Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-06-28
NJ. w. A. AT BUFFALO.
Head Camp of Modern Woodmen OF
America i'm Greatest Fraternal
Insurance Meeting i'm
History.

AFTERNOON from a trip to Buffalo, n
T., where during the past week hi
| oHclated as member of the Head
Officsfs' Reception Committee at the
I tri-ennial Head Camp of the Modern
/ Woodmen of America. We made the
| trip from Chicago over the Lake
Shore Limited, which made only two
stops, at Cleveland and Toledo, in
the entire run. The meeting was the
largest fraternal meeting ever held
there being about one thousand
| delegates, about the same number
of clerks and deputies, and some 49,.
600 uniformed foresters, encamped
in military form at THE Front" all
under military control, commanded
by General Mitchell of Ionia, Michi-
gan, while U. S. Army officers from
Washington, ID. C.. assisted in the
maneuvers and in judging the prize
winners.
Delegates to the Head Camp were
present from nearly every state in
the union, and from Canada, and
among them were many of the ablest
citizens of the country, men high in
all circles of activity. The delibera-
tions Of the Head Camp proper were
continued throughout four days OF
the week, and much business was
transacted which will have a tend
ency to strengthen and enlarge the
great order of Woodmen. A special
session of the Head Camp will be
held in Chicago next January, to re,
adjust the rates charged members
for insurance.
N addition ta anr duties oc oap,
mitteemen, we found time to get
about the city little. Many of the
delegates went to Niagara Falls,
nineteen miles distant, to view this
great natural wonder, which we at
tempted to describe in these columns
some years ago. w. P. Chambers OF
Corwith, Iowa, was one of the dele
gates, and made the trip to Buffalo
with his family in his Overland auto
mobile. A better fellow than Cham
bers never lived, and you may be
sure he entertained his Iowa friends
right royalty with his fine car. Be-
sides driving about the city and see-
ing the many sights of that magni-
ficent modern metropolis, one day we
drove out to East Aurora, nineteen
miles distant, to see Elbert Hubbard
and the world famous Roycroft
shops. Talk about roads. We drove
over reads upon which the people
of that section had spent $4,000
per pdle, roads of brick pavement,
twenty feet wide and smooth as a
floor, with white fence ratings
guarding all curves and embank-
ments. The last lap of the trip is
n dirt 10
the center, and then oiled, so that
1t is about as smooth as the pave
ment, and even easier to drive on.
We didn't think we were driving too
fast when we sped along at the rate
of forty-five miles per hour. Our
route took us through EbeneZer, one
of the famous old villages of that
section, past many orchards of cher
ries and apples, by road-houses or
inns every mile or two, novel and
interesting experience.
Arriving at East Aurora we stop
ped in front of the famous Roycroft
Inn, and no sooner had. we entered
than we began to feel ourselves men,
bers of one big family of fun-lovers,
of are-banishing ease-takers. The
quaint I'LL lS vi lulSSlOu lc, SUR
rounded by wide porches and ver>
andas, built by the Roycrofters and
furnished from the Roycroft shops,
across the way. Entering the din
ing room we found Mr.. and Mrs.
Hubbard and their big family of as
sociates eating wholesome meal
served in family style by young
ladies. We spent an hour or two
about the Roycroft shops, altogether
too short a time for a satisfactory
inspection of the work being done by
the boys and girls of East Aurora,
taught by experts to produce the
finest quality of printing. books on
the best of paper and bound in limp
leather or otherwise, things beauti-
full to behold and unexcelled in work.
manship In the woodworking de-
partment also the Roycrofters were
producing articles of furniture, mot
toes, etc. unique in design, TO be
sent to all parts of the country, made
TO order for readers of the Hubbard
publications. The modelled leather
department was also an interesting
place to visit, where We saw many
beautiful things made by the several
hundred hoycrofters who work in
the shops for Mr.. Hubbard. We
might devote several columns to a
description of the Roycroft shops
alone, had We the space to spare.
In the evening we took in the NOV
ing picture exhibition of the famous
Jeffries-J ohnson prize fight which oc'
Cured at Reno. Nevada, on the
Fourth of July last year.
The next afternoon, after the Head
Camp session had adjourned. we
Joined a party of Iowans and went
over to the Aviation Meet at Fort
Erie, making the trip across the
Niagara river by boat. returning by
train. Here we spent little time
at Erie Beach. the play ground OF
Buffalo. and also inspected the ruins
of old Fort Erie, famous in history.
At the park we saw a sight such as
has been seldom seen in America.
Here were several airships, mostly
of the Curtiss biplane type, and
four flights were made that day, at
least one of them record breaker,
when Beachey. after sailing about
the track few times, started off to
the southwest, constantly SOARING
higher and farther away until he
looked but a speck in the sky. Out
over Lake Erie, crossing over to the
city of Buffalo. flying nearly the
Ian 9th of the CITY far abOye the Sky