The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-17
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

I never have been much on secret or ders, not that I do not appreciate the good that many of them are doing, but somehow having no verbal memory I am sure that if I lived to be older than Methasaleh I would never shine in any lodge room.
 I have Heard many men spoken of as bright Masons," or well versed Odd Fellows CT Knowing Woodmen of the World or jolly Elks," etc., but my time has been so occupied with other things that have never gone far into the beau ties and mysteries which lay hid behind the closed doors which open only to the initiated.
 Now, a man who tries to write about lodges, fraternities, and secret societies without being on the inside is apt to make many breaks and unwittingly give offense. I hope that what am going to say will be taken in the spirit in which it is written, for I realize that many or ders are doing great work along soclai and fraterna, lines, and deserve to oe kept up by all interested in humanitarian movements.
 I am not here going into the question of how far the lodges are usurping the places of the churches-that is, if they are so doing--or into the debatable ground of the neglect of the churches forming the opportunity of the secret or ders; for as see it they are not or should not be in any sense antagonists, but CO., workers, fer they rightly cover and oc- cupy fields which need the best work ot both.
 The best testimony that one can have that they are supplementary is evil denced by the fact that many churchmen are secret order men, and many members of the lodges are ardent supporters of the churches I am we'll aware that quite few will controvert this, but I am not writing in controversial vein. but merely to lead up to the telling of a flag raising which attended at the Elks club on Friday night. l am sensible of the fact that there is just as wide differences in secret orders as there is in religious denominations, and that it is foolish to raise questions of doctrine merely tor the sake of debating them. and therefore I am not going to try and appraise the value or set out the distinctive merits of any of the various lodges in the com munity.
 Being invited to be present at the flag raising at the Elks home. went, for l was anxious to see how the old Lane home had been changed into a~clubroon,. and was astounded at the marvellous transformat ton, for it is both roomy, well furnished throughout, and the only fault I could find with it was the fact that it was little too far from the center of town to be used freely by it's members.
 My first appearance at an Elks exer- else was number of years ago. when l was asked to open the Lodge of Sorrow in the old O'Brien opera house with prayer. l sat through the services and was greatly touched by their appropri- ateness and impressed with their gen uine sympathy for the ones they had gathered to mourn. Too frequently such observances are theatrical and lose the heart note.
 It came home to me Friday night with tinse of sorrow as glanced at the marble slab at the door with the names of those who had passed into the great beyond, tor one of the first to greet my eye was that of my dear friend. Eli Smith, and I thought of the service III
 which I had participated as related above, and that it was Eli who had asked me to be present and make the prayer, and just below his name was that of Gen. Rufus N. Rhodes. the man wno gave me my first job on newspaper, and who was my good friend to the day of his death.
 I am not familiar enough with the beautiful ceremony. or sufficiently ac- quainted with the names of the various officers. to accurately describe those who occupied seats in the big chairs. I know that Harry White read in very pleas-' ing way wonderfully beautiful tribute to Old Glory-in fact, it was a prose poem. All that I have to say if it is a sample of the Elks ceremonial it must be very exquisitely worded affair.
 
 was sitting in the rear without any thought Of having part in the patriotic occasion when George Whitfield. who