The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-01-23
MIX PATRIOTISM
And FRATERNITY
Kenosha Elks Stage Great
est Lodge Meeting" in
History of the Order
in Wisconsin.
men IN UNIFORM LEAD WORK
Soldiers and Civilians Touch Shoulders
as Nearly Thousand Elks Hear
Impressive Ritualistic Work in
Aftermath Of Dedication.

It's the most wonderful night in the
history of Kenosha'' zalmon e. Sim
mons, declared as he spoke from the
balcony of the Flks Lodge room just
after eight CLOCK Monday night.
i" Its the most wonderful night in the
history Of Elkdom in Wisconsin, echo
ed back eight hundred members of the
antlered herd the most notable as
well as the largest body Of Elks ever
gathered together for secret session
of the lodge in Wisconsin if not in any
city in the great middle west.
Mr.. Simmons, sort of "patron
saint" of the Elks had been called
from his hiding place way back in the
balcony of the lodge by Chauncey
Jockey, Exalted Ruler of the Milwau-
kee lodge to fill in little gap of time
between the ritualistic work and the
opening of the meeting and he re-
sponded for the Elks of Kenosha in
notable manner. His declaration
Its a wonderful night told the story
of the dedicatory session Of the Keno
sha lodge.
That meeting of the lodge of Elks
and hundreds of visiting brothers from
all over Wisconsin from nearly all
over America was the most notable ga
thering of men ever held in Kenosha--
probably the most notable ever held in
Wisconsin.
Z 1t was union of patriotism and fra
ternity which brought to the front the
cardinal attributes Of Eikdom and good
Americanism as they had never been
featured in Kenosha before
1t was the aftermath of the dedica-
tion of the most beautiful building
which had ever been erected to the
principles of Elkdom and it was an ex-
preston of the best in American citi-
zenship and the best in the Elks.
Great Throngs Fills Lodge Halls.
The great crowd Of people who came
to have part in the initiation of a
class of twenty candidates filled ev-
cry nook and corner Of the lodge room
and its surrounding galleries and auxil-
larry rooms and hundreds Of people ling
cred about the outer door, unable to
gain admission. Probably more than
thousand Elks gave the "pass word =
to the tiler during the evening, and
eight hundred of them gained admis-
sion and cheered and laughed and
dropped a tear of Americanism and
fraternalisn during the evening. Tt
was crowd representative of the
great cosmopolitan spirit of Elkdom.
Men in uniform touched shoulders with
men in civilian clothes. Men who had
worked for a nation at home extended
the hand clasp to other men and heroes
who had crawled back through the
fame on French battlefelds to find the
cross and badge of the Legion or Hon
or waiting for them, there were priests
and pastors, congressman and mem
bers of the legislature, captains of in
dustry and captains of labor and all
of them were Elks.
Men who have made and are making
history in Wisconsin and in the nation
and in the world were there meeting on
the common level of great fraternity.
Army Officers Lead Candidates.
The meeting was under the dispen-
sation of the Grand Exalted Ruler who
fingered in the city long enough to
leave a world of good cheer and con-
gratulations with the notable gather
ing. He declared that it had been his
pleasure to attend many meetings I'M
der the "Antlers Of Projections but
there had been a thrill in the Kenosha
meeting which had been different from
any of the others. The Grand Exalted
Ruler in charming manner acknowl-
edged the present of a handsome SOU
venir from the Kenosha lodge and as
he left the platform amidst the cheers
Of the gathered hundreds, Exalted Ruler
Arthur Quigley of the Kenosha lodge
called the meeting to order and intro
duced Exalted Ruler Chauncey Jockey
OF the Milwaukee lodge who with his
splendid staff Of officers had charge of
the initiation of the class of twenty
candidates.
AS he took the chair he called out
the most notable company of Esquires
that had ever served on the floor of
an Elks lodge.
Every one Of the list of twenty men
under the command of Captain III. E.
Ransom, who had just returned from
service in France was q commissioned
officer in the army or the navy of the