The Washington times., 1902-04-27
Walter Allen, s. E. Boyce, E. NJ. Bate
n. b. Stone, Mae V. Petty, J. T. Petty.
Ball at Odd Fellows Hall.

Walter Allen, S. E. Boyce, E. NJ. Bate,
N. b. Stone, Mae V. Petty. J. T. Petty.
Ball at Odd Fellows Hall.
While the banquet was in progress at
the Riggs House ball. preceded by a
promenade concert, was held at Odd Fell
lows Hall, after which refreshments were
served
At Mount Vernon Place Church, at 2:3O
O'Clock yesterday afternoon, the opening
exercises of the celebration were held
Grand Master Bradfeld presided. a
prayer was said by Rev DR.. Prettyman.
pastor of the church, and the address of
welcome delivered by Commissioner Mac
farland, who said:
The government of the District of Co.
lumbia presents with pleasure congratu-
lations on this eighty-third anniversary
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
of the United States. II welcomes most
cordially the distinguished national Of
iicers of the order, who are the guests
Of honor today They represent aDout L..
ESQ, 900 CT men. besides the 200. 600 women
auxiliary to the order, organized at thc
instance OF the late Vice President
Schuyler Colfax, as the Rebekah degree.
THE five men from England, belonging
there to the Manchester Unity of Odd Fell
lows then three quarter Of century old.
and now second in strength only TO your
Independent Order OF ODD Fellows. who,
on the 26th Of april. 1873, in the
CITY of Baltimore, that busy suburb OF
Washington, founded your organization.
probably did not dream that IL would
reach such enormous proportions at the
opening of the twentieth century.
pa,iaf fo, Map,hor,
IF IL stood for nothing more than
numerical success, or even If 1t stood also
only for good fellowship. it would not
challenge our respect and regard as it
does when we are told that ii expends al
most four millions of dollars every year
in the relief of members and their fam
lilies simply through its official channels
and without regard TO the well-known
philanthropy Of its individual members.
This is a wonderful record II justifies
your pride and confidence in Odd Fellow
ship and merits the praises Of your fellow
citizens.
Your representatives in the District OF
Columbia are men nd wcmen of high
who conn END tie principles of
your order by their good deeds. From
them We derive a Just idea of the value
and success OF those principles. II is
pleasure 10 testify before your national
oincers, as the representatives OF the
mighty hosts of Odd Fellows. TO the deep
which we have for Odd Fell
lowsbip because OF the admirable charac-
ter of its members residing in the Dis
trict of Columbia
Is 'It is not strange that the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows has become inter
l.
not only throughout Canada and into
Mexico. and Central and South America
but across the Atlantic into nearly every
European country texcept England, which
has been properly left to the original order
there, and across the Pacific into Austria
liza and New Zealand. Cuba and Hawaii.
the Philippines and Porto Rico contain
Odd Fellows, and / presume that there is
not a place over which the American flag
floats without worthy representative of
your great fraternity. We do well to
honor IL. and honor ourselves in SO do
ing"
Grand Sire Cable delivered short ad-
dress w W. MILAN read the grand |
sire's proclamation, and a number of mu- |
sical selections completed the program. |
History of the Order.
Mr.. william p. Allen, Grand Represen- |
tative of the Independent Order OF Odd |
Fellows, furnishes The Times with the /
following interesting history OF the order
In America:
The first successful impulse given to
Odd Fellowship in America was during
the year 1913. when Washington Lodge
was instituted In the city of Baltimore
by Thomas wildey. a Scotchman, and by
choice a citizen Of Maryland. 1t then