The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-19
MEETING OF ODD FELLOWS Sovereign Lodge is in Philadelphia. AN UNUSUAL ATTENDANCE --e--- City Decorated in Honor of
 Visitors. Impertant sessien of Highest Body Of
 Secret orxaniration which Has
 I.soeeeo Menser. on Hts Rolls.
N UNUSUAL ATTENDANCE

CT conditions that were somewhat dis- appointing, the annual communication of the Sovereign Lodge of the Inde- pendent Order odd Fellows was for mally opened here today. There Is an unusually large attendance of delegates and visitors. and the adverse weather conditions did not in the least dampen their ardor. The central part of the city Is decorated in honor of the order and the city hall is handsomely iflum- mated with incandeseent electric lights.
 The delegates and brother members put In a busy day. The formal opening of the conclave took place during tho forenoon. Public exercises were held at Lulu Temple. at which Mayor Weaver welcomed the visitors to the city. La ter the Sovereign Lodge held a session at which the reports of officers were read. The reports show that the order had most prosperous year. The re~ mainder of the day was taken ID in prize drills by the military branch ef the order, exemplihcation of degree work by visiting lodges and receptions to prominent members of the organtza- ton.
 Every iurisdiction of the or der in the United States is reps resented at the conciave. Grand sirs Robert E. Wright of Allentown. will preside at all of the business eeaslone or the Grand Ledge and will he at ail public meetings. The opening exer. cises consisted of an address of welconp& by Mayor Weaver and addresses by Melville E. Cherbuck. Grand Masterl Cleon Cycqueiats, Grand Patriarch: Mrs Anna Morrow. President of Rebekah Assembly. and Major General ! BfaiE vrx...
 Simultaneous with this eeremong were held the prize drills of the patEf~ archs militant In the second regulak armory Col. C. BaetroK of this cltNs Assistant Inspcctor-G General and Hecre- tary of the Patriarchs Militant. was in command. The eompetftiqh was keen and prises were awarded at the con- cIusion of the drills.
 Later In the day competitive degree work of lodges, encaInpments and Re- beckah lodges took place in Lulu Temple.
 An Important Matter.
 According to Grand Sire Wright among the, especially important mat ters to be considered during the con- clave is the subject of the patriarcns militant branch of the order. The test of eligibility to that branch Is mefa- mership In the encampment branchs which has about i70,000 members, about 12 per cent. of whom are in the patriarchs militant. The proposition Ia to make membership in the subordinate lodges the basis of admission to tha militant. The total number of lodge members is 1,300,000 If the change be made and the same percentage os lodge members go into the militant as now go in from the encsmpment. the militant branch will reach a member ship of 100000. It now has 1S.000. It will then be the strongest uniformed fraternal organization in the world. The grand lodge will also consider the question of extending the order in Porto Rico, San Domingo and Scotland.
 The report of Grand Sire Wright shows the total subordinate lodge membership to be 1.217,145; encamp- ment membership. 177.S39: Bebeckah membership, 474,059; number of subor- dinate lodges. 14.315; expenditures foH relief, s4.633,s49; total revenue, $13,< 63s,7S1: total resources, $3f.645.071.
 Continuing, the report states:
 '"The increase in membership of ouR subordinate lodges was s5,724; In the encampment branch, 9,99O; in the Re- bekah branch. 26.391. making total increase of 102,105. The patriarciH militant will show a decrease in mem- bership. but that decrease Is only ncnis nal and doubtless results from tha
 
 not represent active members of that branch. The increase in receipts for the year was s7B1.O77 The increase in resources was $2,974.951, and the in@ crease in relieff s3o7,139.
 The militant branch alone in our organization fails to show substantial progressA There has been a loss in membership during the year of e lit- tic over 300. This condition of affatrss In my judgment. demands imInediate attention and perhaps radical meas- ures.
 In Secret Session.
 After the public ceremonies the Sov~ erelgn Lodge went Into secret session at the Odd Fellows Temple, Grand Sire Wright presiding. In the absence of Grand Chaplain Venable of Kentucky. whose advanced age prevented his att tendance. the opening invocation ws1s delivered by Grand Chaplain Pro Tene. pore Jewell of this city. Annual ree- ports of the Grand Sire, Grand Secrs- tary, Grand Treasurer and Dr. NJ. 4. Rainey, commanding the patriarcaa militant. were the features of the ses- sion. After being presented they were referred to the committee on distribuS tion of grand officers reports.
 The statistical information for ths year in the report of Grand Secretary Goodwin included the following: 124.-
 
 bers suspended and 13.025 died Since 1880 the order has initiated 2,s27.2eG 2s2.541 members have died.
 The report upon the various homes for the care of it's orphans and aged brethren shows thirty-eight institus tions.
 The consideration of cases of appeal on various questions of law coming up from grand Jurisdictions consumea a part of the session and again will claim the attention of representatives when they convene tomorrow.
 A resolution introduced by Claude tucl,iev of Kentucky provided for e change in the operation of the grand council of patriarchs militant by which that body in future will be permitted to leEisIate directly in It's own intor- ests subject to the approval of the Grand Lodge. If the resolu- tion. which will come up later in Rhs week. is passed, it win make the Grand Secretary, John B Goodwin, now adjutant general of the patriaFche miiitant simply ex-onicio holder or thai position