Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-11-13
American Odd Fellowship.

Fellows was organized in Baltimore,
Maryland, April 26, 1910, by Thomas
Wildey, young English mechanic,
and four others. Beginning with
one Lodge and five members it's
march has been steadily onward and
upward until to-day there are 12,347
Subordinate Lodges with 944,372
members, and 5,605 Rebekah Lodges
with 217,944 lady members, being a
total Lodge membership of 1,162,316.
From 1880 to 1899 there were 2,440,.
1914 limitations, 251,13 widowed fam
lilies relieved, 240,974 members
buried, and total expenditure for
relief of $8S,559,040.55.
Official reports show that during
1900 the Lodge limitations were 93,-
79S, the relief by Lodges for the
year 44,S5S.26, or $3.50 every
minute Of time.
American Odd Fellowship exists
in every State and Territory OF the
United States, in all the provinces
of British North America, in Austria
liza, including New South Wales, Tas-
mania, and New Zealand in Ger
many, Switzerland, Sweden, Den
mark, France, Japan, Chill, Cuba,
Mexico, Italy and other foreign lands.
The sun never sets on its halls or
membership.
The order is divided into Subor-
linatc Lodges, Subordinate Encamp-
mcnts, Cantons, Rebckah Lodges,
State Grand Lodges, State Grand
Encampments, Rcbekah State Assem-
blics, and the Sovereign Grand Lodge,
which has supreme legislative and
judicial authority. TO join Sub
ordinate Lodge the applicant must
be free white male twenty one
years old, of good moral character,
sound health, have some visible
means OF support, and must believe
in the existence of Supreme Being.
TO join Subordinate Encampment
he must be a third degree member
in good standing in Subordinate
Lodge. To join Canton he must be
member in good standing of both a
Lodge and Encampment. The fol-
lowing are eligible for membership
in Rcbekah Lodges:
|. All persons who have received
the Degree of Rebekah. 2. All
Odd Fellows in good standing and
their wives, daughters, sisters and
mothers. 3. All unmarried white
women who have attained the age
of eighteen years, who believe in a
Supreme, Intelligent Creator and
Ruler of the Universe, and who are
Of good moral character.
All Past Grands in Lodges, and
Past Chief Patriarchs and Past High
Priests in Encampments, are eligible
to membership in the State Grand
Bodies respectively. All members
may pass the chairs and get into the
Grand Bodies, whore they are cligi-
bic to any Office The Order is demo
cratic in its government, but not in
a apolitical sense, and the majority
rules. 1t is a fine school of oratory
and parliamentary law.
The Canton is the military branch
Of the Order, and its members wear
a beautiful uniform not surpassed
by any military organization. Can
tons have but one degree, with a
nominal fec.
Rcbckah Lodges are especially de-
signed for the benefit Of ladies. All
Offices are usually filed by ladies'
Rcbckah Lodges confer but one
degree fee nominal, usually not
more than 81.
All Subordinate Bodies regulate
the amount of fees and dues to be paid
by their members, except that the
Grand Bodies fix the minimum.
All Subordinate Lodges are re-
quircd to pay both sick and funeral
benefits to worthy members, and they
cannot cvadc it if they would
Encampmcnts may, under recent
legislation, exclude the payment OF
benefits by their bylaws. Sick
benefits are usually from SO to st
per week. On the death of a brother
funeral benefits are paid from $40 tt
800, and in some Lodges on tho
death Of a brothers. wife from $l5 tC
800. No institution on the globe
has more perfect benefit system
The order does much work that il
pGrcly charitable, but members il
good standing arc entitled by right
to the benefits allowed by its laws
The bcncfactions of the order, how.
ever, do not stop at the grave, bu,
the widow and orphan arc the con
stant objects Of protection and care
In great calamtcs the order bcstowi
its bcncfactions with lavish hand
In the great Chicago fire it gave tho
,ncc,ror, e1Qt 100 go "a Mop>,,b; :.