The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-12
ABRAHAM LODGE |NITIAIE!S HALF
 4 HU'NORD MEN
Simon Wolf Praises Great EmancipatOr for DemOc-
 racy and Ability.

the hfteth anniversary of Abraham l Lodge, No. S9, Independent Order B'nai B'rith, auspiciously begun yes terday by the initiation of 50 mem I bers into the order and a temple ser vice at which Simon Wolf. former 1 Minister to Egypt and one of the greatest living Americans of Hebrais 1 extraction, delivered a memorable ad. | dress, will culminate tonight with the presence of Gov. Marcus Holcomb 1 Homer s. Cummings and many other 1 men of prominence at gigantic ban quet.
 Plans for this banquet are being completed this afternoon at The Stratfield and will be graced with pomp and splendor seldom witnessed in Bridgeport. It will be novel ill that women will sit beside their male escorts, departing from the ordinary gated to the galleries while the male element partake of the viands.
 The celebration began yesterday afternoon. At 4:30 a lodge session of B'nai B'rith was held in temporarily improvised rooms at The Stratfield. The ball room was used for the pur- pose. Fifty candidates in waiting were made members with all formality un- der the Observant eye of many grand lodge officers. The degree team con- sisted of Theodore E. Steiber, B. G. Shalet, Rev David Levy. Harry J. Fox and Irving Elson.
 At 8 o'clock the scene was shifted to Park Avenue Temple, brightly lighted for the occasion. An aug mented choir and orchestra offered Flagler's "Andante," 'eExtase,'' by Gamme, and Widor's "Serenade. Gounod's anthem Lovely Appear ,'' sung by, the choir consisting of Mrs. Elmer Beardsley, organist and di- rectoress; Mrs Florence Klein Bishop, Mrs. Ada Tuck Whitaker and Miss Helen Hannibal, sopranos; Mrs Robert Hard and Miss Edith Stickles, contraltos; Louis D. Ginand and John Loxsom, tenors; L. Eugene Hebbard and Joseph Wieler, bassos; Mrs. Ethel Wade Birnbaum and Earle Hoskin, violinists, and Bruce Conger, 'ce1list.
 The congregation read responsively with the minister an anthem written by Rev. David Levy, which was fol- lowed by prayer and the anthem Gal lia'' by the choir.
 Jacob B. Klein told of the hardships endured by the little band of founders of the Abraham lodge, two score and ten years ago, at a. time when toler- ance was not ts broad as it is today, told in brief what the lodge had done through zeal and charity in Bridge port and throughout the country, well coming the incoming guests, and in troduced, to the assembly Simon Wolf, of Washington.
 After the singing of a jubilee hymn composed by MT. Levy, and the read ing of Abraham Lncoln's speech at Gettysburg, Simon Wolf in a remark able speech paid the highest tribute to Abraham Lincoln as the great eman- cipator with male towards none and charity to all, who, he said, had grasped his hand in 1S4s as heartily as he had greeted Christian men.
 He called attention to the signifi- canoe of the occasion for the lodge for whom the golden anniversary was be- ing held-Abraham Lincoln 89-was named after the friend of God as well as the friend of all humanity
 Of immigration he said: Tt is the bed rock of American institution, ge- nius and righteousness.
 Of the organization of the Independ- ent Order B'nai Birth he told of the little band of German Jews who formed the order, and their trials, concluding: "When they conceived the idea of association the Jews were not hyphenated and thank God they are not hyphenated today"
 He. told of the many good works performed by the Order which were extended to Jew and Christian alike, the erection of the statue of Ameri- can religious liberty in Philadelphia, the relief of Jewish oppression in Rumania, intercession in Russia.
 To the women of America he sent this message: Teach your children the love of God and the love of coun- try. Teach them while forming clubs for the reading of Emerson, Longfellow and Tennyson that there are poets that all the poets of the world have emulated - Jeremiah, Isaiah and David
 Of the termination of the war he said that peace must come sometime and that America is interested in the freedom of Jews in Russia for if they WEI 1AOO0 60CIi 1d1 SS 1O6TS would not have to seek freedom in America and America could better look to- wards the education of those Russians now here in great numbers.
 He showed by comparison with oth- CT wars that if called upon to fight for America the Jew would be in the ranks in great numbers as he has been previously in all wal fought by America in proportion to his number in the population of the United States.
 He showed the rapid strides made by Jews in all public offices in the United States and expressed the hope that the day would come when one would be President of the United States.
 His speech was delivered in a mas terly style and at the conclusion he was heartily congratulated upon his sentiments by many we'll known per sons present. The services closed with the anthem '"The Long Day Closes" and the singing of America, by the whole assembly.
 Widow of Cleveland