The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-03-31
WOODMEN Of
THE WORLD
AN ExTRA-LARGE ATTENDANCE
OF THE FLORIDA CHOPPERS
AT THE HEAD CAMP MEETING
IN OCALA.

AT THE HEAD CAMP MEETING
IN OCALA.
Ocala feels honored at having beer.
selected as the place for holding the
1919 head camp meeting of the Flor
ida jurisdiction, Woodmen of the
World, as it has brought to our city
about five hundred of the very best
citizens of the state for the coming
three days session of the head camp
and also the Woodman Circle, the Ia
dies auxiliary of the order.
AS early as Saturday the advance
guard of the organization began to
arrive in the city, it being necessary
for several of the standing commit
tees to get together and arrange their
work for the session which began this
afternoon.
Each incoming train on all rail-
roads Saturday night and Sunday
brought great numbers Of delegates,
and the work of placing them at the
hotels, boarding houses and in many
instances at private residences was
taken up by the local committee from
Fort King Camp No. IA. So far as
we have learned everything passed off
pleasantly and all are now comfort
ably located and ready for the busi-
ness which brought this desirable
crowd of visitors to the city.
BIGGEST CHOPPERS IN THE
BUNCH
The Ocala meeting has been hon.
ored beyond the ordinary one of head
camps in that four of the sovereign
head camp officers are present and
viii give their assistance at the bus
mess sessions. They are Sovereign
Commander w. A. Fraser of Omaha,
Neb.; Col Dee. Bradshaw, general
attorney of the order, Omaha, Neb.;
Col. B. w. Jewell, sovereign adviser
Omaha, Neb., and Sovereign Watch
man G. ID. Mills of Jacksonville, Fla.
A GREAT ORDER
The meeting of the Woodmen here
is representative of more people than
any meeting held in Ocala since the
state democratic convention was held
here in the late eighties. The Wood
men have the largest membership of
any fraternal order in Florida. They
have, In fact, the largest membership
among the fraternal insurance orders
in the world. They stand third in
membership among the fraternaf
orders of America, only the Masons
and Odd Fellows exceeding them In
number. The order is well estab-
lished and rapidly growing. Up to
the time it was organized, fraternal
insurance seemed impossible. Several
orders had been established and either
gone to pieces or had TO raise their
rates to an unreasonable amount. The
founders of the Woodmen profted by
the mistakes of their predecessors
and struck the happy medium between
old-line, high-price insurance, and the
lowrate fraternal insurance that
wouldn't pay insurance. The order
is particularly attractive to men
of moderate means, who want the
social fraternity of a lodge as well
as the protection of insurance.
The Woodmen have always been
100 per cent patriotic. In the Spanish
American war and the. great war,
they backed up their members who
went into the service. While other
orders We're raising rates on men whc
went IN the army or navy. they made
slight raise on the entire member
ship, and we do not believe that any
camp I'm the United States has allow
ed brother who was serving with the
colors TO get into bad standing.
OPENING EXERCISES
At 10 O'Clock this morning, the
Temple theater was well filed with
Woodmen and their friends. The vel
come address by Consul Commander
STRIPPING of Fort King Camp was as
follows:
Mr.. Chairman, Sovereigns Of Wood.
craft, Ladies and Gentlemen: AS
consul commander of Fort King
Camp No. IA. it is not only my priv.
ilege but my pleasure to welcome the
sovereigns of this grand and noble
order into our forest. and turn ovel
to you the keys of friendship, free
dom and liberty and bid you welcome
to all its privileges.
The principles of our order arr
founded on the high standard of char
acter which cement us who are nov
associated with the order together
The good influence wherever Wood
craft is established has been instru
mental in bringing others into on
army and joining in the procession
following every good sovereign TO hi
last resting place.
It is up to you and up to me, m.
good soyerigns, TO throw out the ln
line that win make it possible t,