The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-05-19
ODD FELLOWS HOLD ANNUAL
 AT HARTFORD
About 600 Members in At tendance at the Grand Lodge Session Today, With Grand Master Grant U. Kierstead Presiding.

Past Year-Total Mem
 bership in Connecticut Nearly 2O,OO0-141 New Members Raised to Grand Lodge.
 Special from United Press) Hartford. May 19.-With an attend ance of about 600 members the annual session of the Grand Lodge of Con-
 necticut, I. O. O. F.. opened in Unity
 Hall to-day. Grand Master Grant U.
 Kierstead presided and Al new mem bers were raised to the Grand Lodge degree at the opening of the session. Following this the various committees were appointed and an invitation was
 read from the Mosahogan lodge, No. 21 of Waterbury inviting the Grand Lodge
 to hold it's next annual business ses- sion in Waterbury. This was referred to the committee on place of meeting. The afternoon session began at o'clock and was devoted to routine business and the election of officers ter. William D. Thoms, Waterbury; Deputy Master, Joseph Hawley, Dan bury; Grand Warden, Arthur M. Wood ford. Bristol: Grand Secretary, ". D.
 
 urer. w. H. Marigold, Bridgeport; Grand Representative to the Sovereign | Grand Lodge. Grant U. Kierstead. Hartford.
 The new constitution for the sub ordinate lodges was adopted by the members. The session will close with a public meeting tonight at the Foot guard Armory. Judge Robert T. Dan iels of Georgia, a Past Grand Master and a representative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge will be the principal speaker.
 A letter was read from George T. Clark of Sydney. Australia. sending the best wishes of the Grand Lodge of Australia number of. distinguished Odd Fellows were present from various states.
 Most of the morning session was taken up with the reports of the various officers. Grand Master Grant U. Kierstead of Hartford submitted his annual report
 in part as follows:
 We are assembled here again in our
 annual session and I welcome you in
 behalf of the two thousand Odd Eel
 lows to the capital city of our State, knowing that you r stay will give us before."
 On subordinate lodges the grand mastersaid: @The report of our Grand Secretary will show substantial gain in membership during the year ending December 31, 1908. While the gain has
 not been as large as in some years, yet it is very satisfactory, considering the business depression through which we have recently passed. I have
 visited many of the lodges and find they have attained excellence in con-
 ferring of degrees. Since the new rit-
 uals were distributed in July last the lodges have become very much in-
 terested and feel sure that the next
 year will show large gains, the insti-
 tutions of the new lodge at Thompson vile on the 17th inst, making a SatiS- factory charter for another year, The Grand Master reported that the Rebekah lodges made a gain Of 19o in member ship, and took occasion to thank the district deputies for the in terest they have shown in the order and the work they have accomplished. One new Rebekah lodge, No. 52, was
 instituted at New Canaan on March 90. Three new Odd Fellows buildings were dedicated by Grand Master Kier- stead during the year.
 Several lodges in the state have pur-
 chased land and contemplate the early creations of buildings for their own
 use.
 In the necrology of the year, the fol- lowing deaths are referred to by the
 G. M-, at New Haven, March IS. 1908;
 Frederick S. Hunt, P. G. M., and
 treasurer of the Odd Fellows Home
 of Connecticut at Bridgeport, June 12;
 Mrs. Laura M. S. Kimball, past presi-
 dent of the Rebekah State Assembly at Meriden, July 11th.
 The balance of the grand masters
 report is given up to detailed accounts of visits to subordinate lodges, receipts
 of communications from the Sovereign Grand Lodge and routine matters con-
 nected with the office for the year. In conclusion he thanked the members for their cordial support and loyalty
 during his term of office. Grand Secretary William S. Hutch
 inson of New Haven made an interest
 ing report for the year. Some of the sx,%4 Total lodges in the State, 92; total
 funds, Jan. 1, 1908, $631, ,3O5.36; total re-. ceipts for the year 1908. S2O1, ,4O7. .S3;
 grand total, ss32. .7S1.19. The expenses
 were S97, ,182.16, and the amount paid for
 relief $S7, ,911. .95, making a. total of
 s1S5, ,094.11. The total funds on Jan. 1
 were s647, ,619.0S or a net gain in funds Tine membership on Jan. 1, 1908. was 1853 and 1000 were admitted during
 the year. There were "A withdrawals
 for various reasons. leaving the total
 membership on Jan. l, 1909, 19,799 net gain of 2s6. There are 19,752 con- tributing members and H non-contrfb- uting members.
 The Rebekah lodges had a total
 membership of 6.429 on Jan. 1. 1909.
 made up of 2,253 brothers and 4,176 sisters.
 In conclusion the grand secretary
 said: &'We have not reached the 10000 mark, but there is no doubt we will attain this goal by July 1st. as we now
 have a membership of 19,799, accord ing to the report Jan. l, 1909, showing
 gain for 1908 of 2S6 and a gain in funds of $16,313.72. Rebekah lodges show a gain in membership of 195 and in funds of $36S. 50. When we take everything into consideration the order in this jurisdiction has made a splen-
 did gain, and we can look forward
 with confidence to the future; with the
 hearty cooperation of every member
 of this order, our Jurisdiction must continue not only to grow in member ship but in influence"
 Philip Pond and Elmer G. Hurfburt, grand representatives from the State to the. annual convention. of the Sov- ereign Grand Lodge held at Denver
 Sept. 21 to 25, 1908, submitted a lengthy report of the proceedings of that body which was adopted