The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-07

Founder of Sisterhood, Mrs. Alice
tl Bird Babb, Present.
SECRET SUCCESSFULLY
KEPT
Meaning of the Initials Has Not Been
Revealed In IL Third OF
q Century.

Special to The Journal.
p Des Moines, Iowa. May AT the Iowa
grand chapter meeting of the b o. sis
lernoOd held in Anes this week there
was present the original founder of the
order, Mrs. Alice Bird Babb, of Mount
Pleasant, this state. e.
The sisterhood has peculiar history.
From a band of seven girls at Iowa Wes-
ieydh University, Mount Pleasant, Iowa,
lhirty-three years ago has: grown an order
which now numbers, over o,uoO members
and which is represented in nearly all Of
the states of the union, although the
largest membership is confined to Iowa
and the adjacent states.
Mrs. BaGb, in addition to being the
founder OF -he sis ternoCd, drafted the
constitution, almost as it exists to-day,
few changes having been made IN IT. The
sisterhood was organized in secret and
the first notice the public. had that there
was rev fraternity or club in existence
was one morning in January OF that year
-1S63-when the seven charter members
marched INTO the chapel OF Iowa 'Wes-
leyan wearing aprons .emhlazoned with
huge five pointed yellow stars The yell
low star is still the emblem Of the sis
terhood, except that across the face mas
been ADDED, in black enamel, the letters,
+ ?. e. O.. The five points of the star
represent the motto of the slsterhood,
faith. love. purity, Justice. and truth. F.
I TIE seven founders OF the order were
Alice Bird, Mary Allen, Hattie Briggs,
Alice Cofin, Ella Stewart; Suela Pearson
and Franc Roads. Miss Bird is now The
wife of Judge ". l. Bird and lives in her
old college town of Mount Pleasant.
Franc Roads is now Mrs. Simon Elliott
and is q teacher in the public schools
at Salt Lake City. Mary Allen is the
wife OF Rev. G.. l.. Stafford. a Methodist
minister at Muscatine, Iowa. Suela Pear
on called the beautiful Sue, y is now
Mrs Suela Pearson Penfield, of New York
city The other three charter members
are dead:
The mystery which surrounds the let
! tiers ''P. e. o. groves that the old saw
| about a woman not being able to keep
secret is without truth. The secret is
! now possessed by 5000 women in all
parts of the United. States without having
| become public property. 1t mas peen
| hinted that the letters stand for an al
| legged motto, Protect Each Other. but
| this is neither affirmed /. nor denied by
| the members themselves.
The objects of the sisterhood have been
| the same from the beginning. viz: TO
promote mutual improvement, moral Gull
ture, self control, eouiDoise and symmetry
| of character, temperance IN OPINION,
| speech and habits and to promote the mu-
| tual welfare of its members, mentally,
| morally and physically.
! State grand chapters have been formed
| In a number of states in the union. There
are 146 local chapters at the present time,
| representing about .tone-third Of the
states. Practically every state is repre-
/. scented h. individual members, but not
all have local: chapters. The supreme
| grand chapter was; organized in 1888 at
Fairfield, Iowa.? and holds yearly meet
tngs. .. 49,, -
Many of the local chapters have taken