The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-09
THE ODD FELLOWS
MEET HERE TODAY
The Grand Lodge of a
.FIOurishing Order.
is GROWING RAPIDLY
Reports Of Officers Show That the Or
der is Close to the Hearts of Its
Members as the Great Increase
in Members and Funds Show
Of Vigorous Work.

A gathering Of the representatives of
splendid body of men begins today
il Rale. gh this being the meeting of
the Grand Lodge of odd Fellows of
the State.
This meeting is the sixty-second an
nual session of the order. and it will
begin in the odd Fellows Hall in the
Home Insurance building in this city
at 4 O'Clock this afternoon. number
of delegates have already arrived and
many more will reach here today,
nearly two hundred being expected.
The officers of the Grand Lodge, all
of whom are expected to be present at
the meeting are as follows:
Henry e. Biggs, Scotland Neck
Plato Collins Kinston, Deputy
Thomas NJ. stephens, Durham,
Grand Warden.
B. H. Woodell, Raleigh, Grand Sec
R. j. Jones, wilmington, Grand
Treasurer
DR.. L. b. McBrayer, Asheville,
Grand Representative.
Theo. b. Winstead, Elm City. Grand
Marshal.
Prof c. w. Bryant, Durham, Grand
Conductor
eP H. Williams. Elizabeth City,
Grand Guardians
L. w. Peanerett Asheville, Grand
Herald.
Rev. R H. Willis, Morehead City,
Grand Chaplain.
The opening session will begin at a
o'clock this afternoon, and it will be
devoted to preliminary organization.
the admission of new members and
the hearing, of the reports of the grand
officers, trustees, and officers of the
Orphan Home at Goldsboro. and ap-
pointments of standing committees.
Tuesday night will be given over to
Manteo Lodge of Raleigh, which night
is their regular meeting. Four candi-
dates will be initiated.
Wednesday morning the regular
routine business of the lodge will be
continued.
In the evening a musical concert will
cb given at the Baptist University in
honor of the Grand Lodge. The lodge
will continue in session Thursday, on
which day the election of officers viii
be made. The adjournment will take
place on Thursday.
The reports have all been printed
and distributed to the officers and rep
resentatives by the Grand Secretary,
b. II. Woodell, some ten days ago, and
show a most favorable year for the or
der in this State The net gain in
membership has been over twelve
hundred, and the financial condition Of
the lodges has been greatly strength
ened, the increase in the net assets
being nearly $3.50 per member, for
one year.
The relief extended during the year
was greatly increased over the prev
ious one, the amount the past year be-
ing very nearly twenty thousand dol
lars, more than fifteen hundred dol
lars per month. The Orphan Home
has done greater and better work in
all lines than ever before and is now
being better equipped for good SER
vice than ever. More than three
thousand dollars was spent in equip
ments during the past year
Notwithstanding there are so many
fraternal orders doing well in North
Carolina, Oddfellowship added more
lodges to it's roll during the past year
than it ever did for the same length
of time in this State. The order has
had a phenomenal growth, and is
steadily pushing forward, with three
new lodges ready to be organized at
once, these at Andrews and CuIberson
III CUGIOhee, anu dJ .0OIIelluS, Ine
charters and supplies having already
been sent. With the III now in ex-
istence these will make ia lodges in
the State.
The membership has now passed
the 1900 mark, the report to the first
of January showing 1864 members,
with about 400 since that time, six new
lodges having been organized this
year. For the past year the net gain
in membership is 1,164.
The reports of the officers show that
during the past year in benevolent
work, there was expended $18,202.78,
this for sick benefits, relief to widows
and their families, to orphans not in
the orphans home, burying the dead
among the members, nursing and
watching. The number of weeks sick
benefits were paid were 4,764, this to
1,163 members
The Grand Lodge was to have met
in Elizab beth City this year, but be-
cause of the lack of hotel accommoda-
ton the meeting was changed to Raj
eigh, the order not having met here
since 1899. Last year it met in Dur
ham. the year before that in Green's
boro. The enormous growth of the
order is seen when it is stated that
since the organization met in Raleigh
six years ago, it has increased over $50
per cent in membership and in friends.
At the beginning of 1899 the order
in this State had in it 4,425 and 1T
lodges, this against over 100 mem
bers and I'll lodges at this time. The
total yearly receipts for 1898 were
$2S.440.81, while last year these
to $71,31454 In 1898
there was spent in the relief fund 81
1880 while last year the amount was