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MOOSEHEART MAGAZINE
Greatest Convention
Moosedom’s
The Members of the Order and Their Families Came by the Thousands From Here and There. The Children Here Were Pronounced Great Entertainers
the then Governor of the State with shovels and pickaxes turned the first ground for the Highway. The cornerstone for the institution itself was laid with special ceremonies on July 27, 1913, when Vice President Marshall made the dedicatory address, giving to Mooseheart the kindly countenance of the ־ National Government. Purity Hall, Wisdom Hall, the present Postoffice, and the Philadelphia Memorial Hospital with a number of other of the standard Mooseheart buildings were begun with some bit of ceremony that impressed all Mooseheart residents and visitors with the dignity of a building dedicated to the promotion of “The School That Trains for Life.” The present Convention, beginning its formal sessions tomorrow, will in the course of the week return to the early custom _ and lay cornerstones and set apart sites for a number of buildings that will be erected in the coming months. The formal dedication of Memorial Hospital will be made by Philadelphia Lodge on Tuesday afternoon. In consonance with these proposed services of the Convention we are met this afternoon to give special emphasis to the beginning of a building that for several years has been upon the heart and mind of both the first officials of- the Loyal Order of Moose, as well as in the affections of thousands of members of the Order.
There are those of us who have been present on great occasions when people contributed to their utmost ability their means to free church buildings of the incumbrance of debt, but none of us I think have ever witnessed anything so spontaneous, so intensely spiritual and devotional as that afternoon session at the last Convention when by a simple remark from one of the delegates reporting for certain lodges who had authorized him to pledge sums for the House of God, the whole assembly was set afire. The Order of Business was interrupted, one delegate after thg other rose to add his individual pledge or to speak for his lodge. They crowded out into the aisles, they pushed up to the broad platform, they called from all parts of the house. There were pledges for immediate payment, there were pledges for annual payment for lifetime and for a series of years, both from lodges and individual delegates. The clerks at the reporters’ table were driven wild in their attempt to keep up their ree-
Once more the Past Dictators of our Order have come to Mecca. Once more the thousands of slippered feet have pressed the sacred sands before the Shrine and the knees of thousands have bent before the sublime picture of eight hundred and more happy children at play. Once more the great student hand has sat under the elm trees and discoursed sweet sounds to thousands of anxiously waiting ears.
It was a great Convention. The predominating feature of it was the appearance of women in thousands. There were more women by five to one than ever attended a Supreme Convention before. The Women of Mooseheart Legion fezzes were among the most prominent patches of white in the color scheme of the Convention. They were everywhere; in the dormitories, on the lawns, in the meetings, marching, parading, visiting. On Wednesday night when they had their own particular affair, they jammed the Roosevelt Auditorium far beyond reasonable standing, and sat and stood for hours while the prettily dressed women in matchless drill teams from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Linton, Ind., Madison, Wis., Aurora, 111., and Mooseheart, swung through the mazes of fancy drills until the mind was confused with the picture of whirling color.
The amazing thing about it was that the men liked it. The drill team and degree team of Mooseheart Mothers were cheered until the rafters of the auditorium rocked with the sound.
Once more the white tents dotted the green grasses on the river side and from King Solomon’s Temple on Solomon’s Island to Moose Creek, the sounds of happy men on vacation made the night glad. There was no rbster-ing, boistering, vulgarity nor unseemliness; everybody knew they were on sacred soil and conducted themselves accordingly.
It was not a Legislative Convention. Pew arguments took place on the floor about the why and wherefor of administration but rather the delegates bent their minds to the problems of the welfare of men, women and little children. They discussed the question of mental deficiency, of the duty of widows to their children, vocational education, and they voiced their hearty applause to the six young men and women of the class of 1920 as they passed out to work and higher educa-
monies followed. The Director General in opening the session said: “Ladies and Gentlemen:	We have
assembled here this Sabbath afternoon for the purpose of selecting a site on which we will erect the House of God, and dedicate it to the many religious faiths that make up our fraternity. I welcome all of you, and I hope that when this House of God is erected and dedicated to the services of Almighty God that many of us here will have the pleasure of worshiping here according to our several understandings; that many a happy soul will find solace and comfort in offering.prayers in this House of God at Mooseheart.
“I will ask all now to sing ‘Mooseheart, the Happiest.’ ”
Following the singing, Director General Davis said:
I will now ask Dr. J. A. Rondthaler, the Protestant minister of Mooseheart to say something to us.
The Rondthaler Address
In the earlier years of the building of Mooseheart it was the custom to have a service of some kind to dignify the beginning of all building operations. The stretch of the Lincoln Highway along Mooseheart property was instituted with a great gathering of Moose, who following the lead of
tion on Commencement day.
It was the biggest Convention ever held at Mooseheart. Nine hundred four delegates enrolled with the credentials committee. In addition to these, drill teams, bands, miscellaneous- members by the thousands surged about the buildings and the grounds.
The big outstanding feature was, of course, the dedication of the Philadelphia Hospital. Next to this was the dedication of the five different sites for State buildings, either single or group buildings, and the setting aside of God’s Acre for the House of God. From Sunday morning, the twentieth, until Friday night, the twenty-fifth, the great Moose family paid its respects to its Mecca and all went home inspired with good thoughts, good words, and good deeds for all mankind.
SUNDAY Jhine 20th, 1920
(From The Daily Bulletin, printed Convention week).
On Sunday afternoon, June 20, thousands took part in the dedication services of the ground upon which the House of God will be erected. After dress parade the big crowd of just day vsitors marched to the site near the Heart and the impressive cere-
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