The Elks. The Moose. The VFW. AMVETS. Eagles. Where did they come from?

[scotrace]

I don't know how wide-spread the "animal clubs" are, or if they are a midwestern phenomenon.
I have never joined, though my dad belonged, as does my sister today, as well as my boss. They seem like places that the Greatest Generation thought up as members-only (and thus you could keep people out if you wanted) joints to go have a cheap dinner and beer with the Mrs., maybe do a little dancing. My sister took me to hers a few weeks ago and we had a big pizza, a dozen wings, and two drinks each for under $25. I began to see the appeal!

Where did such clubs begin? Why? And are they on the decline (as it certainly seems so here in my cornfield?)

 

[Doctor Strange]

A quick look at Wiki indicates that the Elks were founded in 1868 in NYC, so it's hardly a "Greatest Generation" (or midwestern) thing! Many of these "fraternal organizations" go way back...

And they probably are on the decline, supplanted by electronic communications clubs like, uh, the FL.

Not sure about various veteran's organizations, but they have probably also been around since after WWI, if not earlier.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Elks are still very big here -- for a long time it's been a given that if anyone hopes to have any political influence in this town, they need to be Elks. Maybe it's just a small-town thing, but service clubs like the Elks, Lions, and such still have an important place in the community. And any plans for grandiose local weddings usually include a gala reception at the Elks Lodge.

The VFW goes back quite a ways too -- it grew out of an organization for Spanish-American War veterans!

 

["Skeet" McD]

Masonry for Non-Masons, largely....

This is painting with a VERY broad brush--and I speak as someone who is not a member of any fraternal organization, but who has spent a lot of time in the backwoods and bywaters of 19C thought.

Speaking now largely for the Anglo world, the "original" fraternal organization is Masonry, a product of the later 17C (whatever the creation myths may say...); one way to explain the sudden interest in Masonry (and I speak as a Roman Catholic) is to say that when the Protestant reformation took away ceremony, ritual clothing, and a certain mystery from people's daily lives, they still had a hankering for such things; that seems to be a pretty deep thread in humanity. Not being able to have it in their religion, this thread sought and found a new outlet: secular organizations. But for the first few centuries, Masonry was exclusively a Protestant affair, and a socially upscale one. Not just ANYBODY could join....though many wanted to.

Along comes the industrial revolution and the rise of a middle class who not only wanted to take on the trappings of upper-class society...now they could afford to, as well. And suddenly you have a ZILLION fraternal organizations, most of which have died and gone to heaven, but a handful of which survive. These groups all partook of the ritual/uniform/mystery aspects of Masonry but served many different groups and mindsets: the Grange and Patrons of Husbandry for farmers, for instance, are part of this whole constellation, as are the early trade unions.

It got so bad towards the end of the 19C (the great, great period of the fraternal organization) that even the Roman Catholic Church--which forbids membership in secret societies!--had to start one of their own: the Knights of Columbus. And, because almost all of them were segregated racially, there was a whole rank of black shadow organizations, usually recognizable because the word "improved" is in the name, like "The Improved Order of Foresters of America."

All of them, besides providing a good, safe place to hang out among like-minded individuals (and usually cheap liquor and food--along with the odd stag film at the "smoker") were responsible for civic and other good works and networking, career-wise (this was one of the reasons so many people wanted to get into the Masons to start out with). They continue to provide all of this for the folks who decide to join, and the communities and groups they serve.

Just one man's opinion, and offered as nothing else.

"Skeet"

 

[DocMustang]

Many of these clubs have their origins in the post American Civil War period. This was known as the "Golden age of Fraternal organizations". During this period men formed these organizations for many reasons, some were trying to replicate the comraderie of military life. Others were founded for mutual benefit, I believe that the Moose started for this reason. Others were for specific causes, the temperance movement for example. Many of these groups formed parade units. This was the heyday of the Masonic Knights Templar, the Knights Pythias and others. This gave the uniform supply companies a market that would have largely disappeared after the war. Several american swordmakers owe their continued existance to these groups. They also served a political purpose as well as anywhere influential people gather, influence tends to be peddled. Women's auxillary groups were formed during this period as well. Many of these groups withered away within a generation or two as interest waned and members grew old.

In our "golden era" groups like this experienced a surge like never before as thousands joined after WWII. Unfortunately for these groups the "greatest generation's" children showed limited interest in these groups as they engaged in the social uphevals of the 60's and 70's. Among fraternal groups baby boomers are known as the "lost generation". With this loss of interest for the most part the children of baby boomers were not introduced to these groups.

However, there is hope. There are signs that the decline may be coming to an end. New members seem to be joining many of these groups at an increasing rate as "Generation X" discovers the heritage bequeithed to them by their grandparents and great grand parents. While overall membership numbers may never reach the heights achieved in the late 50's and early 60's. A new generation seems to be finding these groups and may preserve them for generations to come.

Doc
Ann Arbor Fraternity #262
Michigan Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons
32degree, Valley of Detroit, Scottish Rite, NMJ

 

[Fletch]

Particularly strong in Iowa, at any rate, were the Odd Fellows (who also had the best name and the best motto = "Friendship, Love, Truth"). But thruout the Midwest such organizations persist, presumably skewing over-60 these days. My hometown has Masons, Elks, Moose, Lions, Kiwanis, Legion, but no longer an IOOF (altho they left us a big Temple downtown).

Ladies' IOOF is the Rebekahs.

 

[DBLIII]

My wife and I have been Eagles members for probably 20 years. Five years ago, I'd have said the local chapter was really declining, just "old people" (including me -- meaning us boring ones who don't want loud music, just cheap drinks, etc.). Honestly, though, the average age of the members would have been much older than an average age if one walked into a tavern.

Then, it happened. The city council banned smoking everywhere, in any building accessible by the public. No exemptions. In the first six months, seven restaurants/bars and half a dozen taverns closed.

Seems that history just comes back around sometimes and that "private club" status the Eagles has plus the Eagles has been established for so long (city council tried to get that shot down but an attorney derailed it), it became the only place in a town of 100,000 where one could get a drink and smoke a cigar. Membership increased exponentially. So did business. The local lodge was able to pay off their mortgage, renovate the interior, get some decent televisions - and we were also able to go help out the local humane society, which was about to go broke. (Yes, I got a dog out of the deal.... oh, that only makes nine dogs at home.)

So, for one Eagles lodge, through a strange set of circumstances, smoking really helped them. And I am all in favor of "private clubs."

 

["Skeet" McD]

Enjoy it while you can...and do what you can to keep it!

Then, it happened. The city council banned smoking everywhere, in any building accessible by the public. No exemptions. In the first six months, seven restaurants/bars and half a dozen taverns closed. And I am all in favor of "private clubs."

And lucky to live in a place where this is still possible: keep your eyes open, and your finger on the right lever in the voting booth, to make sure it stays that way.

fftopic: I'm a non-smoker: never have, never will (I'm a singer by trade)--and no one was happier than I when, here in Massachusetts--starting, of course, in the People's Republic of Cambridge--smoking was banned from restaurants, about 20 years ago. Then the creep started. First, restaurants were permitted to have a separate smoking area--then that was prohibited (after many had spent MUCHO DINERO to build them, with all the elaborate ventilations required by the law; then public buildings; then bars; Currently, no smoking is permitted anywhere public, statewide. Private clubs have not been exempted....even ones where there are NO employees, only members (like our Gun Club). Soon, I have no doubt, smoking will be prohibited in homes with children (there are already lawsuits about parents smoking in their cars with children present)...Well, I know a witch hunt when I see one (I live about 10 miles from Salem )

 

[Subvet642]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD]And lucky to live in a place where this is still possible: keep your eyes open, and your finger on the right lever in the voting booth, to make sure it stays that way.

fftopic: I'm a non-smoker: never have, never will (I'm a singer by trade)--and no one was happier than I when, here in Massachusetts--starting, of course, in the People's Republic of Cambridge--smoking was banned from restaurants, about 20 years ago. Then the creep started. First, restaurants were permitted to have a separate smoking area--then that was prohibited (after many had spent MUCHO DINERO to build them, with all the elaborate ventilations required by the law; then public buildings; then bars; Currently, no smoking is permitted anywhere public, statewide. Private clubs have not been exempted....even ones where there are NO employees, only members (like our Gun Club). Soon, I have no doubt, smoking will be prohibited in homes with children (there are already lawsuits about parents smoking in their cars with children present)...Well, I know a witch hunt when I see one (I live about 10 miles from Salem )[/QUOTE]

That's why I almost never go to bars anymore. I don't see how they can keep me from smoking in my own home, though. :rage:

 

["Skeet" McD]

Here's how....

That's why I almost never go to bars anymore. I don't see how they can keep me from smoking in my own home, though. :rage:

fftopic: by 1) claiming that you are endangering someone else, and it is the state's responsibility to protect them (should you say that you live alone...well, the answer would be: you stand a chance of burning the place down); and 2) (as we head merrily towards government health care) claiming that since "society" at large will eventually pick up the bill for any possible health problems, it has a right (oh, sorry: responsibility) to keep you healthy...for your own sake, and for society at large's benefit.

Gone are the days, my friend, of the concept of personal responsibility. I have a suspicion all of us who have a problem with the trend we're talking about here will eventually find ourselves living in the high west...I expect that will be about the last place in the States that holds on to a belief in letting people live as they please, and take the consequences.

And remember: I don't smoke. I just believe in personal liberty. In the meantime, to make a small concession to what we're SUPPOSED to be talking about here..and hopefully get back to it...if you're lucky enough to live in a place where private clubs are exempt from this stuff...make sure you do everything you can to keep it that way...and perhaps join a fraternal organization!

"Skeet"

 

[Lincsong]

I had an Uncle who was an Elk in Honolulu. They've got a great lodge on Waikiki Beach with the best Sunday brunch on the island.

 

["Skeet" McD]

I had an Uncle who was an Elk in Honolulu. They've got a great lodge on Waikiki Beach with the best Sunday brunch on the island.

Given the location...is it, by any chance, a lodge that was there in the Golden Age? Nice architecture, etc.?

"Skeet"

 

[KY Gentleman]

According to the book "Stories In Stone : A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography" by Douglas Keister, many societies provided a death benefit as part of membership. A tombstone, or a plot in the organizations cemetery or a space in a community mausoleum.
The Eagles were founded in Seattle in 1898 by theater owners. The organization provided brotherhood and also health benefits provided by an "Aerie Physician" .They also had their own Eagle-appropriate stirring script for a funeral service. There is a quote in the section regarding The Eagles that states "no Eagle was ever buried in a Potters Field".
The Elks were an off-shoot of a drinking club called "The Jolly Corks".
Tombstones of Elks are easy to identify, they have an emblem with an Elk in the center surrounded by a clock with Roman numerals. The letters B P O E (Benevolent Protective Order of Elks). The clocks hands are always at 11:00.
According to this book, The Elks are the largest of the "animal clubs" and are big on patriotism, community service and caring for other Elks in need.
The Moose organization used to provide a form of insurance for its members families in the event a Moose died or became disabled.
So it seems along with fellowship these clubs provided needed benefits for its members.
I'm sorry I was so long winded here, folks!

 

[docneg]

A new generation seems to be finding these groups and may preserve them for generations to come.

Thanks for that positive note on an otherwise gray day, my fellow doc!

Docneg
Acacia Lodge #157 AF&AM,
32 Degree, Valley of Clarksburg, Orient of West Virginia

 

[Widebrim]

Veterans of Foreign Wars

From the official VFW website:

"The VFW traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service: Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans' pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves.

"In their misery, some of these veterans banded together and formed organizations with what would become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. By 1915, membership grew to 5,000; by 1936, membership was almost 200,000."

Here in the Los Angeles area, there are not too many VFW posts (there seem to be more American Legion members present), and the posts are fairly small. There was a general decline in veteran's organizations probably since the 80s, although veteran's groups have tended to be stronger in the Southern and Mid-Western states over the years. There were various reasons for the decline, especially greater choice of recreational outlets (including those found in one's own home). It appears,though, that some veteran's organizations are currently gaining a bit in membership, no doubt due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this, I am still one of the youngest at my VFW post, which is mostly comprised of men between 55-75. We make more money from our canteen (which brings in many non-members) than from dues or fundraising efforts.

 

[Lincsong]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD]Given the location...is it, by any chance, a lodge that was there in the Golden Age? Nice architecture, etc.?

"Skeet"[/QUOTE]


Oh, yes, it's very Golden Age architecture. I don't know exactly when it was built but I'm guessing in the early 1930's. It's just a few feet from the World War I Memorial, between that and the foot of Diamond Head.

 

["Skeet" McD]

A peep inside the Waikiki Elks Club in the Golden Age....

Oh, yes, it's very Golden Age architecture. I don't know exactly when it was built but I'm guessing in the early 1930's. It's just a few feet from the World War I Memorial, between that and the foot of Diamond Head.

A quick Google around brought up only this interior view...:
http://elks616.org/pg/176/pg/ip6706.html

But lots of comments that, should you be in Waikiki traveling with any Elks...make sure to go there: a "members only" Paradise with.....very low prices....yet another reason to join!

 

[Miss Ritz]

I can't say much about the other org's listed, but just an interjection into the roots of VFW and AMVets. Right after the Civil War, veterans groups representing both the Union and Confederate soldiers began to form. The largest one was the GAR-- Grand Army of the Republic, which grew to pretty sizable numbers by the turn of the century. They became highly influential politically (for quite a while, every Republican who ran for Pres. and was backed by the GAR won the election, if I remember correctly...). They were also pretty heavy into lobbying for veterans rights, established Memorial Day, etc. Since only Union vets could join, other Vet groups which were more inclusive were established after later wars to continue the fraternity and progress that the GAR had started.

 

[Subvet642]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD]fftopic: by 1) claiming that you are endangering someone else, and it is the state's responsibility to protect them (should you say that you live alone...well, the answer would be: you stand a chance of burning the place down); and 2) (as we head merrily towards government health care) claiming that since "society" at large will eventually pick up the bill for any possible health problems, it has a right (oh, sorry: responsibility) to keep you healthy...for your own sake, and for society at large's benefit.

Gone are the days, my friend, of the concept of personal responsibility. I have a suspicion all of us who have a problem with the trend we're talking about here will eventually find ourselves living in the high west...I expect that will be about the last place in the States that holds on to a belief in letting people live as they please, and take the consequences.

And remember: I don't smoke. I just believe in personal liberty. In the meantime, to make a small concession to what we're SUPPOSED to be talking about here..and hopefully get back to it...if you're lucky enough to live in a place where private clubs are exempt from this stuff...make sure you do everything you can to keep it that way...and perhaps join a fraternal organization!

"Skeet"[/QUOTE]

I too, am from Mass.

 

["Skeet" McD]

It got so bad towards the end of the 19C (the great, great period of the fraternal organization) that even the Roman Catholic Church--which forbids membership in secret societies!--had to start one of their own: the Knights of Columbus.

Poked around in the vast, musty archive of sheet music covers I collected avidly in my misspent youth (faith, at that time--if you were willing to go in up to your eyebrows in merde and dig--you could buy this stuff literally by the pound for pennies; it was scrap paper. Those days are gone! But, as a musician interested in 19 and early 20C popular culture....I performed a lot of them, and the graphics alone (good AND bad) are a graduate level course in mass culture; as with everything else made to sell...it reflects popular taste and interests very accurately.

Anyway, Like Dylan Thomas I stuck my hand in, and came up with:

http://gallery.me.com/finiancircle#100014/DSCF1828
http://gallery.me.com/finiancircle#100014/DSCF1830&bgcolor=black

The K of C number is a song from 1920; here are the lyrics (spelling and punctuation as printed):

VERSE ONE
When my days work is done, I want a little fun
So I go to the K of C.
For when ever I get there, Friendship everywhere,
Fills my heart with glee.
There's something in that atmosphere, That always brings good cheer

VERSE TWO
Wonderful K of C will allways mean to me
brotherly love, for all mankind
You have shoulderd evry care, Did more than your share,
Never fell behind.
Where ever I may care to roam, That emblem stands for home

CHORUS
I spend my nights at the Knights of Columbus,
And I ahve a wonderful time,
No matter what night I chance to come down,
I'm always bound to find an old pal around.
There's dancing and singing, good fellowship too,
No time at all to feel blue,
Ev'ry now and then we hold a ladies night,
When we doll up, boy, you aught to see the sight,
When ever I'm lonely and don't feel just right—
It's the Knights of Columbus for mine.

The Knights of Pythias number is an instrumental dance from 1902, and would have been just as much at home on the music rack of the parlor piano (where the chromolitho cover announced fraternal loyalty) as at one of those dances and ladies nights the K of C song mentions....