The broad ax., 1924-08-23

h4SAHDCAS VI sAS @NeSt A-e-tAS-.oe -
ference Of Grand Chapters Of O. E.
s, / greet you:
Two years ago at our Nations
Capital. when ! received at your hands
elevation to this, the highest Office
within your organization, / felt that I
owed you a debt Of gratitude, that
could Be paid only in services to the
cause we represent; and the thought
most prevalent in my mind was the
devising of plans whereby we could
make the biennial period which is now
closing and this our 9th Biennial Con-
ference the best in the history Of our
organization as you have right to
expect it to be.
just ten years ago, our international
Conference convened in this. the his
toric city Of Pittsburgh with about
thirty-nine representatives Of about
twelve Grand jurisdictions; and / am
sure that the good citizens of Pitts
burgh as well as the representatives
of the various jurisdictions who have
come here at sacrifice to both them
selves and their Grand Chapters will
be eager to note what progress our
organization has made during this
decade
First Of all permit me to say that
anticipating this situation and in order
that / might be the better prepared to
give out information in response to the
frequent inquiries that was sure
should receive from time to time, in
my efforts to inspire those Grand
Jurisdictions that I had never been
represented in our Conference as well
as to reclaim if possible those that had
once been represented but had fallen
by the wayside, / attempted to gather
all the information possible with refer
ence to the origin and history of the
o. E. S. among Colored people in
America and elsewhere.
! have found that there was a pub
lished record of the Order among
white Americans from the year 1857
when Robt Morris its founder pub
lished his first Ritual
! have also found that there is 4
Published record Of Freemasonry
among CoIored Men of North Amer
lea from the institution Of the first
Lodge under Prince Hall in Tvs, but
find in it no mention whatever Of the
O. E S. or any other department Of
female Masonry among our women.
/ therefore began a research among
those that I thought might be able to
furnish me with such information and
having failed to find a compiled record
or history Of the Order, proceeded
to send out questionnaires seeking
such information from the thirty-four
Grand Chapters in the United States
and Canada reputed to be regular; and
also made several unsuccessful at
tempts to ascertain whether there was
a Grand Chapter on the continent Of
Africa. While en- route 10 Vancouver,
British Columbia, to visit the Tacoma
Chapter Of the State Of Washington,
in its 10th Annual Communication, 1
was awaiting at Seattle the arrival Of
Sister Hawkins and Brother Williams,
who are respectively Grand Matron
and Grand Patron Of the Jurisdiction
and was approached by a lady Of the
other race. who recognizing my o. E..
5. emblem epquired Of my identity and
my mission; and upon being informed,
replied that she was from Ketchikan,
Alaska, and lived neighbor to a
matron Of the Q. E. S. whom she was
sure would be pleased to have me pay.
her Chapter a visit and furnished me
with her name and address, and / pre-
suming of course that the rnatron re-
ferred to was member Of my own
race, being elated over the fact that
4 had discovered that we had Chapters
and perhaps a Grand Chapter in The
tar away territory Of Alaska, opened
correspondence with her only to find
that she, like my informant, was a
member Of the other race, affiliated
with their General Grand Chapter and
was very much surprised to learn that
there vas anv other
On this trip to the Pacific Coast /
travelled nearly FIVE thousand miles.
passing thru fourteen different states
stopping first in Minnesota. where. 1
visited my own, Electa Grand Chapter
Of Iowa. and Jurisdiction, which in
eludes ! portion Of Minnesota and
which was holding IN St Paul its 10th
Annual Communicates.
Finding that was going to arrive
in California. the End Oldest Grand
~. $50 r. 81.