The age-herald., 1901-09-17
The Rise of the Secretary.

George B. Cortelyou, who has held the position of secretary to the President for two years past Is perhaps better adapted to the duties of the office than any of his predecessors" said a former member of Congress who spends much time in Washington
 'He is we'll educated and Is courteous and tactful Dan Lamont, who was pri- vate secretary to Grover Cleveland from 1885 to 1889, was a popular man, but Cor telyou is even more popular with news paper men and members of Congress- Elijah Halford., who is now a major in the paymaster's department of the United States army, was President Harrison's private secretary. but he was a misfit He was irritable and entirely lacking in tact. Henry T. Thurber, Cleveland's sec retary in his second term. was well equipped for the position, but he was not very popular with the members of the press. The late John Addison Porter, who served President Mckinley for two years, was, like Lamont and Halford, a newspaper man by profession. but he did not have the faculty of getting on with the reporters and correspondents.
 MT. Cortelyou is a native of New York and graduated in law and was ad- mitted to the bar from Columbia Uni yersity, although he never practiced his profession. He was a department clerk for several years prior to his appointment to a clerkship at the White House. Pres ident Cleveland advanced him to the po- siton of chief executive clerk, and in 1898 President Mckinley appointed him second assistant secretary
 "The rresidents secretary was styled private secretary until Congress changed 1t in 1897 to secretary to the President. The salary was formerly s3250 year, but toward the cioss of Cieveland's admins tration it was Increased to $5ooO-the same pay that Reptesentatives and Sen ators receive.
 ''I can remember when the Presidents secretary was a mere clerk or scribe Lamont, by reason of his tclose personal relations, raised the position almost to the dignity of a cabinet off1cA Up to his time no private secretary wat ever seen at cabinet dinner But Cleveland changed the rule with regard td the sec retary's rank in the matter OR social functions and ever since the secretary has been included as regularly in the Mist of invitations to state dinners as mdmbers of the cabinet, the Chief Justice$ the Speaker of the House and the command ing officers of the army and navy. Pfes- ident Mckinley was the first to invitshto state dinners not only his secretary but his two assistant secretaries.
 Major O. L. Pruden, the senior assist-V ant secretary to the President, has been an attache of the White House since Grants time. Charles O'Brfen, the sec ond assistant. Is young man whom President Mckinley brought with him from Ohio as his private stenographer."
 The Growth of Odd Fellowship.
 'sThe Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. now in session at Indianapolis is composed of representative Americans including not a few brilliant members of the bar" said a Birmingham past grand.
 Odd Fellowship is stronger today than 1t ever. was. The grand sire reports 17s,- S26 limitations for the year ending Decem- Der 31, 1900. This brings the membership up to nearly one million. over soo,ooo of this number belonging to lodges in the United States. Numerically the order is the greatest of all the secret fraternal organizations of this country. With the exception of the Masonic fraternity no other secret society begins to match it in point of membership.
 American Odd Fellowship dates from 1s1s when i've members of the Manches- ter Unity met in Baltimore and organ ized an independent lodge. When we reach our centennial age the order will