The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-05-01

OATH ANNIVERSARY is OBSERVED
BY BIG MEETING IN
BROOklNGS
ABOUT 300 VISITORS ARE PRESENT
Several Grand Lodge Officers Among
The Visitors-County Association
is Permanently Organized

Over three hundred Odd Fellows and
Rebekahs spent Tuesday in Brookings,
the guests of the Brookings County T.
o. o. F. Association. The occasion
vas a most suspicious one, as it not
only marked the oath anniversary OF
tie order but it was the first annual
meeting of the newly organized county
association. This association is com.
posed of the lodges of Volga, Bruce,
Elkton, White and Brookin8s, which
have banded themselves together to
better eXemplify the spirit of this
great order. The visitors all had a
good time and the local lodge and the
people of the city had just as good a
time endeavoring to have them enjoy
every minute Of their stay in Brook
ings.
The following lodges were represent
ed: Lake Benton, Hendricks, Gary,
Clear Lake, Waterfowl, C~astlewood,
Estelline, Bruce, Huron, %Iroquois, De
Smet, Lake Preston, Volga, Elkton,
Madison, F~landreau, Colman, Egan,
Dell Rapids, White, Bookings. A
large number of the visitors came in
by auto, twelve machines coming from
Egan alone, while others came in on
the morning passengers from the
north and west. The day was not the
most pleasant, a high wind blowing
from the south, but this did not dam
pen the good spirits of the visitors nor
mar the pleasure of the day.
The meeting was honored by the
presence of four officers of the Grand
Lodge. These were Grand Master J.
NJ. Patton f Sioux Falls, Past Grand
Master A. z. Clough of Madison,
Grand Secretary Harvey j. Rice OF
Huron, and Grand Guardian w. A.
Heron of Gettysburg.
In the morning those members who
had already arrived formed in front OF
the l. o. o. F. hall and marched to the
depot to meet the other brothers and
sisters who arrived by train. From
the depot the parade marched down
Main street to the fair grounds, where
a picnic dinner and general social time
was INDUCED in at the pavilion. The
parade was about two blocks long and
was led by the Brookings band, with
the members, both Odd Fellows and
Rebekahs, following on foot and the
grand lodge officers in autos.
The principal meeting of the day
was carried out in the pavilion, com.
mencing at a little after one o'clock,
and about three hours was taken up
with a splendid program of talks and
addresses. The attendance was large,
there being quite a number of citizens
present. DR.. A. A. Harris was in
charge as master of ceremonies and
made a most pleasing presiding officer.
After music by the male quartet and
prayer by Rev. Bruce, DR.. Harris in.
troduced City Attorney Cuckow, who
welcomed the visitors on behalf of the
City of Brookings. Mr.. Cuckow gave
a most pleasing talk and assured the
visitors that they were most welcome
within our gates. President Hall OF
the Bookings Commercial Club, fol-
lowed with an address of welcome on
behalf Of that organization. He told
of the good things that the club had
done for the city, and closed with a
hearty welcome on behalf of the or
g~anization. w. NJ. Cneever was on the
program for a response on behalf OF
the noble grands Of the association,
but he was called out of town, and DR..
Harris performed this office very &C.
ceptably. Grand Master Patton was
then introduced and gave a very inter
esting talk on the Odd Fellow Order.
He complimented the Brookings coun-
ty lodges upon the organization Of a
county association and predicted that
it would be a great factor in building
up the order Ia this section. Mr.. Pat.
ton reviewed the work of the state
lodge, devoting some time in praise
Of the Odd Fellow Home at Dell
Dapids, where a large number of
orphans of Odd Fellows and aged
members of the two orders are being
cared for. He read a letter from the
grand officer of the order in Germany,
complimenting the South Dakota lodge
for taking the first step in the move
ment for a Peace Memorial to be
erected at The Hague by the l. o. 0. F.
lodges of the world. The next speaker
was Past Grand Master Clough, who
delivered the principal address Of the
afternoon. DR.. Clough Is a most il
teresting aid convincing speaker and
he held the close attention of the
audience throughout. He talked par
ticularly of the ~fraternal side Of the
order and dem .nstrated that the three
linked emblem, representing Friend
ship, Love and Truth, is a most active
factor in Odd Fellowship. The last
speaker was Grand Secretary Rice
who told in an interesting way the his
tory of the order. The Odd Fellow
lodge was organized at Baltimore In
1919, by five men who were Stranger
in the city and organized for friend
ship and good fellowship, two tenets
that have always been foremost in thu
work Of the order. The lodge hal
grown from that small beginning unit
1t has some two million members ant
branches in every part of the world
The auxiliary vas organized In 1885,
and established on a permanent basii
in 1868, since which time its growth
| has been rand. The Brookings nal,