Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-04-29

NOBLE WORK
Continued from Page ID

collecting money. And still it sue
ceeded in carrying on its work for a
year without making an appeal to the
country for money. Haven't you Won
dered sometimes how that was ac-
complished? How 1t was that the
Salvation Army, alone Of all the big
war relief bodies that were working
with the troops in France. didn't come
dunning YOU?
Well, the Elks are responsible, in
great measure. Elks seems to have
heard more about the Salvation Army
and its work from the first than the
general public did. One reason was.
imagine. that the war crowded the
Elks out Of house and home 50 thor
oughly. They gave up their club
houses and their lodge rooms to the
Red Cross al. ov.r the country. you
know.
Sometimes uey kept one rom in a
big building for their meetings: some
times they just borrowed a room
where they had to have it.
The EIks are convivial lot. They
knock around a good deal. And they
are the sort who have on tap. alw2..'s
a good deal Of sympathy for the under
dog.
See here" the Elks would say. in
effect: You people are doing mighty
good work. You need money. We
want to help. We can't go over there
and bake doughnuts for the boys in
the trenches, but. by thunder. we can
HELM YOU to get the money you need!
How about it,"
"They Saw Us Through"
Then the time came in the spring OF
1913. when the Salvation Army need
ed FIVE million dollars and simply ha"
| to make a drive to get it. BY that
time the tie between the Elks and the
Salvationists was pretty well estab-
. lished.
Reports had been coming in to Sal
walton Army headquarters about the
help the Elks were giving. And the
leaders Of the drive were nervous.
!. They didn't know much s.5oat raising
money on a wholesale basis. They'd
always managed to paddle their own
canoe. They didn't have a great pull
licity department. They didn't have
any Of the machinery the Red eros }
and the T. NJ. c. A. had.
So they went to the Grand Lodge OF
Elks. And the Elks, who had been
hearing from their local lodges. greet
ed them with enthusiasm. In more
than fifty cities the Eiks took COM
plete charge Of that drive-notably in
Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Kansas City
and st. Louis.
They paraded the streets: they got
up circuses. They left the Saliva
ton Army people. who really had
enough to do with their regular work.
Free and guaranteed the money.
They saw us through" says Col
onel ". A. Mcintyre. who is at the
head Of the Army's New York office.
We're still 4 little dazed b. all the
did for US. We never could Rave got
the money we die withou: them. w:
couldn't ask them for a thing they
didn't give us. Usually we didn't
have chance to ask. They took hold
of our drive magnificiently. There
aren't words strong enough to praise
the Elks.
They're wonderful lot. It's not
quite a new thing for them to help us.
I remember once. years ago. they held
their Grand Lodge in Buffalo. And
at the same time We were having a
festival and trying to raise some
money. We hac hurdy-g urdy.
among other things. Well, lot Of
those Elks just took that hurdy-
gurdy away fro mus. They kept it
going for three days-and nights.
They charged dollar ride, and ev-
cry Elk must have ridden dozen
times. They went all over town in
it. We'd never seen as much money
as they handed over to u.s."
What the Eiks Can Do
1t isn't a new thing for the Elks to
turn in and help in an emergency.
either. Back in 1906. when the news
of the disa ster in San Francisco was
flashed over the wires, Bob" Brown,
Of Louisville. was Grand Exalted Rul-
er of the order. He caught the first
train for Chicago. wiring Fred Rob-
inson, then as now Grand Secretary,
to have five thousand dollars in cash
and tickets on the Overland Limited
ready for him. Robinson gave + i'm
ten thousand ard Brown bca- all rec
ords in reaching the coast.
More money. In cash. kept coming
to him. He stayed out there for
weeks. and for a time the Elks were
the only people who had an; cash at
all for relief work-the banks being
closed.
Brown tells the story Of that time.
He and a lot of other relief workers,
representing various organizations.
went into little town on the PENN
sula that had been left an utter
<~a.%,~,.a ~ pa~o 1N