Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-09-19
Meet In Sovereign Grand
Lodge at Philadelphia.
Annual Reports Show Order Is
F|ourishing and Growing.
Large Attendance Of Delegates. ..Compsd-
tive Drills BY Patriarchs.

appointing. the annual communication
of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
Was formally opened here today.
There is an unusually large attendance
Of delegates and visitors, and the ad-
verse weather conditions did not in the
least dampcn their ardor.
The central part Of the city is deco
rated in honor of the order and City
hall is handsomely illuminated with in
| candcsccnt electric lights.
Thu formal opening of the conclave
took place in the forenoon when the
exercises were held in Lulu Temple, at
which Mayor Weaver welcomed the
| visitors to tie city Later. the SOver-
oign Grand Lodge held a session at
which the reports of officers were read.
| The reports show that the order had Il
| most prosperous year. The mainder
of the day was taken up in prize drills
| by the military branch of the order,
| excmplification of degree work by WIS.,
iting lodges and receptions to promi-
nent members of the organization.
| Philadelphia. Sept. 1S.-Disagreeab
weather conditions marked the final
opening of the S1st annual convention
Of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the
| Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
fine rain was falling and the a:nlc-
| sphere was warm md humid. The
| initial exercises were held in Lulu
| Temple. which was ertircly Inadequate
| to accommodate the crowds. Every
| jurisdiction of the order in the United
States was represented at the conclave.
| In the absence of Grand Sire Robert
| f. Wright of Allentown. Pa. who was
| indisposcd +. S. Conway of Chicago,
| vice grand sire, replied to The mayors
| address of welcome.
simultaneously with this ceremony
We're held the prize drills of the pat
riarchs militant in the second regiment
armor. Colonel J. S. Batroff, of this
| city assistant inspector general and
secretary of the Patriarchs Militant,
was in command. The competition
was Keen and prizes were awarded at
tho conclusion of the drills.
Later in the day, competitive degree
work If lodges. cncampments and Re-
bckah lodges took place in Lulu Tenn
pie.
According to Grand Sire Wright
tors to be considered during the CEN
clavc is the subject of the Pat-iarI IS
Militant branch of the order. The test
of eligibility to that branch is member
ship in the cnampmcnt branch which
has about 10000 members, about ~
per cent of whom are in the Patriarchs
Militant. The proposition is . make
membership in the subordinate lodges
l,n n{ f., 1,o nil
The total number of lodge mcrlbers is
| 100000. IL the change he made and
the same percentage of lodge members
go into the militant as now go in from
the cncampmcnt the militant branch
will reach Il membership of 10000. 1t
now has $4,000. 1t would then he the
strongest uniformed fraternal organiL1-
ton in the world.
The Grand Lodge will consider
tho question of extending the
order in Porto Rico. San Domingo and
Scotland.
The report of Grand Sire Wright
shows the total subordinate lodge menu
bership to be 1.217.145: encampmcnt
membership 1889: Rebekah member
ship 414.059; number Of subordinate
lodges 1876: expenditures for relief
$4633649; total revenue s13,63S,791:
total resources $37.645.071.
Continuing. the report states:
The increase in membership of our
subordinate lodges was 65,724 in the
encampment branch 1890; in the Re
bekah branch 26.391; making a total
increase of 102.105. The patriarch
militant will show decrease in MEM
bership, but that decrease is only nomi-
nal and doubtless results from the
clearing out of names that did not rep
resent active members of that branch
The increase in receipts for the year
was $751071. The increase in re-
sources s2,974.951 and the increase in
relief $307.139.
The militant branch alone in our or
ganiZation fails to show substantial
progress. There has been a loss in
membership during the year of a little
over 900. This condition of affairs in
my Judgment demands Immediate at
'ehtioh ana perhaps radical measures.
After the public ceremonies. the Soyer
eign Lodge went into secret session at
The odd Fellows Temple. Grand Sir.
Wright presiding
annual reports of the grand sire. Grand
secretary John B. Goodwin. Grand Treas
ur'r NJ Richards Mickle and General NJ.
A. Raney commanding the Patriarchs
Miiitant were the features of the ses.
| sion.
me statistical information for the wear
| GooIwin pols od Srand Secretary John y.
1ooImIn caI included the following: 1o4, ,2l0
nandldates initiated. 54,235 members s,Is
| pended and 13.G,a died ~
son of retail dealers in Honor 70 mem
cbns,an and of affiliation with the Man
viii Sitr 1ecciye 9i'H tht. Of Engind and Canada
reSenta.ives until Tra,ion Tnesda,, Oh the rep
tam dcera dprncation of the Patriarcns Mill
the the 81 deeaee taak work took place. tonight. ut
cer,ions 'TGsnent wrrs Sarmory. after which re-
comrnap 1o%M Temple to General Il NJ ihe A. o'R Raney
and Major Major G;epsr., ei ,he Patriarchs Militant.