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MOOSEHEART MAGAZINE
Convention goes on record in favor of naming our completed Assembly Hall ‘Roosevelt Auditorium.’ ”
In connection with the passage of this resolution the delegates rose and stood for a moment with heads bowed and arms folded in contemplation of the great Brother who has joined the Supreme Ledge above. While standing thus the Delegates sung “Nearer My God to Thee”.
Brothers Davis and Brandon Made Past Supreme Dictators
The following resolution was passed unanimously and with great enthusiasm:
“WHEREAS, the Convention of the Supreme Lodge convened in Indianapolis, Ind., in the year of 1907, attempted to confer the honor of Past Supreme Dictator upon Brothers James J. Davis and Rodney H. Brandon, and
“WHEREAS, some doubt exists as to the effectiveness of that resolution to create these brothers Past Supreme Dictators, and
“WHEREAS, by long and faithful service to the Order on the part of both of these brothers, and because of the lines of their endeavor in the Order, it being impractical for either of them to serve the fraternity thus far as Supreme Dictator and thus earn the honor, it is hereby
“RESOLVED, that Brother James J. DAVIS, a Past Dictator of Pittsburgh, Pa., Lodge No. 46, and Brother Rodney H. Brandon, a Past Dictator of Anderson, Ind., Lodge No. 1, be and each is hereby created a Past Supreme Dictator of the Supreme Lodge of the World, Loyal Order of Moose.”
Brother McGee Remembered
Brother Hayden in an address paid a tribute to the work of Brother McGee, who for a year has been Supreme Dictator, offered a motion that “the, Supreme Council be authorized and instructed to expend a sum of not exceeding $500 for the purchase of some token to be presented to Brother C. A. A. McGee.”
The motion was passed unanimously.
ROOSEVELT A MEMBER
It was announced that Col. Theodore Roosevelt has joined New York Lodge. He had been invited to be at the Convention but sent the following telegram :
“Invitation just received. Regret exceedingly previous engagements will keep me in New England. I desire to express my appreciation of the compliment and express my best wishes to the Brother Moose.”
(Continued on page 14)
Supreme Secretary Explains
Brother Rodney H. Brandon, Supreme Secretary, occupied something like an hour of the Convention’s time very profitably. He said that of the 1,650 Lodges, there is a laxity on the part of local Secretaries in less than twenty-five. He regarded the percentage as a very favorable comment on the personnel of the subordinate Lodge Secretaries.
He devoted his time to these few cases and illustrated them by reading the correspondence between the Supreme Secretary and three of these subordinate Lodges. They were regarded as typical of the group.
In each case when the reports and per capita and Mooseheart taxes were delayed the Supreme Secretary had written warning letters to the Secretaries, and had later followed these up with letters to the entire membership of the Lodges.
Secretary Brandon read the correspondence, back and forth, and asked of the Convention whether he had been too-drastic.
The Convention appeared anxious to back him and rather inferred he should go stronger. The definite outcome was a resolution introduced by Brother Entenza. It was passed unanimously and with enthusiasm. It approved wholeheartedly the course of the Supreme Secretary and amounted to such a vote of confidence that Secretary Brandon said “by next year, with your help, I’ll try to report a hundred per cent, efficiency on the part of subordinate Lodges filing reports and remitting their dues.”
The resolution, amounting to a vote of confidence, is printed above.
Colonel Roosevelt Remembered
The beautiful auditorium in which the present Convention is being held was given a name at the session. It will be known as Roosevelt Auditorium.
The building is the largest and most expensive on the property and one of the prettiest anywhere. The resolution giving the building this name follows:
“WHEREAS, devotion to country is one of the cardinal principles of the Loyal Order of Moose, and
“WHEREAS, it is a wholesome policy to perpetuate that memory of those citizens who typify such devotion, and
“WHEREAS, Theodore Roosevelt was ever an exponent of patriotism of the highest type and always was a strong supporter of the Loyal Order of Moose and of the Mooseheart idea from its very inception, as shown t>y his life membership in Los Angeles Lodge, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That as a tribute to the memory of this loyal American, this distinguished President of the United States, this stalwart member of the Loyal Order of Moose, this
so that the person which is actually in charge of the unit is really foster-mother or foster father to the children. I think the governors of Mooseheart believe that, for the last buildings that have been erected here only hold 12, 15 or 16 children instead of 50 or 60, as the first buildings did. Second, I think the danger is removed, the danger of having a convention at Mooseheart, whether a convention ought to be held at Mooseheart.”
Brother Adams concluded his talk by calling atention directly to the obligation of all Brothers to live up to the ideals of the Order and the ideals of manhood. He said they were the examples to the hundreds of children. He said: “Perhaps you never stop to think that boys and girls imitate those people they see. These boys and girls here, boys especially, when they grow up, are going to join the Loyal' Order of Moose. They are going to be like you. That throws a great responsibility on every delegate that comes to a convention.
“If the boy or girl sees a man under the influence of liquor, or talking smutty, it hurts. It hurts him personally, for this reason:	They look
to you men as big brothers and it comes to them as a shock. I heard one of the band boys, who is listening to me now, say yesterday afternoon that the convention ought to pass a rule or something that they should not sing smutty songs.”
Brother Adams brought down the house when he quoted one of the week’s graduating class suggesting that a law be passed by the Order prohibiting the telling of smutty stories.
Among the resolutions reported by the Resolution Committee and passed unanimously by the Convention was the following:
Resolution of Confidence
WHEREAS, The Loyal Order of Moose is not only a fraternal, philanthropic and educational institution, but is also a business corporation, and
WHEREAS, No Corporation or Institution can exist, let alone gain and thrive, unless it is operated upon a business basis, and
WHEREAS, Supreme Secretary Rodney Brandon, and the Executive Committee, and the Supreme Council are endeavoring to instill business principals into not only the Supreme Lodge operating department but also the local Lodges, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That this Supreme Convention hereby unqualifiedly approves and endorses the business methods practised and operated by the Supreme Secretary and Supreme Officers, especially in seeing that Lodge Secretaries make their reports promptly, also all remittances due the Supreme Lodge.
The “Flu” Trouble.
“For instance, there was the time of the “Flu”. I am sorry I have to speak about it, but you ought to know it. When the flu started here I had it at the same time, and was confined to the house for about ten days, and managed things over the phone. When I went out on the ninth or tenth day, and went through these buildings, the sight wrung my heart. There were 400 boys and girls in bed all over these grounds. We changed the school house into a hospital and the top of Industry Hall was also used. In all of these places children were spitting blood, and dangerously ill. We had 40 or 50 who under ordinary circumstances would be dead now. We had what we called a danger list. Every time a child got down on that danger list, then there would be a consultation of the three or four physicians whom we had here, and then a fight would start. I wonder if you have ever realized that life and health can be purchased if you have the money ? They can, just as surely as a bag of flour or sugar can be purchased. And you purchased, you allowed me to purchase, last October, the lives of 40 or 50 of our boys and girls. And I purchased them without authority. I sent out a daily bulletin the minute the influenza came, telling the Governors what I was doing. About the ninth or tenth day, when I had received no answer—no letters, telegrams or anything—I got scared, and wired Brother Davis and Brother Ford what I was doing. They wired back: “Do not be foolish. We have confidence in you. Go ahead.” Mr. Henning said, “Spend all the damned money you have got.” It cost close onto $20,000, or $500 a life, but it was money well spent. There were five cases that we could not save, but there was a battle on each one. One little boy fought for 12 or 15 days, who under ordinary circumstances would have died in the first two or three days of the pneumonia that followed the first attack. * * * *
“The second thing that has made me open my eyes in regard to the Institution is this:	Our senior class. We
have been so busy doing things that I never took inventory of the boys and girls on the sense of sizing them up. I think this is true and I think each one of you will admit it:	You can
take any one of those senior boys and drop them down in any city in the country and they would fall on their feet and make good. * * * *
Regarding the Size.
“The question arises whether an institution ought to have more than a thousand children. Most institutions have three or four hundred. That is going to be a problem to settle. Personally I think an institution should have three or four thousand children. You can do this, if the units in which those boys and girls live are small,