Evening star., 1932-01-10

Is satisfied to belong 10 out one
fratesnal order, or perhaps to two at the most
hut not SO in the District Of Columbia where
a large part of the population may be put
down as real. liners" and they join every
thing that comes along from the Soap-b -boliing
and Soap -adulterating Society to the most
honorable and exclusive secret bodies.
To q limited few the idea Of encouraging
and supportixa fraternal societies Is r1dicn-
Ions but not so to those who are better IN
formed and who know by personal contaes Oh
the rood and constructive work every oFgan-
ization of this nature In the city Is dong.
True some work along different lines ana
stress some particular object for their act,vitys
but their aims In q general way are slnliAI'
and the amount of genuine beneht TO man
kind accom- plished Is only determined py the
amount Of enthusiasm each puts into its WORK.
When the Capital was moved here In 1900
fraternalism in the District OF Coiumnm was
fourishing and when L'Enfant came mere, 10
wears before he found at least one organiza-
ton meeting in Georgetown or nearby.
Today there are many organizations thriving
In Washington, and the most beautiful part
of all is that they are all working out their
different problems without friction and in per-
feet harmony, and SO cordial are their rela-
tionships that it is the exception that any
reference is made to the other fellow that
would tend to disturb this friendly feeling.
During the coming month one of these fra
ternal bodies-the Benevolent and Protective
of
yersary of the forming of the first lodge in
the city, and undoubtedly members of other
fraternal bodies here will congratulate them
and wish them Godspeed for their history,
which is an open book, is well deserving OF
praise of the highest character.
coMETIMEs it is very difficult to trace the
> origin of an order of this kind, for few
of the charter members of any organization
are farsighted enough at its forming to appre-
ciate that what they are doing may In later
years prove of considerable Importance, and
the result is that, in many cases, no record
is obtainable, and the public press must be
resorted to.
OF course this is not so with the Elks for
no doubt their records are complete, but never
theless it is interesting to quote here what
The Star had to say of this order on February
Is, 1882 the day following the instituting Of
the first lodge In this city:
THE ORDER OF ELKs.
"A Lodge Formally Instituted in This City.
"Washington Lodge No. 15 Benevolent Pro-
tective Order of Elks, was Instituted yester-s
day with interesting ceremonies at the knights
OF Pythias Hall, corner Of Thirteen -and-a-
half and streets. The work was con-
Quoted by MIR. Frank Girard of New York
City, deputy exalted grand ruler at large, who
came attended by large delegation of MEM
bers of the order from New York. After the
initiation was concluded the following officers
were elected for the new lodge: Exalted ruler,
Justus H. Rathbone; esteemed leading knight,
John r. Ward; esteemed lecturing knight,
Daniel e. Cahnl; esteemed loyal knight, Jake
Budd; secretary, William A. Anderson; treas
mer, Frank K. Ward; tyler, Frank Cardella;
trustees, William Dfckson Charles w. Leon
narda and Joseph e. Rawlings. The follow
~Ix,S1x rf4n
William D. Mach; inner guard, Henry ].
Ennis; chaplain William A. West; organist,
W. T. Shafer: finance committee, Frank Fl.
F1ndlay, William r. Parrish and j. Brad.
Adams. The following committee on bylaws
was appointed: William Dickson, John r.
Ward and Daniel e. Cahill.
'In the evening the visitors were entertained
at a banquet at the National Hotel. Toasts
were responded to by Exalted Grand Ruler
Girard, J. J. Ttndan, deputy exalted grand ruler
of New York; A. c. Mordaunt, grand secretary
of the Grand Lodge; Dannel Kelly, past exalted
ruler Of Baltimore Lodge; Daniel e. Cahill OF
this city, John Ryan of the New York Lodge.
William Dickson Of this city, George Nash
man, Baltimore; Alfred Stemmel. Philadel-
pha, and George Schlesinger. Boston"
Fifty years have made many changes In the
neighborhood in which this lodge of Elks WAS
formed. At that time there stood on the
southeast corner of Thirteenth -and-a-han
SIfeet pHduI ILlcS-Stoiy piSA pu14oAie o2Ao
Of the upper floors of which used for
lodge purposes and here met Friendship
Lodge No 8, and Harmony Lodge, No. 81.
knights of Pythias. About this time the first
floor was occupied plumbing establish
ment and around the same period there was
q saloon on this corner.
1T Is an interesting old neighborhood, and years
] ago was quite different one, too. from the
one we see today, with the massive Southern
Railway Building occupying the block where
from about 1880, and for many years sfter-
ward Jimmy" Maher kept his famous Indian
hostelry, which at first was called the Globe
Hotel, but which by 1850, according to the
cjty directory had become the Western IIotel