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MOOSEHEART MAGAZINE
finances, its constant improvement of the Mooseheart Magazine and its tireless efforts to advance all the best interests of the Order.
“Director General James J. Davis, the peer of all fraternalists, who has led this Order many years, has never worked harder than during the Moose year just closed. While it may have seemed to many of us that Brother Davis could not add to the record of his accomplishments, his masterly report presented to this convention demonstrates that there are still new worlds for us to conquer and a perusal of that report, which should be read in full to every lodge of the Order, impels the belief that Brother Davis has only just begun to indicate the heights to which this Order may hope to rise. That these heights will be attained under Brother Davis’ matchless leadership, there cannot be the shadow of doubt. Long may James J. Davis continue to be the guide and inspiration of the Loyal Order of Moose.”
What Rochester Did
When Judge Pierson read that Rochester, N. Y., Lodge No. 113 had turned back to the Supreme Lodge the $1,500 reimbursement for funeral expenses of Brothers who died in the service of their country—$1,000 to go to the House of God and $500 to the Revolving Fund to assist Mooseheart students to a higher education—the delegates applauded generously, but when the Judge closed the report with “Long may James J. Davis continue to be the guide and inspiration of the Loyal Order of Moose,” the delegates cheered and cheered again.
Past Supreme Dictator John W. Ford read the report of the Executive Committee which dealt principally with the business administration of the Order.
Ovation For Davis
When the Supreme Dictator introduced the Director-General, James J. Davis, “our Order’s real leader,” the Convention spontaneously rose as one man and gave a “Howdy, Pap” that resounded and re-echoed through Mooseheart Auditorium.
Brother Davis’ report was listened to with closest attention. Its salient points will be found in another part of this issue of Mooseheart Magazine. As the several sections of this inspiring report were read the delegates broke into spontaneous applause.
Possibly the greatest applause was evoked when Brother Davis called attention to the fact that the Republican National Convention has made a good Moose its nominee for President and expressed the hope that the Democrats in San Francisco will do likewise so that no matter who is elected, the 537,000 members of the Loyal Order of Moose may be able to go down to the White House and greet its occupant with “Howdy, Pap!”
Jenkins on War Work
Vice Director General Joseph A. Jenkins, in charge of the Moose overseas work in the World War, was greeted with a salvo of applause when he was presented to make report of his work. Past Dictator John W. Ford suggested that “Joe” make his report first in Welsh, then in French and, last of all, in English.
Ford’s suggestion did not feeze “Joe” for a second. He at once enunciated his opening paragraph in Welsh, then in French.
“Switch to English,” cautioned Past Supreme Dictator Edward J. Henning and from that on the delegates hung spellbound while Brother Jenkins related his war experiences. He was applauded to the echo when he conclude’(! his splendid report of splendid service to the Moose boys who risked their lives that liberty should not perish from the earth.
Delegate “Tom” O’Donnell of Kansas City, at the conclusion of Brother Jenkins’ report, in a stirring speech, presented a French flag to be hung■ along with the. Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack now draping the
they have among themselves in Philadelphia, they have gone on, and now they are doing this magnificent thing. I say to you again, people of Philadelphia, that I speak for the Order when I s_ay, ‘God bless the members of Philadelphia Lodge, and all those who are associated with it.’
“Again, in behalf of the Order Universal, for the Mooseheart Governors, for the little children who are to come here in the future, I accept this magnificent Hospital, to be used for the purpose designated here this afternoon.” (Prolonged applause.)
Brother Harry W. Mace Supreme Treasurer Talks
(From The Daily Bulletin, printed Convention week).
Brother Harry W. Mace, “gave honor where honor is due,” and said:
“It is indeed a great pleasure to be here and witness this great demonstration. When the efforts of one man stand out so pre-eminently in a large body of men, it is the most fitting thing in the world to present some testimonial to his efforts. There is one man here today who has been praising everybody else, and been giving credit to everybody else, but has omitted to mention himself.
“Representing the Board of Officers and the membership of Philadelphia Lodge, it is my pleasure and honor to make another presentation here. This Hospital has been presented to Mooseheart as a testimonial to the boys who lost their lives in defense of their country. It is fitting that something should go along with this Hospital as a testimonial to the man who first conceived the idea, and then made possible its fulfillment. So representing the membership of Philadelphia Lodge, I take the greatest pleasure in presenting to Mooseheart a bas relief of our good Dictator of Philadelphia Lodge—Brother John W. Ford. (Applause.)
“We know his good deeds will live until time immemorial, but we have selected the most permanent material we could possibly find, and on it we have put his effigy, and it is to go into the hospital, to show to the world that he first conceived the idea of this Hospital, and then made possible its fulfillment.” (Renewed applause.)
Convention Session
(From The Daily Bulletin, printed Convention week).
Supreme Dictator Wiliam F. Broen-ing called the second day’s session of the Convention to order with a gavel presented by Delaware, Ohio, Lodge No. 1167, which he accepted, on behalf of the Convention, and expressed the thanks of the Supreme Lodge to the donors.
Judge J. Willis Pierson, District Attorney of Dallas, Texas, was then recognized and read the report of the Supreme Council, the concluding paragraphs of which read as follows:
Supreme Lodge Officers’ Work
“This report would be incomplete did we not make mention of the splendid service rendered by the Supreme officers. Our Order is exceptionally fortunate in having leaders who really lead, whose breadth of vision enables them to foresee and to foretell the trend of events and to shape the destinies of our great fraternity ever onward and upward.
“In Supreme Dictator William F. Broening the traditions of our Order have been upheld and his leadership has been vigorous and inspiring.
“Supreme Secretary Rodney H. Brandon has even excelled his record of previous years and that is saying a great deal.
“General Dictator George N. Warde’s election to that position has been amply justified by the fine record of achievement as set forth in his report to the Convention.
“The Executive Committee has continued its inestimable record of careful conservation of the Order’s
for the necessary money, the necessary funds to pay for this Hospital. We knew that it would cost us at least $125,000. Then we began to make preparations for this day. It was our hope and our ambition that one year from the time that we laid the cornerstone we should dedicate this Hospital, and I am glad to say to you that we have been paying for the Hospital just as fast as the money was needed to pay the bills for its erection, so that the Governors would not be called upon for large outlays of money, and we are prepared to pay the small balance now or tomorrow, or just as soon as we receive the necessary bills from the Governors. (Applause.)
“Philadelphia Lodge gave to the country 1352 of its members when the crisis came. Forty-seven of those men died while in the service of their country. They died heroes and patriots. We did what we could for the men who left our lodge. We kept them in good beneficial standing while they were away. We cared for their families where necessary, and now today we are here to do honor to those who lost their lives. (Applause.)
“It is an honor for any man to represent a body of 28,000 men, but when you know that that 28,000 men. are of one accord and absolutey unanimous in a project, the honor becomes greater and the pleasure is more keenly felt. And so today on behalf of those 28,000 Philadelphia Moose I ask the great Supreme Dictator above to look with favor upon the dedication of this Hospital. May it be used for the purpose of alleviating the sickness of our little ones at Mooseheart, and may it be the beginning of many other enterprises on the part of subordinate lodges to build up this great city of happy childhood here.
“Now, on behalf of Philadelphia Lodge, I present to the Director General as Chairman of the Governors in Mooseheart this Hospital with our best wishes and with the hope that it will ever remain a monument to the men who gave their lives in the service of this Republic.”
Bro. James J. Davis, Director General Responds, Representing Mooseheart
(From The Daily Bulletin, printed Convention week).
“Let me say that this is indeed a monument to those who made the supreme sacrifice, who were members of your Lodge. On behalf of the Order Universal, every man, woman and child making up the membership of the many branches of our organization, we gratefully thank you for this magnificent building, and prayer-, fully accept it, dedicated as it is for the purposes that you have so ably designated here this afternoon. I know I voice the sentiment of every man, woman and child in the organization when I say, ‘God bless the membership of Philadelphia Lodge! May they always prosper.’ No organization could help but prosper with such men as these in it, who have opened their hearts and given to this Home and School of ours this magnificent gift which was so badly needed here.
“I am personally acquainted with most of the members who are here today and I deem it a great pleasure to call them my friends and brothers. But more than that, I am just as proud as any man of Philadelphia Lodge, because I see myself wending my way into the city Hall at Philadelphia some twelve years ago, to the office of John W. Ford, to ask him if he would become one of the charter members of the lodge we were about to organize. He said he would, and asked about what we expected to do in the way of membership. I said that our mark in Philadelphia was 10,000. He said: ‘You will be lucky if you get 150.’ But, my friends, under his leadership, under the co-working agreement that
made to the sixteen Philadelphia wards now at Mooseheart.
There was a very large crowd in attendance at the dedication.
Speech by Bro. John W. Ford in Presenting the Hospital to Mooseheart
(From The Daily Bulletin, printed Convention week).
“It has been little more than a year ago when upon one of my usual monthly visits to Mooseheart, accompanied by the Director General I visited our little temporary hospital and there he called to my attention the case of a little child who had lost both father and mother and had been brought to Mooseheart when only five or six weeks of age. We saw exemplified there the real Mooseheart spirit. A Mooseheart mother with a child of her own had readily offered to nurse this little one as well as her own. The result has been that that child is living and thriving wonder-ously today.. When the Director General and myself left that hospital our hearts were full of sympathy and human kindness and just there and then there came an inspiration to me. My thoughts went back to my lodge in Philadelphia. I have always felt that I was but the average of the membership, and I felt that the same sentiment which was swelling up within me would be in the breast of every member of that lodge when I told them the story. So I was inspired to suggest to that great membership, 28,000 men, the building of a hospital at Mooseheart
“We had in our minds the erection of some memorial to the 47 members of our Lodge who had made the sacrifice for patriotism and love of country, and this inspiration seemed to me to tell us just what form that memorial should take. So I began to consider the matter, consulted with our architect who was connected with the lodge, Brother Carl P. Berger, and plans were drawn. He and I worked over it for some time. We presented the proposition to the Governors. We were seated around the usual board table and when I made this statement that I had had an inspiration, and that I believed Philadelphia Lodge would back me up in the proposition and I unfolded these plans to them, I shall never forget the look that came over the face of the founder of Mooseheart, who was occupying the position, of course, as chairman of the Board of Governors. He simply could not respond. Brother Albert Bushnell Hart said, “I move we adjourn. This Board of Governors’ meeting has accomplished quite enough for one meeting.”
“So I went back to the Board of officers in my lodge, the men whom you see here around me, the men who have been with me for the past seven years. You see here to my right and left the men who have built Philadelphia Lodge to its present membership. (Applause.)
“I told these men what my inspiration had been, and immediately they were electrified, and they unanimously and with one accord endorsed the building of this Hospital. The following Sunday afternoon as a Board of Officers we presented it to the Lodge. There were 1800 members present at that meeting and we were unanimously endorsed. We were given power and authority to build this hospital no matter what it might cost. (Applause.)
“A year ago we laid the cornerstone here and then we went back to Philadelphia. Forty-eight hours after we arrived in the old Quaker city these women, these Quaker girls, members of Philadelphia Legion No. 4, began to make this project a success. (Applause.) Our Board of Officers and the members of Philadal-phia Legion No. 3, in charge of Bro. A. H. Ladner, Jr., as Great North Moose, began to work. Our Moose defenders began to work and so immediately v' began to lay the foundation