WHAT IT MEANS
TO BE AN ELK
The
Benevolent &
Protective Order of Elks
had it's beginnings on
February 16th, 1868, when
the 15 original "Jolly
Corks" met in Military Hall
in New York City to form the
Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks,The great
Order, which has grown to
over 1.2 million members, is
now in it's 132nd
year. It has touched the
lives of the great and the
small through the years,
helping to heal the domestic
wounds of a civil war,
reaching out to the
unfortunate during countless
national disasters. It's
membership, rising from the
Jolly Corks, a group of
budding thespians and
artists, has grown to
include many well known
entertainers,
professionals from all walks
of life . . . from doctors
and lawyers, from
plumbers to politicians. It
includes the people next
door, and several former
Presidents of the United
States. This great
fraternity appeals to the "
achievers" of this country,
proving once again that "
no-one stands so tall as
when they stoop to help a
child".
From the BPOE pamphlet
The Order of Elks is an
organization of American
citizens who love their
country and desire to
preserve it's cherished
institutions; who love their
fellow man and seek to
promote his well-being; and
who love the joy of life and
endeavor to contribute to
it, as well as to share it.
The
Order questions no-one's
religion, nor bars them on
account of their creed. It
is not concerned with one's
political affiliations, and
it does not permit either
religion or politics to be
injected into, or have any
effect upon it's fraternal
deliberations, local or
national.
It
lures no-one to it's doors
by any promised material
benefits which might appeal
to their self-interest. It
pledges no support to the
furtherance of personal
ambitions. It has no
insurance feature to appeal
to one's sense of economy.
It is beneficent, not merely
benevolent, and believes
that doing good is better
than merely being good. It
teaches that it is nobler to
serve than be served; that
laughter is better than
tears, a kind word more
potent than a frown; and
that life is all the sweeter
for a song.
It
therefore seeks to draw into
it's fraternal circle only
those who delight in
wholesome associations with
congenial companions; who
are deeply imbued with the
spirit of patriotic loyalty
and devotion; who recognize
the obligations of human
brotherhood; and who desire,
without the fanfare and
trumpets of publicity, to
share with their associates
in the endeavor to feed the
hungry, to shelter the
homeless, to receive those
in distress, and to prove
themselves true friends to
those in need.
WHY SHOULD I
BECOME A MEMBER??
