Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Illinois - University Library

Tuesday 7 GRAND LODGE OF ILLINOIS, I. O. O. F. JJ
Nov. 18. 1013. (
I am writing you this letter to urge you to pay your dues and
continue in good standing in the Order, so that you may help in the
great work our Order is doing. Possibly some day our Order may be
of great service to you.
In addition to the immense amount of relief being extended by
each Subordinate and Rebekah Lodge in Illinois, we are educating and
fitting for life 160 orphan children, in our Orphan's Home at Lincoln,
and caring for 129 aged members in our Old Folks' Home at Mattoon.,
If Odd Fellowship in Illinois alone does no more than the above, ought
you not continue to help in this great and good work?
We are proud of the record Odd Fellowship has made, not only in
Illinois, but throughout the world. Today we number over 150,000
members in Illinois, with a total enrollment throughout the world of
2,073,680.
The Order is expending more than five and one-half million
dollars annually to assist those in distress. Illinois alone expending
the large sum of $335,363.53 in 1912.
Fraternities are the great heart schools of this country, in the
maintenance of which each Odd Fellow has a part to perform. We*
need your help in this work.
I feel that you want to continue your membership in this the
greatest fraternal organization in the world, and that the cause of
your arrearage is neglect.
I sincerely hope you will pay up and continue with us.
Yours fraternally,
JOHN E. JENNINGS.
Grand Master.
One hundred and thirty-two letters were returned to my office
uncalled for, and the Grand Master received 41 replies to thisi letter.
There was dropped for non-payment of dues 3,716 during the year
ending March 31, 1913. It is therefore, still uncertain the reason
why members suffer themselves to be dropped.
I would recommend that this committee and the incoming Grand
Master use a follow-up system, obtaining from the different character of
Lodges, large, small and medium, city and country, the names and post
office addresses of a sufficient number of members who were dropped to
make the list representative, then the Grand Master direct a personal
letter with return postage included, consisting largely of questions
easily answered, inquiring of the members for such information as the
committee and Grand Master desires. Tabulate the information and
report to the next Grand Lodge what their efforts have developed. I
believe in this way- we can arrive at some practical plan to prevent
the great loss by dropped members.