The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 18, 1904, Page 3

/ S IR VIS U AMERICAN ODD FEIOWITIE « stitut & Amer Wa and in crder. No Odd ever been pressed s coffin or buried in a nor h any of the gone over the hills to the Over SI“-‘ 000,000 has been iberally and fraternally con- tributed for car z:g out the command of our laws, “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, educate the rphan.” In all of this work California as & proud position which will be spoken of by another. The white banner of our order bear- ng the triple links of friendship, love 1 truth, is known In other lands be- In Australasia Grand ed in New South New Zecaland, uth Australia, nia, Victoria, Western Aunrah‘_ and Queensland, British Columbia; 18 the German Empire, at Brandenberg;, axony, Silesia-Posen and Wurttemberg: Maritime Provinces, Quebec; Sweden; Switzerland; Alaska; Alberta, Can. Argentine Republic, 8. A.: Chile, SsA.; Cuba; France, Ha- waiian Islands; Japan; Mexico; New- foundiand; Peru, S. A.; Philippine Islamds; Yukon Territory. The introduction of the order in Ger- many was an event in its history and a factor of good for all time to come and to Representative F. 8. Ostheim of Minerva Lodge No. 19, a German sub- “Harmony Lodge BY WILLIAM-H- BARNES PA ST GRAN D MAS TER, A Brief Account of the Establish- ment of the Institu- tion of Odd Fellow- ship, A2 ordinate of Oregon, is.to be credited the initial movement, action upon which was taken when the Sovereign Grand Lodge held its session in San Fran- cisco in 1869. Grand Sire Farnsworth, Past Grand Mas John F. Morse and Brother Frank B. Austin of California went abread for this purpose. The money necessary for their expenses was contributed by Templar Lodge No. 17, No. 13, Bay - City Lodge No. 71, Franklin Lodge No. 74, Allemania Lodge No. 178 and Wildey Encampment No. 23, the successful re- sult being that the objections of the German rulers and authorities’ were successfully overcome .and Wurttem- berg Lodge No. 1 instituted. In the adjustment of threatening dif- ficulties in Australia and the subse- quent prosperity of the order on that continent the name of John B. Harmon of California stands pre-eminent and Photo by Unique Studie. WILLIAM H. BARNES, GRAND SCRIBE; PAST GRAND MASTER OF GEORGIA. the members of that far-distant juris- diction remember with affection this honored brother, as do those of Califor- nia and of this continent. ‘ ‘We have at this time only the correct official reports to December 31\ 1902, which .will be largely added to when the official reports of 1903, the most successful year in the order's history, are compiled. Grand Secretary Grant gave the sta- tistics of the order throughout the world from 1830 to December 31, 1902, as follows: Initiations in subordinate lodges. 2,660,500 Members ralieved 2,688,664 Widowed families 262,253 Members Geceased 265,538 Total relief ... Total revenue Condition of the order December. 31 1902: Sovereign Grand Lodge .. Quasi-inderendent grand lodxes (Australa g Ger many, Netherlands, and Switzerland) ] Grand lodges (14 Subordinate lod 13,277 Subordinate encampmehts 2,362 Rebekah lodges 8,027 Lodge membars 1,069,908 Encampment members - . 168,661 Itebekah lodge membera - 411,955 Total number of persons balol‘lfll %0 the order ......... e 956 Total reliet paid in mi' Total bis 12,276,924 71 Total expenses of gras ordinate 5:840,019 02 Invested fun 1902 In tlosing his report, he sald: “In .concluding this review of the work of Odd Fellowship under the 1,329,956 active members in f -~ ItsCareer in America, Its Influ- ences, Benefac- tions and the Princi- ples fér Which It Stands & & soverelgn Grand ‘ Lodge and the vari- 0 u s co-operative grand bodies, our hearts are gladdened as never before in the history of our order. The gains in membership exceed by far those of any previous year, and from every part comes the prediction of another year of even greater progress. We now have 1 fel- lowship, of which number 258,778 are Sisters of the Rebekah Degree, who are doing veteran service in building up the order and in ennobling its princi- ples and teachings, by unselfish devo- tion to the work of friendship, love and truth. “No higher or greater moral blessing enriches society than the exalted stand- ard of character which Odd Fellowship inculcates, inspfres and exacts. It may be assumed as the broad basis upon which society rests, to constitute the nucleus of public virtue and its real ,taken down their tents and pa support in every trial t unites with Christianity, and both are bettered by the alliance. Between them there is no antagonism, but side by side, in perfect harmony, they work together for the betterment of mankind.” The receipts in 1902 from all branches of the order were $11,553,905 29, an in- <rease of $771,343 06 over the preceding year. The total relief of the year was $3,893,220 03. The invested funds of the various branches of the order is $31,- 636,921 70, being an increase in one year of $1,684,152 32. The foregoing figures as to membe; ship and as to revenue and re! invested funds show activity and suc- cess along all lines of work. After the discharge of the duties of the order in benevolent work, the saving receipts has been such as to 4 late a vast reserve and invested which demonstrat: ability of meetin: and disc h.u'zlng ail future obligations in the same work Homes for aged and indigent brett ren, widows and orphans have been tablished in a majorit two such being suc ully maintained in Cal The yreme executive body is ereign Grand Lodge. known as the Grand Lodge of the U d States, but having chartered lodges other co tries this name was deeme tracted and it was changed i Sovereign Grand Leodge is co 1wo representatives from each Grz and Grand mpment h r 1,000 membe These rep e elected at the sessions « the Grand Lodges or Gr ments by the d<’!":¢l-< to who in their turn are electe »1 subordinate lodges or encampm represent them in the grand bo will therefore be concec that by time a member reaches the Sovereig Grand Lodge he has had a large 2 tical experience and stands high in r‘w estimation of his fellow members, and it is not egotistical to say that the men whe compose the Sovereign G ZLodge of American Odd Fellowship in point of ability compare favorably with any legislative body of any character that meets in this or any other coun- try. Believing that it will be of inter- est and information to present in this the names of the grand >3 e order, their date of service an residence when elected, they are here- h appended Lodge fin, Washingto 1864-1866. *Isaac M. Ve 1806-1863 "Sanders, Yonk *John B. Harmon. 1880-1882. *Luther J. 1882-1884. . *Exril 1884-1886 ......*Henry F. Garey, 1886-1888_*John H. White, 1888-1890 . # John C. “Bal Alb; “Underwood. 4- 5 _.John 'W. Stebbirs 1896-1808....Fred Carlt 1895-1900 A. S. Pinkerton, 19007 1b02. . . A. 1902-1001 John B. Goodwin, Deceased. As will be seen many of them h sed t f the river es_San- yond the swelling waters of death, but Past Gr: ders, Underwood, B mpbell, Stebbins, Carleton, Pmkert‘m and Cable yet remain and we trust that the majority, if not all of them, will be at the coming session. The oldest of them all, the veteran James P. Sanders of New York, has not missed a session for more than fifty years and it {s not believed that he will fail to be present at this time. From a handful of men eighty-eight years ago it has grown to be an asso- ciation in numerical strength and prac- tical ministrations far in advance of any other fraternal organization. Its perfect system enables it at a mo- ment’s notice to place hundreds of thousands at work in times of emer- gency, as in the cases of the famine in Ireland, the Chicago fire, the Johns- town flood, the Galveston disaster and other times of trial that might be men- tioned, and this work—this giving—has been and is truly twice blessed, for the giver as well as the receiver shares equally in the blessing. We welcome the representatives to our jurisdiction and to our city by the Pacific. Thirty-five years ago they were the first body of any size to cross the continent, holding the session of 1569 in San Francisco, coming here on the then mew overland railway. Thirty-five years have made many changes in this city and State, and although there will be but few of our visiting brethren who were here in 69, yet theré will be some, and they will look with pleasure, we know, on the changes made since thelr visit with the forty-fifth session. \