Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-21
Annual Meeting Of the Order
Opens Today in Baltimore.
AFFAIRS FLOURISHING
LARGEST GATHERING IN THE
HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION.
Over a Million Members Recorded
City Will Be Beautifully Illuminat-
ed for the Visitors.

BALTIMORE, September 21.-The opening
exer rcises of the annual convention of the
Sovereign Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows be-
gan here this morning at o'clock in Fords
Opera House. The Sovereign Grand Lodge
previously assembled at Rennert's Hotel
and marched to the opera house, under
command of Grand Marshal John Il. Cock
burn of Indiana, escrted by the Patriarchs
Militant.
Address Of Welcome.
At the Opera House Grand Master Ed
ward Rossman of the Grand Lodge of
Maryland delivered an address of welcome.
which was responded to by Gov. John Wal
ter Smith the part of Maryland. and
Mayor Robert NJ. McLane for Baltimore.
Grand Sire John B. Goodwin of Georgia
then made address, after which the Sow
ereign Grand Lodge proceeded to Odd Fell
lows Temple and began its secret delibera-
tons.
The annual report of Grand Sire and
Ccmmander-in-Chief John b. Goodwin.
which was read, shows the order to be in a
flourshing condition. A large part of the
report is taken UP in a recapitulation Of
the decisions of lodge questions made dur
ing the past year, amendments to the con-
stitutions of the grand lodges and grand
encampment, new bylaws, new lodges and
encampmentS chartered account of the in
PRODUCTION of the order in the Philippine
Islands, conditions of the order in Cuba, in
Australasia and other foreign countries.
The condition of the order at the close Of
1862 is shown by returns as follows:
Large Membership.
Subordinate lodge membership. December
81, 1902, 1,063,gU6: encampment membership.
$3.50; Rebekah lodge membership (broth-
ers, 151 1875; sisters. 25S $50; add Australasia,
sex rot given 1914. making a total Re-
bekah membership AL ,955.
Patriarchs Militant membership 17,T54.
The total membership of the order. which
includes the subordinate lodge membership
and the sisters only of the Rebekah lodge
membership, is 1.329,9 ,956. The encampment
membership and the brothers of the Re-
bekah lodges are lot included in the above
total, as they are subordinate lodge MEM
bers.
Receipts Last Year.
Revenue. relief and invested funds are in
dicated as follows:
Revenues or receipts in 1902-Subordinate
lodges. s10214, ,60S.S5; encampments. $T12,-
$50. 48: Rebekah lodges s626, 1898; total
revenue. s11, ,553 9O529. increase of $771,-
1896 over the preceding year.
Relief expended in 19O2-Relief by lodges.
s.. $50. 1916; relief by encampments. $685.
617.32: relief by Rebekah lodges, SCI, SOS. So;
total relief, $3S93, ,220.03; total relief as
shown by records since 1880 to 1892 inclu-
Siye S96. .46S, ,52E).:52.
The reports of the grand secretary, adju-
tant general and grand treasurer contain a
review of work of the order during the
year 1902. charters issued during the year.
fraternal publications. Grand Lodge jour-
nails. homes and asylums owned by the
order. and the annual reports of the Grand
Lodges to the Sovereign Grand Lodge, re-
bank to the credit of the Sovereign Grand
Lodge on July 81, 1903, was s95 1888.