Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-20
MASON CITY SGALADAY
Iowa Odd Fellows Have Ideal
Day For Dedication of Or
phans' Home
BIGGEST CROWD IN YEARS
Delegations Arrived from All Over
Iowa and Minnesota, More Than 1o,-
900 People Being on the Streets Dur
ing the Parade-schools Given Halt
HoIiday-Dedicatory Address.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to I1meS-RcpuOllcan.
Mason City, May 20.-With an ideal
May day, balmy and eXhlarating. be-
fore a large concourse of people, most
ly members of the mystic order OF the
three links, Grand Master Church ded-
icated today the Iowa odd Fellows and
Orphans Home, the first OF the kind to
be built in the west, and located on a
most ideal site with eighty acres OF the
best rich Iowa loan surrounding 1t.
The orchard Of apple trees with their
beautiful garb Of pink and white, and
their fragrance permeating the air,
added to the picturesque beauty, and
gave evidence of the good Judgment
from an unitarian standpoint, also OF
the locating committee in making the
present selection. More strangers were
seen in the city today than at any other
time for years, and the railroads reaped
a bountiful harvest, from their first
excursion trains of the season. A spec
ial train from McGregor, and intermed-
late points on the Milwaukee. in charge
of the veteran excursion agent, John
Cook, arrived at II o'clock. bringing
1000 members of the order and their
friends and large delegations arrived
from Minnesota by the Central, Great
Western, Milwaukee andkNorthwestern.
The Great Western made its initial trip
over the Omaha division, bringing 500
or more people from Carroll and vicin-
ity and excursion trains were run from
the south over the Central and North
western, the latter road bringing peo-
pie from the main line as far west as
Boone. All these cargoes of human
freight We're augmented by the Mil
waukee excursion from the west. There
We're more than 10000 people on the
streets today. during the parade, and
great portion of the visitors took the
electric cars and Witnessed the dedi-
catory ceremonies at the Home, which
is just south of the city across
the corporation line. The business
blocks and especially the windows
along the line of march We're gaily dec
Grated in patriotic bunting and the col
ors and emblems of the order, and the
day was observed as gala day by
schools also taking half holiday. The
Charles City delegation with their
band, numbering 200, formed a conspic-
uous feature of the parade, which was
a generous one of gold bespangled pa
triarchs militant, encampments. sub
ordinate lodges, Rebekahs. and the.
grand lodge and mayor and council in
carriages. all preceded by General M. +.
Leroy. commander of the patriarchs
militant and his staff. gloriously CARRIED
In their full dress uniforms. The GER
emonies at the grounds at p. m. We're
under the direction Of the grand mas
ter H. A. Church, of Jefferson. Ia
dies quartet composed of Miss Elley,
and Mesdames Blythe, Bowen and Page
contributed the finest of music, and af-
ter Chairman STARTS, of the board,
presented the property there were adj
dresses by Mrs. Bellamy, of Knoxville,
in behalf of the Rebekahs, and Grand
Secretary Tilton, in behalf of the Odd
Fellows. Grand Master Church, clos
ing the exercises said: Il congratu-
late the members in the fact that this
home is now finished, l extend to the
citizens of Mason City the good vii! and
Well wishes of the membership. The
order asks only that you give friendly
attention to it's workings. We feel
that in placing the home at Mason
City that we have it situated in a
moral and Christian community, that
the children who are to be the wards
of the order will meet with good people
who will do all within their power to
have the girls and boys grow up into
honorable and virtuous citizens. Iowa
can well be proud of the lives and
character of its citizens, in a state that
has been builded out of the forests and
plains of nature to its present high po-
sure that we can place confidence in
your people This home is a dear OBJ
ject to the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. We shall cherish 1t. We
shall look forward to the great good 1t
will do. 1t shall not fail in its work
as long as there is an orphan to feed
and educate. All the pictures. music,
sermons and orations and sublime sem
timents fade away, becoming as moth
ing in the face of the facts that are
disclosed in the history of the every
day benevolent acts of the members of
this order"
Tonight the degree work of the Re-
bekahs will be eNempl1fied, teams from
various lodges will compete for the
silver cup as the prize for the initia-
tory degree work, and the Patriarchs
Militant give grand ball at the arm
DRY. The Home will be opened in the
fall for Its, first effective work