The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-13
LODGE NEWS.
WOOdmen of the World District
Convention in Kansas City.
Will Be Interesting Gathering
of Members from Southwest.
WOODCRAFT GROWING.
Reports Show General Increase
in Membership.
Other Local and General Lodge
Items.
WOODCRAFT GROWING.

March 10 is the time and Kansas City,
Kas., the place Of the next meeting of
the head camp of the Woodmen of the
World for district A, which includes the
territory of Kansas. Nebraska, North
and South Dakota, Indian Territory and
Oklahoma. It will be an important
gathering of the members of that order,
because of the growth of woodcraft in
the middle west of recent years. There
are about 10000 within the jurisdiction
of this part of the order
The chief action of interest viii be the
election of delegates to the sovereign
camp. which NETS in Milwaukee. Wis.
In May. The convention will be made
up of one delegate for each lodge hav-
ing 100 members or fraction thereof, and
the same for every additional hundred
members. At this gathering the work
of the order in the territory which is
to be represented will be gone over and
no doubt there will be plans for the
strengthening Of the lodge. That the
order is growing stronger and with a
rapidity that even surprises the most
sanguine expectations of those who have
been interested in it is verified by the
report which George w. Reed, who has
been travelling in the interests Of it in
the southwest gave when on a recent
visit to his home here. Mr.. Reed is i'll
touch with the conditions of this order
ritory. and the essence of what he has
said is that its growth, now only well
started is nothing less than marvellous.
In the United States there are about
1900 camps of this order Their reserve
fund is large and the lodge, not only in
Kansas and in the southwest, is on the
gain, but likewise in general over the
country. 1t is based upon a good plan
OF finance and IS meeting its obligations
In businesslilxe manner. At the time
of the Galveston disaster the order suf-
fered heavily. Texas is and always has
been stronghold of the Woodmen Of
the World. and when orm-sweDt Gal
WESTON gathered itself together after the
flood this lodge had lost a great number
OF members. There was some litigation
among the relatives of some members OF
the lodge there, who made trouble for
one another. but the claims were paid
OF and the honor Of the institution was
maintained in full.
One feature of the Woodnen of the
World IS the obligation which it as
sumeS to mark the graves of its mem.
bers- It is a part of the constitution
that to the memory of each member
shall be put up a marble or granite
monument to cost not less than 500
These monuments are usually unveiled
with interesting ceremonies which the
lodge conducts.
The headquarters of the Woodmen OF
the World are located in Omaha Neb.
where the order owns the Shelly block.
one OF the finest business properties in
the city. The head of the lodge is B. ].
Scoville. head consul. and its general
auditor IS Earl Stiles. son Of George
Stiles, living three miles south of To-
peka, and himself a former Topeka boy
M. w. A. lodge No. $50 will hold a re.
union at its hall 704-706 Kansas avenue,
on the evening of December 80. The
lodge along with a number of other
orders of the city has secured quarters
In the new Bates building on the south
east corner of Sixth avenue and lack
streets to AZ
location after January l. The camp has
met in its present place for the last ten
years. committee composed Of the
three managers has been appointed to
this entertainment 1t will be musical
and literary and will be open to mem
bers of the camp and their families.
General NJ. w. Saxon. of this civ was
In Rossville Thursday evening attend
ing the meeting of the Rossville Wood
men. The camp of the NJ. w a at tn t
place is preparing for an entertainment
to be given at its hall New Year eve
and it was for the purpose of giving
the degree team a preliminary training
in drill tactics such as they had not
already acquired that Gen. Saxon went
to Rossville.
NJ w Saxon. captain of the degree
team OF NJ W. A camp No. 53e, is be-
ginning to put his men through the ac-
tive work of drilling for the meeting OF
the head camp of the order to be hel1
in Indianapolis, Ind, next summer. The
Topeka team will enter the competitive
drill contest.
F. E. Nottorff of Abilene supreme
deputy general of the Patriotic Legion
of America, has come to Topeka and is
uniting his efforts with those of ot--er
officers of the order. in building up the
lodge over the country.
N. H. Wolf has been elected to the
clerkshiD of the local Woodmen of the
HAIEEnEOHn0