The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1907-09-12

piofed 70 write song for them. II
IS known that the hrst recorded or
ganization was that OF some laborins
men and mechanics OF the neishbor
hpCi OF Manchester. England, who
met ior social enjoyment, and later
made the spirit Of helpfulnes toward
one another a leading feature OF theil
existence. They helped secure posi-,
IONS for members out Of work, aud
gave money to INDECENT ones. The
oldest name that has reached us i.
That Of the Loyal AristaIchus lodge,
No. =. which met in the Borough OF
Southwark.
II Is claimed IS the hiStoriog raph.
ers OF Odd Fellowship that ii has
generally drawn its members from
the great middle class, the people
who have always supplied the bone
ana sinew for the building Of lhe..na-
ions, and that because of this their
stability is greater and their mem
bership stronger than that of any
secret orner in the world. The mem.
bership in the United States alone is
now l,24,21s, and when the eighty.
third annual communication O. the
Sovereign Grand Lodge is held i'm St.
raul next week. many hundred more
VIII he reported. The reports will
also SHOW that from the little Man
chester organization first contribu-
ton OF a penny from each member,
this years contribution for beneyo.
lent and educational purposes will
nave climbed far into the millions.
The first lodge in this country was
founded in New York In 1906 10y Sol.
omen Chambers, his two sons and
two friends, all Of whom were odd
Fellows and members 81 English
lodges. They organized on the self
institution principle, called them.
selves tie Shakespeare lodge" and
met In convenient tavern until the
war OF 1872 the members were rein.
stated and the lodge lasted until 1921
then fell away. AS this was not per.
manent the history OF odd Fellow.
ship in the United States begins
with Maryland lodge. This one
was founded in Baltimore by five
Englishmen, recently moved there.
Thomas Wildey and John WEIGH, see.
ing the need OF such work as the or.
DER might effect, advertised in lead
ing paper for members, and In re-
Spouse there came three others
Richard Rushworth, John Duncan
and John Cheathanl. They met in
the tavern Of The Seven stars and
there on April 26, 1919, they estab-
ilshed the first permanent lodge In
America, the Washington lodge. >,
"A charter was secured from the
Manchester Unity Of England, and
two years later there was instituted
the grand lodge Of Maryland ana The
United States in order To separate
the operative and legislative bodies.
Meanwhile, In 1920, James b. Barnes
and four other God Fellows In BoS-
ton had instituted Massachusetts
lodge, No. ], not having heard OF the
Baltimore organization. As soon as
they learned of this. however. cor.
respondence sprung up between the
two, and as the Maryland organlza-
ton was now vested with superior
powers, the Massachusetts one readily
recognized il. In 1875 the title
"Grand Sire tirst appears in use for
the presiding officer nf the Sovereign
Grand lodge In lsi2 the lodges Of
the United States severed connection
with the Manchester Union, aud
Canada lodges have been instituted
under dispensation from the Soyer-
eign Grand lodge Of the United
States, In September, 1850, the
Sovereign Grand lodge met In Toron.
to, this being the Hrst instance OF
its meeting outside the United
States.
The growth Of the order is phe-
nomenal. /: has kept pace with his
tory. and IL is interesting To note
that kentucky's first lodge was
Boone, " Georaia's "Oglethorpe,
Wisconsin's La Fayettc, and llli-
nois' Western star Arkansas,
reckoued a frontier state In 1910,
chose TO name her first lodge Far
West. while TO-DAY there are many
thousands of odd Fellows in the new
er states over beyond her western
borders. Kansas, With Shawnee, "
and Connecticut, viii" Quinnipiac. -
preserved Indian names In their first
lodges The District Of Columbia
because Of il position as political cen
ter Of the nation chose Central
lodge, while Missouri. through
whose borders three great trails beat
70 the westward. marking the way
for many immigrant odd Fellows,
named hers Travellers Rest. -
Texas chose her own nickname.
"Lone star, for her FIRST lodge, and
many states such as Louisdna, Della
ware. Pennsylvania aud Ohio chose
state names. Caiiforuia's Hrst lodge
enjoyed the distinction OF being in
-sgs.tta1 a. nbflaR1F,lt. - -