Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-11-28
LOOT. LODGES
HAVE PR0SPERED
OVER 10000 MEMBERS IN STATE
ON JUNE 80; HOME is A POP.
ULAR PLACE.

On the thirtieth of June, 1914 there
was in Iowa 60,145 Odd Fellows,
The total receipts Of the grand lodge
of Odd Fellows general fund was $22,-
6S436.
The Odd Fellows conduct a home
near Mason City for children, orphans
lof members, and also for old people.
The home fund amounted last year
to $52,42S.44. In this amount were in
cluded the result of a per capita tax,
$35, 655.05, levied on each member pro-
portionately, to pay some of the cost
of building the home.
The Odd Fellows home property
consists Of 240 acres of land, all sub
ject to cultivation. The children'S
home contains seventy-five rooms and
can accommodate 1875 children. The
old folks home contains eighty-one
rooms. sufficient to accommodate sew
enty-f1ve aged people. With these
buildings go the usual amount Of out
buildings, machinery, etc. The Odd
Fellows conduct farm, the total re-
ceipts of which were last year $4,916.-
AZ. The expenditures on the part of
the home were $20,2O3.46.
NC loIai ldA LII expenditures were $o,-
16471.
On Sept. 1, 1914. the home had cash
on hand amounting to $4,000.
The home receives $4,000 year
from the grand lodge and sells Sail
81 from the farm.
The total receipts of the home were
$28,411.51, and the home expended less
than it's income, the amount being ST.
S1S.45.
The Iowa Odd Fellows home ranks
among the best in the United States,
and Is also among those having the
lowest per capita tax. The home fur
nishes everything for the residents.
The home has a fine garden, and puts
away for the winter 600 quarts of to-
matoes, six barrels of cucumber pick
les, six barrels of sour kraut, and pick
les of other kinds. The Doctors bill
for the children in the home is small
At present there are INF the home fif-
teen children from 10 months to
years old, twelve from 6 to years,
twenty-five from to IL years, and the
rest are older. In the old peoples
home there are thirty-two men and fit.
teen women. The men are more feeble
than the women, and the women are
usually in better health than the men,
George A. Wilson, formerly superin-
tendent Of the Wapello county home,
north of the city is farm superintend-
ent and Mrs. Wilson is assistant mat
ron Of the home.
lodge, representing salaries, mileage.
The expenses of the Iowa grand
printing, ETC., were, for the year end.
ing Sept. 1, 1914, $22.349.77.
On Dec. 81, 1913, there were in the
United States 1888 subordinate
lodges, with 233,s10 members, and g.
$50 Rebekah lodges with 1901 mem
bers and 76C cantons with 26,707 mem
bers.
During the year 1913 the total rev.
enue of all the Odd Fellows lodges in
America amounted to $1S,950, 6O9.4s, a
considerable increase over the former
year. During the year 1913. 142,963
shared in the distribution Of relief
brothers and $3.50 widowed families
which aggregated $6,186,015.50.
At the close of the year 1918 the Odd
Fellows of the United States, collec-
lively, had invested funds of the order
amounting to $50,
There are fifty-three Odd Fellows
homes in the United States, with resi-
dents amounting to Abs. All of the
homes cost s3,6S4,9s1.34 The present
value of the. same is $5,211, 596.15. The
cost of maintaining these homes is
500. 208.64.
The sovereign grand lodge met at At
lantic. N. j.. Sept. 10, 1914, and will
meet in September, 1915 in San Fran
cisco.
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