Show WHY THE ELKS MEET Objects of the Convention in Salt Lake MAKES LAWS FOR ORDER Grand Lodgo Occupies to Subordinate r Lodges Same Bslatlvo Position Congress Docs to States Hulcs Change as Order Grows Pnst Exalted Ex-alted Rulers Aro Delegates and Each Lodge Must Send One Pay lug His Expenses Coming Convention Con-vention First West of Kansas City There is i much curiosity manifested by those who are not members of UK 331k9 as to L what the grand lodpc really Is what Its sessions mean to the order or-der gonorilly the relations of that august au-gust body of men to the hundreds of Mibcrdinalo lodges throughout the United States the objects of the grand I lodge Its functions and how the dele cuies to that nsdcirfbiy arc selected The grand lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Orl < > r of Elks bears the same relative position to he I subordinate subordi-nate lodges as docs the Congress of the HJnlted Slates to the different States of the Romibllc JvAWMAKING BODY In a general way those two unincorporated unincor-porated bodiea l arc very similar as tot to-t relative functions they perform As Congress makes laws for the country coun-try to docs the gnind lodge enact rules for the guidance of the minor lodges of the ordor As the country advances rnd cxjuuuK aid new laws are required re-quired to meet the new conditions Congress formulates and promulgates them The Elks Is I an order which jrrows very fast Laws and rules which sufficed for its ovornmtiit a few years hack become defective by not coping with the exigencies of the situation and have to he changed New onus have t be made to treat with conditions condi-tions that prssent themselves from year to year Those changes modifications modifica-tions and creations are delegated to the grand lodge and nt Its regular annual an-nual meetlnsr receive attention VTIO ARK THE DELEGATKS Representatives to Congress meaning mean-ing the JJouPe and Fciiate are elected Ty the people to serve either four nr six years The delegates to the grand lodge are also elected but under conditions con-ditions strictly peculiar to the Elks To better understand that assertion it t Is necessary to make the statement that all delegates to that superior body with few exceptions are pasL exalted rulers Phe only exceptions are wilh lodges wl ioh i are not ayear old when the grand odge meets or when the lirst exalted rider is reelected one 01 mere tImes The exalted ruler is tho highest officer of the subordinate lodge lie is elected for one year but can reelected us many times as the lodges desires Until an Elk has sat In that chair he carnot be u delegate to The grand lodge and once a delegate heSs he-Ss always a delegate To enable anew a-new lodge one less I than a year old to have u voice in the deliberations of thrt august body Its presllinrr exalted ruIN is I permitted to attend the next reunion The next year that officer becomes be-comes u past exalted ruler provided he is not reelected Jf ho Is he occupies oc-cupies the same position as a past exalted ex-alted ruler in the eyes of the grand lodge A subordinate lodge docs not have to rend nil Ils past exalted rulers to a grand lodge reunion But it is com pclled to send one and Iay all hl legitimate expenses The other delegates dele-gates defray the expenses oC their own trln t trlnThe annual sessions of the grand lodge are of three days duration As yet there has never been an occasion to extend It beyond that tilEd WHEN ThE GRAND LODGE MEETS The date for holding the reunion or convention as It iy I sometimes ailed is not Ilxed by any set rule It occurs either In the summer or very early fall The location of the next meeting place has considerable to do with the selection selec-tion of till Oalc The endeavor Is to hold the sosslor at a time when the weather or other gatherings will be conducive to the arccst attendance It requires the majority of all votes cast to determine the place fOI holding hold-ing the following reunion Any city can enter tho contest As a rule only the larger ones do iio as tho cost attendant attend-ant upon the holding of the convention is very great and few of the lodges fee 1 equal to hearing the financial burden bur-den FIRST MEETING IX WEST Up to this year the grand lodge has never met furl her west of the Mississippi Missis-sippi river than Kansas City The horor the last convention conferred upon Salt Lake by selecting1 it for the 3002 mooting is therefore a great one And it is for that reason that the exec iii lye committee which has the entertainment enter-tainment In charge Is straining every effort to make the slay of the visitors in Zion a moKt enjoyable one The rules of the order governing the piMolmuiH oC new laws I changing and modifying the old ones are similar to those of overs oilier secret and fraternal fra-ternal organization They are both long and uuJntercstlnGT lo the average prrpon und generally familiar as most mon 01 women nowadays belong to some society Eotwreti the sessions of the grand edge there are countless matters pertaining per-taining to the order which require Immediate Im-mediate attention Such routine business bus-iness is I looked after by the grand exalted ex-alted ruler nrolHlod by the district deputy dep-uty grand exalted rulers The general gen-eral headquarters of the lodge arc located lo-cated in the city where the grard exalted ex-alted ruler lives Ills deputies one ficm each State In which thero Is I a subordinate lodge make their I headquarters head-quarters in their respective = cities FKV LONGDEHATMS JDuriug sessions of the grand lodge comparatively I little time is spuit in iong debated 1 un Important svbjrCls or new laws as uny and all modllratlons qf the rules are never acted upon at the session at which they are tlrst brought up The committee to which they are referred htis a year In which to make Its report In that time the mailer Is generdily J well discussed In the subordinate lodges and some action ac-tion taken upon It and the delegates are instructed to vote in I accordance with that ajmlniKnt i WORK OF SALT LAKE MEETING The most important questlors to come up before the Salt Lake grand lodge will he the annual election of officers the selection of the 1003 meeting meet-ing place and final action on the proposition prop-osition to establish a home for ajved and indigent Elks The committee point 1 p-oint at the last session of the lodge held In Milwaukee will make itu report Kive sites have been considered and It Is expected that one of ilcm will he decided upon at the wasloi in August |