Orphans Home at
Lincoln to the amount of 81 800 have
been invested in bonds, the latest
maturing in 1921. The board of the
Orphans Home has changed the fis-
cal year to end Oct. 81, so as to
agree with the fiscal year of the
grand lodge. The board of the Old
Folks Home at Nation viii ask for
l,a Ill lot IL
ditional appropriations of last year,
$4,000; appropriations for horses and
farm machinery, etc, etc, $4,000, a
total of $4,000. The board of the
Orphans Home will ask for the regu-
lar appropriation and the extra one
half of the purchase price of the
land authorized to be purchased at
the last sessions of the grand lodge.
Suggestions offered by the grand
master are: DO we need n board of
members for each home? Would
not three be enough? AtPresent the
railroad fare of each member present
at each meeting of the Orphans
board amounts to $3.50 and the Old
Folks Home $4S2.56." 1t is suggest
ed to allow the present members to
serve out their time and then de-
crease the board to three members.
"AIl insurance policies should be in
the corporate name of the grand
lodge with the deeds, etc, deposited
with the grand treasurer"
The report of the Old Folks Home
at Mattoon shows that fifty-five have
been admitted to- membership at the
Home and that six have died there.
There have been five Withdrawals and
two discharged. The present mem
bership is forty-one; men, thirty
three and women eight. The Oldest
is eighty-six years and the youngest
forty-seven. The appropriations for
the maintenance of the home during
the last year from the grand lodge
and the subordinate lodges have
reached SIS, Os9.57.