THE MEANING OF ELKDOM

The following is an excerpt of a speech given in 1924 by the Exalted Ruler of Lodge #8, William S. Heidenberg. It is without a doubt, the best description of the meaning of Elkdom I have seen and is evidence that our predecessors had excellent control of the English language, to a degree that we may never see again.

“Elkdom is the great melting pot of American civilization. She gathers within her fold Catholic and Protestant, Jew and Gentile. Her only allegiance is that to a Supreme Being. Her loyalty is alone to the Stars and Stripes; she stands as a bulwark against invisible government and against those forces that would strike at the foundation stone of constituted authority. Her only creed is that of Charity — charity not alone of the purse but of the heart as well; that charity which gives to every man the right to worship his God according to the dictates of his own conscience. Resting on such a foundation, our efforts can never fail.”