Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 267, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1916 — MOOSE LODGE RAPIDLY FORGING TO FRONT [ARTICLE]

MOOSE LODGE RAPIDLY FORGING TO FRONT

New Organization Here Bids Fair to Be Powerful in Community—All Classes Enrolled. In an interview which we had with one of the members of the Moose lodge we learned that the oibjects and purposes of the Moose home at Rensselaer is sociability. state that while the business men have, their own private and select organizations, which is all just and proper, that Rensselaer has never had a social club that has gone in partnership with the farmer, mechanic and professional men. The farmer is getting to be the gentleman of the country, is highly educated, is refined and a clear thinker. It is by means of the Moose home that all of these different classes of people are getting together and bumping elbows with each other and exchanging views which is to the mutual benefit of each and every one, taking them out of the rut of little social cliques and putting them all on the broad plain of equality. These are the ideas that are giving the Moose home its growth and has made possible the finest club rooms between Chicago and Indianapolis. Each and every member has his own key and is welcome to enter the home at any and all times where he will always find a bunch of good fellows to give him the glad hand. He will find all forms of innocent amusements, such as cards, billiards, having one of the finest billiard tables in Rensselaer, costing SSOO, chess, checkers, dominoes and crokinole boards.

On the reading table will be found ’all the leading newspapers, both morning and evening, representing the different political parties, so which is added farm journals, mechanical journals and the different magazines that will be of interest to each and every class of people. This is all free to the members of the home . In addition to these for the summer time the lodge is contemplating putting in a summer roof garden at the south end of their club orom. They are going to put in a platform suitable for dancing, with lattice work around the edges and flower pots for Vines to go up on the lattice work and also put plenty of lounging furniture and chairs for the boys to spend their summer evenings. It is also the intention of the lodge that as soon as Mr. Robinson and Mr. Chapman can supply the demand, to have their own dining room and kitchen and serve good home cooking to the members of the club.

Another idea that the home has is that of giving free entertainments to its members. Next Thursday evening Earle Reynolds is to give a most interesting talk upon his experiences during his travel all over the world. He has skated before all the crowned heads in Europe, has been the guest of royalty throughout the world and visited the places of interest and has seen all classes of people and his talk will certainly be entertaining to the members of the home. This is only a starter. The last week in the month the home is to give an old fiddlers contest and invites all the old fiddlers to come and bring their violins and give the old time airs. A prize will be given to the most popular one.

It is also the intention of the club, from time to time, to have speakers come and entertain them and also to have vaudeville artists to come from abroad to the club in order that the members may enjoy an evening’s pleasure. This ik all free. In addition to these things the home pays $7 a week sick and accident benefits and SIOO death benefits. One of the leading features of this organization is that it is the third largest organization in the world and has homes all over the United States and Canada, where a receipt admits one at any and all times to the privileges of the home. At Mooseheart, Illinois, they have the largest school in the world for children. They have over 1,500 acres of rich Illinois land upon which over $3,000,000 of buildings and over 500 d e P en dent Moose children are being trained to make efficient men and women. At this school they teach twenty-nine different trades and professions and the child is givenion entering two weeks’ trial of each of the twbnty-nline trades and professions and is watched carefully by experts to see what he is most interested in and the best adapted to and by the aid of the child and these instructors his life vocation is picked out and it given , especial traipihg in that which he is most nterested in and fitted for so that when he reaches the age of manhood he is fully equipped for the problems of life. No one is permitted to be adopted from this institution but can only be