The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-02-11
HOSPITALITY The
STANDARD OF ELK

The lodge year begins in April, as
the color Of your lodge card will tell
you, and the exhortations of the sec
retaries throughout the order for
dues will apprise you.
But actually the year of Elkdom so
far as the social part of the organiza-
ton is concerned, begins about Octo-
Der, for about this time the house
committees are planning for the
things that will make for pleasure
and enjoyment of the members of
their respective lodges.
In some, perhaps in many instances,
the plans are made for the season, in
others only from month to month,
and now and then only upon motion
by some member who has become i'm
patient as to what he considers the
dereliction of the committee. Some
times the house committee and the
trustees clash; sometimes the board
CT governors and the entertainment
committee disagree, and where a
lodge has all of these different COM
Inittees on the roster it takes an eX-
allied ruler with some ability to keep
them harmonious.
1t is pleasant to note, however, that
in by far the large majority of cases
every one labors to common end, to
do the very best they can with what
they have in hand.
OF course, a house committee,
board of governors, entertainment
committee, trustees or whatever the
committee, is always criticized chiefly
by members who don't know the pro-
blems that have to be solved, and if
asked to work on any of the projects,
in the words of Davy Crockett,
Wouldn't if they could and could if
they would
There is, however, a large duty,
duty most vital to Elkdom that is the
concern of these committees and
much more the duty of the members
of every lodge and especially those
members who chiefly enjoy the privil-
eyes of the club connected with the
lodge This is the hospitality they
should show to the visiting brother.
The greatest offender along these
lines is the membership of the larger
lodges, especially those of the larger
cities.
Nothing is more pathetic and moth
in can be a worse arraignment of
the Wanted hospitality of a lodge
than to see visiting Elk wandering
aimlessly through the magnificent
and expensive home of leading lodge
with his hands behind him and look
of 81 am lost in the wilds of big
city on his face.
He may be just waiting to catch
train and trying to while away few
hours, or he may be stopping off or
visiting a few days and being an en-
thusiastic Elk, thinks of the home
first and goes around there expecting
to be greeted as they greet Elks
when they visit his lodge in the small
city from which he halls. After the
first half hour he has read all the pa
pers known, studied every intricate
design on the rugs and carpet and has
counted the chairs, guessed the weight
of the pinochle players as far as he
could, judging from their backs, fig
ured the age of the rum players from
the bald spots on top of their heads
and noted how supple all the pool
and billiard players were when they
jumped on the table. He did try to
break through the ice once, when he
said, Hello, BILL to some fellows
reading and the Bill" never raising
his eyes from the box score, grunted
"Howdy,' way down in his throat, as
if he had been insulted.
If you are regular" Elk, for
goodness sake help your lodge to get a
reputation for true hospitality, quit
everything you are doing for a few
minutes and fraternize, grab the
strangers hand as if he was your sal
ary on pay night, smile at him as if
he was the winning ticket in an auto
mobile drawing, then introduce him
to everybody, saying in a clear voice
that everybody can hear distinctly,
Blanktown, Alasippi," or wherever he
comes from. Be sure to name his
town; he is proud of that place and
wants it known that he halls from
there. His name does not matter so
much, but his lodge does. After that
the other brothers will take hold of
him, or ought to, and he is fixed, a
friends for life of you and your lodge.
Your lodge will be mentioned to
everybody in his lodge and town and
to everybody passing through it.
And when a member of your lodge
visits his lodge he will lock up his
office and show you the town.
If your lodge is cold, it is up to
you, and only you.
Wander If Cantain York will he