The Coconino sun., July 11, 1919, Page Page Twelve, Image 12

About The Coconino sun. (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1898-1978

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Tage Twelve
THE COCONINO SUN
FRIDAY, JULY 11, 1919.
"AMERICANISM" IS THE SLOGAN OF THE ELKS
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PATRIOTISM IS
FEATURED BY
ANTLEREDHERD
CONVENTION IN ATLANTIC CITY
SETS NEW ATTENDANCE
RECORD FOR FRATER
NAL ORDERS
LEADERS IN WAR RELIEF WORK
History of An Exclusively American
Order Whose Cardinal Principles
xAre Charity and Patriotism, and
Which Is Now in Partnership with
The Vocational Training of Dis
abled Soldiers, Sailors and .Marines
This year's national convention of
the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks in Atlantic City, with "Ameri
canism" as Its slogan, established a
record as the gioatest in the history
of the order, and probably sets a new
attendance figure for national frater
nal gatherings in this country.
In spite of war vork activities in
which nearly all the citizens of the
country were engaged, and the unpre
cedented number of deaths from the
epidemic that swept the country dur
ing that time, the Elks had a net in
creas6 in membership during the last
year of more than 50,000.
Various circumstances account for
the prosperity of the Order of Elks
during the war. It is purely an Amer
ican institution. Its membership is
limited to white citizens of the United
States, and its subordinate lodges aic
to be found only on United States soil.
El Kb Originate Flag Day
Flag Day, which has become a na
tional institution thiough an act of
Congress, and which this year was ob
served and celebrated in practically
every community in this country, was
originated by the Benevolent and Pro
tective Order of Elks. Even now,
with the day nationalized as it is, per
haps the most notable celebrations of
it are still held in Elks' homes. Thus
on June 14 last, among the most nota
ble and important utterances given to
the country in observance of Flag
Day, was the speech made by Dr.
Nicholas Murray Butler, president of
Columbia University, in the Lodge
Room of New York Lodge No. 1, the
".Mother Lodge" of Elks.
Flag Day has been informally ob-1
served by various subordinate Elks'
lodges for many years. Its official
designation and celebration by the
Order was first proposed by Grand
Exalted Ruler Henry A. Melvin, now
of the supreme court bench of Cali
fornia, at the grand lodge convention
held in Philadelphia in 1907. This
recommendation was immediately
adopted and the incoming grand ex
alted.ruler, John K. Tener, of Pennsyl
vania, appointed a committee on work
and ritual to prepare a suitable ritu
alistic service for such a celebration.
This committee was made up of James
L. King, state librarian of Kansas,
chairman; Charles Beccher Lahan, of
Chicago; and William M. Hargest, of
Harrisburg, Pa. The ritual for Flag
Day was prepared by Mr. King and
exemplified by him at the grand lodge
session in Dallas, Tex., in 1908.
Patriotism and Charity Taught
The ritual of the Elks teaches pa
triotism above everything else, unless
it is charity, which is perhaps the
foundation stone of the Order. At
every meeting of an Elks Lodge, the
altar is draped with the American
flag, and newly initiated members arc
admonished to love, respect and de
fend it This ritualistic teaching is
not of recent origin, but is of nearly
CO years' standing.
The leaders of thq Elks are among
the leaders of the country in commer
cial, political and patriotic work. They
have placed the Order in the front
rank among those initiations that
stand for genuine Americanism, and
especially those which stand, not upon
the order of their doing, but upon the
cardinal principle of doing immediate
ly whatever is to be done either for
the country or for the individual in
distress.
General Pershing An Elk
There is no red tape in the Elks
creed. In other respects their creed
is expansive enough to welcome all
good American citizens to member
ship, be they Jews, Gentiles, Catholics,
or Protestants. The one proud boast
of the Elks everywhere is that they
possess tho genuine fraternal spirit.
And their desire is to infect other
good Americans with it.
General John J. Pershing is proud
of his life membership in El Paso,
Tex., Lodge No. 187. A member of
the military affairs committee of Con
gress, who knew Pershing when he
was a student at West Point, but who
had not seen him for many years, tells
a story worth repeating, about the
general and the Elks. This congress
man made an official visit to the battle
front in France two years ago, and
one of the first things General Persh
ing said to him was:
"Jack are you an Elk?"
It is needless to say that that con
gressman is today one of the proud
est and most enthusiastic members
of the Order.
Leaders in War Relief Work
With this general understanding of
the principles and leadership of the
Elks, it is easy to understand why the
Order took a leading part in war ac
tivities, and why it is today in actual,
exclusive partnership with the United
States government in one of the most
important and far-reaching undertak
ings ever put into effect in the history
of the world that of vocational train
ing or re-education of disabled' sol
diers, sailors and marines of the great
world war.
The Elks are unique in one feature
of their organization though not ex
clusive among secret fraternal orders
in the fact that only one subordinate
Lodge is permitted in each city, which
pennits the resources of each subor
ordinatc Lodge to be centralized. The
result is that practically every city in
the country of over 5,000 inhabitants
has in Elks home or club.
During tho war hundreds of these
homes were given over either wholly
or in pait for war work avtivities car
ried on in the community by such or
ganizations as the Red Cross, the Y.
M. C. A., tho Knights of Columbus,
the Salvation Army, the Jewish Wel
fare and others that had reason to
appreciate the patriotic spirit of Elk
dom as thus exemplified.
Elks War Relief Commission
Early in the war the Elks became
especially impressed with the unself
ish spirit in which the Salvation Army
was carrying on its work and particu
larly with the fine standing it had
with the boys at the front. The re
sult was that hundreds of Elks lodges
placed all their resources behind the
Salvation Army drives for funds, and
the slogan, "Elks Raise Dollars for
Doughnuts" became countrywide.
At the Elks Grand Lodge session
in Boston in July, 1917, provision was
made for the appointment of a special
committee to be known as the Elks'
War Relief Commission, which, to
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Tho $2,000,000 Home of New York Lodge No. 1, tho "Mother Lodgew of Elks and the National Elks "War Relief Commission,
which was authorized to spend $2,000,000 in "War Relief "Work. Members of the Commission, Left to Right: Fred Harper of
Lynchburg, Va., Jerome B. Fisher of Jamestown, N. Y., John K. Tener, ex-Governor of Pennsylvania (chairman), Joseph T.
Fanning of New York (Secretary), Edward Rightor of New Orleans and James R. Nicholson of Boston. Above, Bruce A.
Campbell, Grand Exalted Ruler, of East St. Louis, I1L
gethcr with the grand exalted ruler,
would have charge of the expediture
of whatever moneys were raised by
the Elks for war work or war relief
nurnoses. This commission was made
' up of ex-Governor John K. Tener of
Pennsylvania, Joseph T. banning 01
Indianapolis, Jerome B. Fisher of
Jamestown,' N. Y., James R. Nicholson
of Boston, Edward Rightor of New
Orleans, Fred Harper of Virginia, all
past grand exalted rulers, and Grand
Exalted Ruler Bruce A. Campbell, of
East St. Louis, 111.
This commission at onco tendered
its services and resources to the
United States government through
the war department. At that time the
University of Virginia and the Univ
ersity of Oregon were organizing base
hospitals for service in France, but no
provision had been made for outfit
ting and equipping them. This was
undertaken by the Elks War Relief
Commission, each hospital being fully
equipped at a cost of $60,000. They
were operated during the remainder
of the period of the war under the
joint name of the Elks and the univer
sities designated, and made wonderful
records for efficiency.
Reclamation Hospital at Boston
Later there was seen tho need of
a reclamation hospital in this country
to rebuild the disabled heroes who
were returning from the battle fronts.
The Elks War Relief Commission took
the matter in hand and built what is
said to bo the finest hospital of the
kind in this country, on Parker Hill in
Boston. It was turned over to the
government to be operated, having,
cost the Commission considerably
more than $300,000 to construct. Its
record has been of the best. The gov
ernment medical staff has given it
the highest praise, and it has been
operated at full capacity ever since
the day it was opened.
Camp Sherman Community House
During the influenza epidemic a
critical situation arose at Camp Sher-
man, Ohio, where over 40,000 boys
were in training. There were not suf
ficient housing accommodations at
Chillicothe, Ohio, near which the camp
was located, to care for the parents
of the boys who were ill in camp and
it was therefore impossible for many
of these parents to visit their sons.
When this condition was disclosed to
the Elks War Relief Commission an
Elks community house was built at
Chillicothe in record time at a cost of
'about $40,000. This house made it
possible for hundreds of the sick boys
to be visited and looked after by theii
mothers, and the army officials in
charge of the camp regarded it as one
of the best things done at any of the
training camps during the time of the
epidemic. It was declared that the
fraternal spirit among the Elks had
as much to do with speeding up the
laborers and contractors who were
building this community house, as the
money that was paid them for the
work.
At the time of the signing of the
armistice Governor Tenor, chairman
of the Elks War Relief Commission,
was under instructions to proceed to
France for the purpose of tendering to
General Pershing such assistance
within the war zone as the resources
of the Benevolent and Protective Or
der of Elks could command.
Elks Help Salvation Army
The signing of the armistice and
the ending of active hostilities found
the Elks War Relief Commission with
a considerable sum of money on hand.
This money had been raised exclu
sively among the membership of the
Order, a total of $2,000,000 in assess
ments having been authorized, al
though it was not all called. Investi
gation was at once begun, however,
for the purpose of determining a suit
able use to make of the balance on
hand, all of which had been given for
war relief work.
On January 1 last Chairman Tener.
Secretary Fanning and Grand Exalted
Ruler Campbell, on behalf of the Elks
War Relief Commission, called on
Evangeline C. Booth, commander of
the Salvation Army in the United
States, and presented her with a certi
fied check for $00,000 as a fitting rec
ognition and in appreciation of "the
great work your organization has per
formed and is performing in the name
of God and humanity."
In accepting the gift Miss Booth
said:
"This is not the first time the Ben
evolent and Protective Order of Elks
has shown practical sympathy for and
given substantial aid to the Salvation
Army. But this gift, ot such gener
ous proportions, coming to us unsolici
ted at a moment when unprecedented'
opportunities exist for' helping man
kind, impresses us beyond words to
express, and as the leader of the Sal
vation Army in the United States I
can but say with emphasis that we are
profoundly grateful and by all means
appreciative of the very wonderful
thing you have done."
Vocational Training
The attention of the Elks War Re
lief Commission was next directed to
an apportunity to aid .disabled sol
diers, sailors and marines by co-oper-
ating as a private agency with the
Federal Board for Vocational Educa
tion, in the vocational training and
re-education of the wounded war
heroes.
This work was entirely a new ven
ture. Nothing of the kind had ever
before been undertaken following any
war. Heretofore disabled soldiers had
been granted a pittance of a pension
on which they could barely live, and
in their old age were put in a soldiers
home to ponder over the ingratitude
of the country for which they had
fought.
Quite by accident it was discovered
by a Belgian gentleman who was car
ing for some wounded soldiers that
the men became interested in work
ing with some tools he had in his
house, and that this work stimulated
their interest in life and hastened
their recovery, in addition to mak'pg
them adepts in the use of various
tools according to their fancy or in
conformity with their particular phys
ical defects.
This was the start of vocational
training for disabled war veterans. It
has been carried on in Fiance, Eng
land, Canada and Italy as well as in
Germany for nearly four years. It
is asserted by those who have been
I identified with it, that no wounded
i man has yet been found and put in
training, no matter what his physical
t disability, but who has been vocation
i ally trained or re-educated so that he
, has as great or greater earning capa
city than before he was disabled. This
pointed the way to making every dis
abled man independent, self-supporting
and consequently more self-re-'
specting than if he were left to shift
, for himself on a small pension.
I By unanimous vote in both houses
of Congress a bill was passed and
1 was signed by the president on June
27, 1918, putting this vocational train
ing in the' hands of the Federal Board
1 for Vocational Education. This law
was intended to provide free vocation
al training for disabled war veterans
and also to find employment for them
at the end of their period of training
or re-education, without in any way
affecting the compensation paid them
by the government for whatever de
gree of disability they had suffeied
by reason of their wounds.
Flagstaff Lodge No. 499 has ap
pointed a Soldier's Friend Committee
to look after the interests of return
ing soldiers, and all are urged to call
upon any of the following if seeking
aid of any kind: Alex A. Johnston,
chairman, Dr. E. S. Miller, and John
G. Phillips.
Elks Assist the Government
In the administration of the law,
however, it was found that there
would be thousands of worthy cases
of disabled men who were entirely
outside the purview of the law passed
by Congress. These included Ameri
can boys wounded while in the service
of the allies, those wounded before the
provisions of the law took effect, r;ul
those wounded or disabled while in
the army but not while in line of
duty. The law also provided that no
one could be placed in vocational
training until his compensation had
been fixed by the Bureau of War-Risk
Insurance. The sudden termination of
the war overloaded the Insurance Bu
reau with claims for compensation so
that it fell weeks and months behind
in its work. This resulted in the
anomaly of disabled men being
"broke" and being unable to take ad
vantage of the free vocational offer of
the government, while at the same
time that government was owing them
money!
Fortunately, the law provided Jhat
the Federal Board of Vocational Edu
cation could accept the co-operation
and assistance of private agencies in
carrying out its provisions. The Elks
War Relief Commission had its atten
tion called to this avenue for the use
ful expenditure of money, and a very
brief investigation convinced the
members of the commission that theie
was probably no more worthy cauje
to which its founds could be donated.
A fund of $150,000 was therefore ten
dered by the Commission to Dr. C. A.
Prosscr, Director of the Federal
Board for Vocational Education, to be
used at his discretion for necessary
publicity work among the disabled
men and with the general public, and
for caring for tho cases of disabled
men who were without the purview
of the law. The offer was promptly
accepted by Dr. Prosser. The Elks
Fund has since increased to $250,000,
and the proceeds from a feature mo
tion picture produced by the Commis
sion and donated to the Federal Board
which is soon to be distributed for
exhibition, is expected to add another
$100,000.
Federal Board Thanks Elks
, In referring to the assistance grant
ed the Federal Board for Vocational
Education by the Elks War Relief
Commission, Dr. Prosser, director of
the board, has said:
"No one action taken by any public
or private agency will do so much to
bring about a prompt and effective
care of disabled soldiers, sailors and
marines .resulting from the war as the
action taken by the Elks War Relief
Commission. As the result, instead of
waiting for weeks and months, under
privation and humiliation such as no
soldier of the republic should under
go, because of official delays, many of
which are unavoidable, they will now
find themselves properly taken care of
at once and placed in the line of re
education which will enable them to
make their future safe for themselves
and their dependents."
Soldiers' Friends Committees
By direction of Grand Exalted
Ruler Campbell, every subordinate
Lodge of Elks has appointed a Sol
diers' Friend Committee which is now
charged with the duty of assisting
in this vocational training work. At
the present time there arc about 2,000
disabled soldiers, sailors and marines
in vocational training on the Elks
War Relief Commission Fund. The
work has proven so successful that a
bill now before Congress extending
vocational training into civil and in
dustrial life seems assured of passage.
Speaking on the floor of Congress
on the subject of the co-operative ar
rangements between the Federal
Board for Vocational Education and
the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks, Congressman John F. Miller
of the State of Washington said:
"The Elks'fund thus provided is
the first instance of the kind in the
history of the country where a great
patriotic fraternal organization has
come to the aid of the government in
so timely, helpful and substantial a
manner."
Commander Booth's Appreciation
Recently, when the Salvation Army
was entering upon a drive for $13,
000,000, Grand Exalted Ruler Camp
bell officially directed that all Elks
subordinate lodges lend their support
to this undertaking. In many cities
the Elks took entire charge of the
drive. In all of the cities in which
Elks lodges are located nearly 1,300
in number they were among the
leaders in the organized effort to put
the funds across. Commanaer Evan
geline C. Booth has personally thank
ed the Elks through the Grand Lodge
for what they have done for the Sal
vation Army during the period of the
war. "Without the help of the Elks,"
she says, "the Salvation Army could
not have made the success it did at
the battle front."
It is a matter of record that
thiough the subordinate Elks lodges
members of the order have subscrib
ed for five million dollars of Liberty
Victory bonds; they have given over
three hundred thousand dollars to the
Red Cross, more than a hundred thou
sand to the Y. M. C. A., and more than
a million dollars to various other war
charities.
Humble Beginning of the Elks "
The Benevolent and Protective Or
der of Elks, with a membership of
today of approximately 550,000, whose
subordinate lodges span the country
from coast to coast and reach from
Skagway, Alaska, to Honolulu and
Manila, had a very humble beginning
in an attic of a cheap boarding house
in New York City about the close of
the year 18G7. The moving spirit of
the gathering of a half dozen actors
who got together on a few Sunday
afternoons for purely social purposes,
was a young English music hall sing
er named Vivian Charles Algernon
Sidney Vivian, as he was christened.
He landed in this country on Friday,
November 15, 1S67, coming on an
English trading vessel from South
ampton. Being of convivial habits, Vivian
soon was the center of a group of
seven or eight fellow spirits with mu
sical and theatrical connections who
sought relief from the rather strict
excise laws of the day in New York.
At these attic gatherings an outsider
was occasionally invited in, with the
request that he bring with him a cork,
each one present being similarly pro
vided. j. simple cork trick would be
proposed, the loser to provide the re
freshments. The newcomer was in
variably the loser, and his payment
for the refreshments constituted his
initiation feo into the club, which be
came known as the "Jolly Corks."
Selection of the Name. "Elks"
Before leaving England Vivian was
identified with the "Royal and Ante
diluvian Order of Buffaloes," with a
long and illustrious history and the
names of kings and queens on its
roster. In I860 he had listened to
Charles Dickens deliver a lectuie on
the subject of a "Benevolent and
Provident Charity Fund." which he
afterwards confessed had left its im
pression on him. This may have had
something to do with an early prac
tice of the "Jolly Corks" for raising
$5 to $10 by assessment, to be sent
to some ill or needy associate. About
this time a committee was appointed
to draw up a constitution for a "ben
evolent order," and Vivian was its
first signer.
Early in 1868 it was decided to give
the organization a new name. A com
mittee was appointed for this purpose,
consisting of George F. McDonald,
chairman, William Sheppard, Charles
A. S. Vivian, Edgar N. Piatt, and
Thomas G. Riggs. This committee
followed up its investigations in books
on natural history by a visit to Bar
num's Museum near Broadway and
Ann street. It is of record that Viv
ian stood for the name "Buffalo," but
voted to make unanimous the selection
of the name "Elks" when it was
shown that the Elk is distinguished
for fleetness and for timidity at any
wrong-doing, and that the animal
avoids all combat save in the defense
, of its weak and young and helpless,
and tne icmaie ot its species, it was
the aptness of this simile with the
ideals of the development of the or
der that put the final confirmation and
approval on the word "Elk."
Vivian Recognized Founder of Order
Vivian was the son of a clergyman
of the Church of England and was
born in Exeter, Devonshire, October
22, 1842. He died in Leadville, Colo.,
March 20. 1880, of pneumonia, after
a short life time of many theatrical
vicissitudes, ranging from touring
with his own company to being
stranded in Denver, penniless. His
j grave, unmarked save for a message
J scratched with some hard instrument
j in a pine board at its head, rested
undisturbed until on April 28, 1889,
tne order exhumed the remains and
placed them in Elks Rest, Mt. Hope
Cemetery, Boston. There, on a mass
ive, irregular boulder in whose face
there is a large bronze plate, in raised
letters on the plate, stands out this
inscription:
-."Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian,
founder of the Order of EJks. Died
March 20, 1880, aged 34 years. A
lover of his kind, who founded a great
orderand in doing so wrought much
good."
Tho natal dav of Elkdom is Febru
ary 16. 1868. This is the date of the
first charter issued, as well as the
date on the original old first banner
of New York Lodge No. 1, still pre
served. As constituted today, however, the
order of Elks dates from 1871, on
January 1 of which year a resolution
was reported founding the Grand
Lodge. This was ratified in New
York on January 29, and on March
10 the legislature of New York grant- )
ed the newly formed grand lodge,
(Continued on Pago 13.)
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