Questions
& Answers From The “History Maven”
AKA David M.J. Vernon, MA
Elks Association Historian
Oh, History Maven,
I like to collect Elks
memorabilia and I recent was given an old deck of playing cards. The box says that they’re 11 o’clock cards. Do they have
any relation to our Order?
Puzzled in Pittsfield
Hi, Puzzled!
Yes, in a way. Many major
companies, even now, will create a small specialty brand to appeal to one
segment of the population. Perhaps
you remember when one of the tobacco manufacturers came out with a pack of
smokes called “Uptown” that supposedly targeted a Black following? Well, the Standard Playing Card Company issued a deck of cards
aimed at Elks. They were called
“11 O’Clocks” and were primarily advertised in various Elk publications. Your
pack would date from roughly 1920-1930.
History Maven
Hello, History Maven,
My grandfather was an Elk for
many years before me and my family still has his Elks diploma. Does that mean he underwent Officers Training or had to take
some kind of class before initiation?
Baffled in Brighton
Dear Baffled,
No. Elks diplomas were nothing more than a souvenir of membership
and were sold by several different companies that specialized in fine engraving.
Many Lodges presented them to
the newly initiated member or a member could purchase one from the company
through his Lodge secretary. The diploma you have was engraved by the McKenzie Engraving
Company of Boston, MA who was recognized by Grand Lodge as the “official
manufacturer” of the Elks Diploma. The
tradition continues today. The
first page of the newly issued booklets, “What It Means To Be An Elk”
feature a page to be filled out by the Lodge Secretary attesting to the
membership of newly made members.
The Maven
Dearest History Maven,
Who was the Elk Tooth King?
Numb in North Adams
Little Numb-Numb,
Jeweler Harold Smalls of New
York claimed that title for years. King
Smalls sold elks teeth set in 14k gold with enamel work done on a sunray design;
a $35 value for $15.50 tax included. How
could he do it? VOLUME!!!! He
had a wide selection of teeth and fraternal jewelry available and legitimately
offered good value for your money. King
Smalls’ company unfortunately went out of business in the early 1960s.
H. M.
Dear Mr. History Maven,
Why do I and so many of my Elks
friends get so tired? Why do Elk
officers, in particular, feel “burned out”?
Weally Tired in Wareham
Wareham Elk,
Maybe you’re sleeping on the
wrong mattress. In May, 1930, Past
Grand Exalted Ruler William W. Mountain suggested as much as a paid spokesman
for the Simmons Co. Bro. Mountain
was a member of the Flint, Michigan Lodge No. 222 and served as GER in
1921 - 1922. PGER Mountain had previously served as Grand Lodge Chairman of
Social and Community Welfare. And
why not? Who could know more about sociability and fun than a mattress
salesman?
History Maven
History Wiseguy,
I am enclosing a piece of Elks
memorabilia that I found at a flea market. To be honest, I bought it more so others wouldn’t see it
rather than to add it to my collection. Why
would such a terrible symbol be used in connection to our Brotherhood?
Confused in Concord
Dear Confused,
Look at the date. This
song was written in 1910. Keep the
date in mind when you look at the symbol which was used to decorate the sheet
music and which was used all over the world; probably in every civilization on
Earth. The swastika was a universal symbol of hope and good fortune. The
American Indian, the Hindus, the Australian Aborigine as well as many prominent
individuals like Rudyard Kipling adopted the swastika as their personal symbol
and lucky charm. All first editions
of Kipling’s works were prominently decorated with swastikas. Businesses in America like Rexall Drug Stores used the
swastika on advertising tokens that featured the “Billikins” character. The
“Billikins” was a bare-footed Buddha-like creature that held a swastika in
front of him and was supposed to bring good luck. With
its immediate association with good fortune and a prosperous future, it would
take an international horror to change the swastika’s meaning. Unfortunately, just such a monster was at hand.
Adolph Hitler adopted the
swastika as the symbol of Germany’s National Socialist party sometime during
the 1920s and by the time he took power in 1933, the swastika had been corrupted
into “the twisted cross”; a travesty of its original meaning and a visual
slur. In short order the swastika
came to represent the darkest and most evil side of humanity. It is undoubtedly the most offensive of all symbols.
However, during its many years
as a symbol of good luck and good fortune, it was used, as we have seen, on
thousands of items and these include memorabilia of the BPO Elks. With
World War II and the subsequent realization of the extent of Nazi cruelty and
evil, thousands of articles, previously seen as innocent souvenirs, were
destroyed because of the revulsion now associated with the swastika. Now,
when any item, but especially an Elk item, is found with a swastika on it, the
immediate reaction is one of shock. The
change in the perception of the swastika was so complete that few even have
memory of a time or circumstance when the swastika was seen as anything but
horrible.
I personally know of two members
of the MA Elks Association who have, in their respective collections, a Elks
national convention pin from Portland, Oregon, 1912 and an Elks belt buckle,
both of which prominently feature swastikas as a decorative device. Neither
of these proud Elks, even knowing the history of the symbol, displays these
items in their collections but keep them put away.
So, should it come to pass that
you see an Elks item that has a swastika on it, know that it is not a shameful
thing but rather one of history’s souvenirs from a more innocent time. Understandably,
these items are increasingly rare as many misunderstand the presence of the
swastika on a simple souvenir and the majority of these items have been
destroyed.
History Maven
Oh, Maven Mine,
The History of the Order of
Elks, supplied by Grand Lodge, tells us that Bro. George MacDonald of New York
Lodge No.1, first suggested the Eleven O’clock Toast. How did “Auld Lang
Syne” come to follow the Toast?
Bewildered In Billerica
Bewildered Buddy!
The early Elks were influenced
by as many different sources as they had different types of members. Bro.
George MacDonald, influenced by the traditions of the Columbian Order (also
known as the Tammany Society), suggested that all sing “Auld Lang Syne”
after the Toast was given. Bro.
Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian, our Founder, had prepared much of the early
rituals of the Order and had borrowed heavily from England’s Royal
Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB), to which he belonged. He
remembered that the members of the ROAB would form a chain of brotherhood, (with
each man a link in that chain), before leaving for the night. The brothers would gather in a circle, cross their arms, the
left over the right and take the hand of the brother on either side. Vivian
suggested that the Elks form such a circle and clasp hands after the Toast was
given and while singing. Both
suggestions were adopted. While many will still hold the hands of their fellow
Elks while singing few still cross arms as did the Elks of old.
History Boy