Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-11-01
CORNER STONE LAID
OF ODD FELLOWS HALL
Impressive and Imposing Cere-
monies Yesterday Afternoon
by Metropolis Lodge IL.
CONTENTS OF CORNER STONE.
Past Grand Master Chapman Orator
Of the Occasion.

With services impressive, and dig
nified ceremonies Metropolis Lodge
No. II, Odd Fellows, of this city, laid
| the cornerstone of their handsome
$40, OO0 hall on West street yesterday
afternoon at 8 O'Clock in the presence
Of large gathering of representa-
tive people.
The Lodge members who are using
temporarily the quarters of the Red
Men on Francis street, marched from
Red Mems Hall to West street in a
body. Arriving at the site of the
new building they halted, opened order
and allowed the Grand Officers to
march through and take their seats
on the platform erected for the occa-
sion, over which an American flag
was displayed.
The ceremony was conducted by
Fred A. Groom, Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Maryland, assisted by
Rev. John r. Edwards, pastor of
Walbrook Methodist Episcopal Church
Baltimore, as chaplain. Rev. Mr..
edwards is past grand master of
Towson Lodge James w. Chapman,
Jr.. of Baltimore, who is grand rep
resertative of the State Lodge, de-
livered the oration in behalf of An
napolis Lodge.
The stone is of granite, ID by IL
by 16 inches and bears the inscription
81. G. o. F., 1912" The articles
placed in the copper box deposited in
the cornerstone were: The keys of
the old building, seven souvenir
badges, one copper cent date of 1919,
which is of the date of the birth of
Odd Fellowship in the United States,
one Billican medallion, typical of
good luck, one silver coin of the fol-
lowing denominations,S 8 cents, s cents,
10 cents, 25tcents, 30 cents and 81,
one note of currency of the Peruvian
Republic, a roster of the members Of
the present date, short history of
Odd Fellowship in Annapolis, touch
ing especially on Concordia Lodge No.
IL, % o. F., chartered in 1882,
and Metropolis Lodge No. IL, /. o.
o. F., its immediate successor char
tered in 1916, together with the
lodge officers, trustees, the Severn
Improvement Company, the contrac-
tors and Mr.. Arthur NJ. Jones, the
architect, and last but not least the
Evening Capital and Maryland Gazette
(absorbed) of the date of October 80,
1912.
The dedication ode was sung prior
to the oration to the tune OF "Green-
lands Icy Mountains. =" The oration
on Odd Fellowship and what it stands
for was ably handle by Past Grand
Master and Grand Representative
James w. Chapman, Jr., of Balti-
more, who held the attention of his
auditors throughout.
Among sother things the orator
said: Private homes are built with
out cornerstones being laid, but it is
customary for banks, lodges, frater-
nal orders and the like to lay a cor
nerstone when erecting their build
ing.
"While no especial claim is made
by the Odd Fellows as to the none
tary and charity dispensed only last
year upwards of Sc, 900, 900 was paid
out to relieve distress among the
1000, 900 members which have from
an humble beginning Of five members
in 1919, grown to be the largest and
the greatest fraternal order in the
world, which certainly shows there
must be some good in the order to at
trace under one banner so many souls.
''The strength of union is best
shown by the solemn vows taken by
all the members as is shown by che
good work accomplished while other
equally good objects have failed for
want of concentrating their efforts. i"
A feature of the ceremony was the
singing of the Odd Fellows Ode to the
tune of Greenland Icy Mountains. >
Prayer was offered during the cere-
monies by the Rev. John r. Edwards,
which followed the ritual service
| conducted by Grand Master Groom, of
Baltimore, who called the meeting to
order and announced its purposes.
Too much credit cannot be given
the architect of the new Odd Eel
lows Hall, Mr.. Arthur NJ. Jones, Of
this city, whose work is credit to
himself, the order and the town.