The broad ax. [volume], June 18, 1927, Image 1

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——__=_^ ^^KNTS> PER COPY THE BROAD AX, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, JUNE 18, 1927 No ^
DR. JOHN C. ELLIS
The most worshipful Grand Master of the most worshipful
Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F. & A. M., Illinois, and its jurisdic
tion. President of the Home Trustee Board, chairman of Com
mission on Building, new Masonic and Order of Eastern Star
Home at Rock Island, 111.
ANNUAL FARMERS’ CONFER
ENCE AT HAMPTON.
JUNE 28-29
Hampton Institute. Ya.—Farmers’
community clubs in Virginia will,
within the next few days select dele
gates to send to the annual Hampton
Farmers’ Conference, June 28-29.
Farmers and farmers’ wives from Vir
ginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and
visitors from more distant states will
participate in the program to which
they look forward annually. |
Beginning with a musical program
and moving pictures in Ogden Hall
Monday evening, the following tw?o
days contain opportunities for group
discussion on such topics as farm and
home conveniences, dairying and hogs,
poultry, garden pests and diseases.
Members of the staff of the Agricul
ture School at Hampton Institute will
assist in this work for the men. while
the women’s section will discuss such
matters as health, poultry, and home
economics. Opportunity to inspect
tractors, milking machines, and farm
equipment at Shellbanks Farm, as well
as inspection of the horticultural de
partment and the poultry plants, will
be given. As is customary there will
be a picnic at Shellbanks the first day
uf the conference.
The farm and home demonstration
agents of Virginia will attend this con
ference in a body and with them will
come many outstanding farmers from
rural communities of the state. John
R. Hutcheson, director of extension for
Virginia, will address the conference.
Lorenzo Hall, State agent for exten
sion work in North Carolina, will
make an evening address.
Those who lielieve in a better coun
try life and have pledged themselves
to >trive for it will find help at this
conference. The prospect of better
farming and raising of home and com
munity standards will be shown by
demonstration and exhibits. Dormi
tory rooms will be provided free of
charge for those attending the confer
ence. Those planning to come should
notify their county farm and home
demonstration agent, or write direct
for reservations to the School of Ag
riculture, Hampton Institute.
BULLETIN No. 9—SAFETY PAYS!
By Chief of Police Michael Hughes
This is the time of the year when
parents find it difficult to keep their
children off the streets and away from
the dangers they encounter.
For the week ending June 11, 163
persons were bitten by dogs and about
80 per cent of this number was chil
dren. For the same period, seven
children were killed and 117 were in
jured through vehicle accidents.
Do not let your children play with
dogs, particularly during the summer
months. In case of dog bite, summon
a physician immediately, and report the
matter to your nearest police station.
Do not let your children roller skate
on the street. Warn them against
hitching on vehicles. Caution them
against riding bicycles on heavy traffic
thoroughfares.
Have vour children make use of the
public playgrounds. They are safe,
the streets are not.
Extreme caution should be exercised
by auto drivers. The best way to
watch the road is through the wind
shield.
Help us to protect the children. Do
your “bit" to prevent accidents and
save life.
MRS. DAISY M. CARTHELL-JOHNSON
Worthy Grand Matron and vice-president of the Home Trus
tee Board, Order of Eastern Star.
Laying of the Cornerstone of
the New Prince Hall Masonic
and the Ordeif of Eastern Star
Home at Rock Island, Illinois
on Sunday, June 12th.
Many Chicago Citizens Were Present on
that Occasion. Hon. Chester Thompson,
Mayor of Rock Island, Welcomed the
Citizens from Abroad at that Time,
and Loudly Praised the Colored
People of His Home Town.
Dr. John C. Ellis, the Most Worshipful Grand
Master of Prince Hall Grand Lodge,
F. & A.M. of the State of Illinois,
Delivered a Most Timely
Address.
One of the Business Cards of Mr. Julius F. Taylor Found Its
Way Into the Strong Box, Which Contains the Past History of
the Grand Lodge.
This Newspaper, in 1924, Started the Unresistible Revolution,
Which Finally Ended by the Construction of the New Masonic
and Order of Eastern Star Home at Rock Island, Illinois.
On July 4. 1924 a great number of
Masons met at Rock Island. Illinois,
from all parts of this state. They had
been ordered or commanded to as
semble there at that point and date by
the then most Worshipful Grand Mas
ter. The love feast or conference last
ed almost two days and during that
time the horrible and dangerous con
ditions at the Masonic and Order of
Eastern Star Home was up for dis
cussion for each lodge throughout the
state had sent from two to four dele
gates and there are about one hundred
lodges (Masonic lodges) in it.
The writer had been selected as one
of the delegates' to represent Royal
Eagle Lodge No. 96, and had been re
quested to bring back to the lodge a
complete report of everything of any
importance which fell under our eyes.
To come, right down to it. the first or
main object of the conference or love
feast was to start the boom for the
re-election of the then Grand Master
for the fourth or fifth time. The two
days that the writer spent at the home
was devoted to looking into every
nook and corner of it and we walked
over every foot of the twelve acres of
ground belonging to the home and
what our eyes beheld did not look
good to us.
There were many things which
struck us with much force. The first
of them was the fact that the home
was at that time and had been for
many years located outside of the city
limits of Rock Island and the nearest
connection with the city water pipes
and sewers to wash the refuse away
was more than two miles away; that
such unsanitary conditions were un
healthy and dangerous to the lives of
the inmates; that in case a fire should
break out, there being no connection
with the city water works of Rock
Island, and no tall ladders around or
about the building, its itmates would
be burned to death long before any
relief could be extended to them.
Those horrible conditions burned
their way into the inner recesses of
our warm and liberty loving heart
which also rebelled against the idea
or practice of permitting the matron
to open and read all incoming letters
addressed to the inmates before they
were permitted to receive them and
read their contents and also to read
all outgoing letters before they were
turned over to the mail man. That
we thought was absolutely wrong for
at no time in the past could the home
be considered a criminal institution.
Shortly after our return home, at
that time, several of the high Masons
who wanted to hold on to power and
the good pickings, induced Col. Robert
S. Abbott to visit the home, and in
his article in connection with his visit
to the home he set forth in the most
glowing manner that it was all
“peaches and cream” and bright sun
shine for the old inmates. “That the
only improvement really needed was
a new gravel walk leading from the
roadway to the home.” Then the
high Masons caused the article by CoL
Abbott to be broadcasted, in which
the writer was serevely condemned for
stating the truth and nothing but the
absolute truth in relation to the true
conditions at the home.
At that point or time we highly
resolved to wage a desperate fight on j
that class of Masons who would not
walk upright and toe the mark, like
unto all true and honest Masons, and
from the 1st of August, 1924, until the
meeting of the Grand Lodge in Octo
ber that year on the West Side, each
week several thousand extra copies of
this newspaper were sent free of
charge to the head Masons residing in
all parts of this state.
It was set forth in those burning
articles that thousands and thousands
of dollars had disappeared some way
or other; that if the Grand Lodge had
in its coffers the sixty thousand dollars
which could not be accounted for over
a long period of twenty years; that if
the Grand Lodge officers had that
money in the bank, that they would
be able to buy or construct a fine
home for the old inmates of the home
and at the same time have plenty of
money in the bank.
Our articles or stories set the Ma
sons throughout this state on fire, for
they felt that they had been robbed
of vast sums of their hard-earned
money and, as stated before, that when
the Grand Lodge convened on the
West Side in October, 1924, and after
fighting hard and going on for four
or five days, they unhorsed the
Grand Master and the Grand Secre
tary', and the present Grand Master,
Dr. John C. Ellis was elected in his
stead and R. W. Bro. R. A. Jackson
was elected Grand Secretary, and
many other new Grand Lodge officers
were forced to the front.
A great victory w-as won by this
newspaper for it fought single-handed
and alone and started the revolution
which finally terminated in turning the
R. W. ROBERT A. JACKSON
Grand Secretary of the most worshipful Prince Hall Grand
Lodge, of Illinois and its jurisdiction. Mr. Jackson is one of
the most highly honored masons in Chicago and thruout the
state.
At the grand lodge communication
held in this city on the West Side the
latter part of October, 1924, Mr. Jack
son was elected Right Worshipful
Grand Secretary of the most Wor
shipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of
Illinois and within the past three years
owing to his efficiency, he has brought
absolute order out of disorder and dis
honesty.
On assuming the duties of that re
sponsible office, the Grand Lodge
owned no safe in which to deposit its
records and other valuable papers and
not long after his election he induced
•
the Most Worshipful Grand Master to
furnish him with a fireproof and bur
glarproof safe which is strongly con
structed in every way and all impor
tant papers pertaining to his office are
safely stored away in it.
Owing to his past and untarnished
record, Brother Jackson should be re
elected Grand Secretary without the
slightest opposition.
Mr. and Mrs. Jackson rank among
the best citizens in Chicago. For
seventeen years he was connected with
Major Robert R. Jackson in the print
ing business and they own a nice two
flat building at 4221 S. Wabash avenue,
where they resided for ten years.
They now reside in a lovely home at
1434 W. 112th place. Mr. and Mrs.,
Jackson are among our best friends in
Chicago.
Grand Lodge upside down and tram
pling Bro. Abbott and his would-be
articles on the home under its feet.
After the election of Grand Master
Ellis, the writer assured him that this
newspaper would loyally stand by him
just as long as he walked straight in
the middle of the road in regard to
money matters and worked hard for
the comfort of the old folks housed in
the Masonic and Order of Eastern
Star Home.
Grand Master Ellis made his first
official visit to this city in December,
1924, on his way to Rock Island,
Illinois, and before arriving in it, he
requested us to meet him before he got
out of town, as he wanted personally to
thank us for standing by him so loy
ally, A hurry-up reception was held
in his honor at the Union Masonic
Hall and the second person he called
on to address the gathering was Mr.
Julius F. Taylor, at which time we
again assured him that we would go
all the way with him, and we felt
almost as happy as he did when he
was engaged in laying the cornerstone
of one of the best and most modern
buildings owned by the colored Masons
in any part of the United States.
The following program was ren
dered at the laying of the cornerstone
of the new Masonic and Order of
Eastern Star Home at Reck Island,
Illinois:
My Country ’Tis of Thee, Audience.
Invocation, Dr. B. H. Hunter, Grand
Chaplain.
Introduction of Master of Ceremonies,
Mr. Chas. Golden, Worshipful Mas
ter, King Solomon Lodge, No. 20.
Remarks by Master of Ceremor i/ s,
Mr. M. H. Jackson, Secretary, If jme
Building commission.
Song, Selected.
Address of Welcome, Hon. Cl eter
Thompson, Mayor of Rock Islaid.
Response, Mr. J. H. McDenutnd,
Worshipful Master, Mt. Hi Nron
Lodge, No. 29.
Remarks, Mrs. Sadie Carter Hf ler,
Most Ancient Grand Matron, 1 ro
ines of Jericho.
Three Minute Remarks, Bui ers’
Representatives:
Mr. Horn—The Architects.
Mr. Windham—The General \ bn
tractors.
Mr. Greenleaf—The Engineers.
Mr. Overton—The Financiers.
(Continued on page 3)
BROTHER J. I. HARPER
Deputy Clerk of the Criminal Court of Cook County; the
efficient Secretary of Royal Eagle Lodge No. 96, was in
company with Brothers Pleasant Calloway, S. W., and Sid
ney Montgomery, J. W., selected as the representatives
from Royal Eagle Lodge to officiate in its behalf at the
laying of the corner stone of the new Masonic and Order
of Eastern Star Home at Rock Island, 111., Sunday, June 12.
*