\
Origin of the Elks
BY WILLIAM T. PHILLIPS. PAST EXALTED RULER. B. P. O. E.
The Benevolent and Protective \
Order of Elks and New York
Lodge No. 1 celebrate their birth
day simultaneously on February
16 each year, for this was the
date that a little coterie of actors
styling themselves "The Jolly
Corks”, who for some months had
been meeting weekly for social
and convivial purposes, decided
upon a change of name and the
•■adoption of a more permanent
and serious policy than mere con
viviality.
The desire for companionship
which brought these men to
gether was also the inspiration
for the development of the fra
ternal instincts which gave bir+h
to America’s most distinctive and
human brotherhood.
The object of this brief sketch
is to set forth the real facts of
thg- origin of the Order. The story,
alw’avs interesting, is the story
of the expansion of a dream of
brotherhood into the greatest of
American fraternities.
On Friday, November 15. 1867,
Charles A. Vivian, an English
comic singer, landed in New
York. That night he dropped into
the Star Hotel, a "free and easy”
kept by John Ireland on Lispen
ard Street near Broadway. In
spite of its name, the old time
‘‘free and easy” was a thorough
ly respectable institution. The
specialties were steaks, chops,
rarebits and ale; and the patrons
were entertained during the
meals with singing and stories by
paid or amateur performers. This
form of entertainment, a fore
runner of the present cabaret,
was a popular institution of that
day. Richard R. Stierley, also of
English birth, was piano player
at the Star Hotel. Vivian struck
up an acquaintance -with him and
volunteered to sing a few songs.
He made such an impression on
John Ireland that the latter sent
for his friend Robert Butler,
manager of the American Theater
qn Broadway. Vivian sang for
Butler, making such a hit that he
was engaged for a three-week
run at the American. When clos
ing time came at the Star Hotel,
Stierley took Vivian around to
his boarding house a: 188 Elm
Street, kept by a Mrs. Geisman.
There he found a collection of
congenial spirits, among them
William Lloyd Bowron, who af
terward became ‘‘Number One ~f
Number One”, and who had
known Vivian in his native land.
The Jolly Corks
On November 23,. 1867, Dick
Stierley went to the American
J'heater to take notes for the pur
pose of orchestrating some of
Vivian’s songs. After the matinee
Vivian took Stierley over to
“Sandy” Spencer’s place at Ful
ton Street and Broadway. There
they met Hughey Dougherty,
Cool Burgess and Harry Vander
mark. The latter suggested that
♦the party shake dice for the re
freshments. Vivian replied that
he never handled the cubes but
would show them a new game.
Calling for three corks, he gave
one each to Stierley and Vander
mark. keeping the other for him
self. He asked Cool Burgess to
be the judge, and Dougherty to
count "1-2-3”. They rehearsed
the trick of each dropping his
cork on the bar and picking it
up as rapidly as possible several
times, the idea conveyed to the
uninitiated being that the last
man to lift his cork was to buy.
Vivian then gave the word of
command; Dougherty counted.
He and Stierley passed their
hands over their corks while
Vandermark, eager to lift his corn
bership was composed of profes
sional and semi-professional en
tertainers with a sprinkling of
legitimate actors. Among the
latter. ThomaS G. Riggs. George
F. McDonald. William Sheppard
and George W. Thompson, a the
atrical agent.
When the cork trick was tried
on McDonald, it amused him so
that he called the coterie the
“Jolly Corks”, and as such it has
gone down upon the pages of
history.
In a little pamphlet written by
Brother Charles W. Young de
voted to the origin of the Order,!
he says: “In the latter part of
Howard B. Davis, Grand Exalted Ruler of the Grand Lodge of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 1951 -'52.
from the bar, was both first and
last to pick it up. and consequent
ly was “stuck” for the round.
This was the first introduction of
a delectable form of amusement
which became popular.
About this time, the excise law
was being strictly enforced, and
Sunday in New York was a very
dry day. Devotees of the cork
1 trick formed the habit of con
gregating at Mrs. Geisman’s on
this day to hold social commun
ion under the inspiring influence
of a stock of beer laid in the
night before. This little coterie
styled itself the “Corks”, with
Vivian as the “Imperial Cork”.
The revels of this jolly crew be
came disturbing to the other
boarders and Mrs. Geisman final
ly requested them to forego their
Sunday gatherings in her house.
Quarters were found over a sa
loon at 17 Delancey Street and
the meetings were continued. The
object of the “Corks” at this time
was entirely convivial. Its mem
December—just before the holi
days—Chas. Vivian. Hugh Egan,
Hughey Dougherty, Harry Stan
wood and George Guy. returning j
from the funeral of a friend—Tea |
Quinn, of local concert hall fame i
—dropped into Tony Pastor’s.
There they found Billy Gray. I
Tony and ‘Dody’ Pastor. John
Fielding and Wm. Sheppard, who j
became interested in the story of
the Jolly Corks', and ail of them
! strolled over from Pastor’s to
| ‘Sandy’ Spencer’s where they
found Geo. F. McDonald and
others.
“After hearing the story of the
funeral the ‘Jolly Corks' had at
tended, McDonald suggested that
the organization should become
protective and benevolent’, pro
viding for the care of the sick
and burial of the dead. During
the next week or 10 days, Mc
Donald broached the idea to a
number of ‘Jolly Corks’, includ
ing William Carleton, William
Sheppard, Tom Riggs and others.
At a meeting held on the 2nd
of February, 1868. presided over
by Charles A. Vivian, George F.
McDonald offered a motion to or
ganize “The Jolly Corks’’ as a
lodge along benevolent and fra
ternal lines and providing that
a committee be appointed to for
mulate rules and regulations for
its government, prepare a suit
able ritual, and select a new
name. According to Meade D.
Detweiler's history, this commit
tee consisted of Richard Stierley,
Thomas G. Riggs. Harry Vander
mark, George F. McDonald and
Chas. A. Vivian, Ex-officio. Viv
ian. having in mind an English
organization, ‘The Royal Ante
diluvian Order of Buffalos”, fa
vored the name “Buffalos” for
the new organization, but the
majority was desirous of bestow
ing a distinctively American title
upon the new organization. Re
ferring again to Brother Det
weiler’s book, we find the sug
gestion of the name attributed to
a fine Elk’s head which occupied
a conspicuous place in “Barnum’s
Museum”, then located at Broad
way and Ann Street. The com
mittee later visited Cooper Insti
tute Library where the brother?
found the Elk described in a
wrork on natural history as an
animal “fleet of foot, timorous oi
wrong, but ever ready to combal
in defense of self or the female ol
the species.” This description ap
pealed to the committee as con
taining admirable qualities for
emulation by members of a be
nevolent fraternity and the titk
“Elk” was incorporated in its re
port.
On February 16, 1868, the com
mittee reported, recommending
that the "Jolly Corks” be merged
into the Benevolent and Protec
tive Order of Elks and the rec
ommendation was adopted by s
vote of 8 to 7. The seven voted
for the name “Buffalo”.
Elk Ritual Adopted
A committee on Constitutior
and B y-1 a w s was appointed
which reported early in March
The Constitution it presented
provided for two degrees and the
ritualistic work of these two de
grees was adopted May 17, 1868
The Committee on Ritual were
George W. Thompson. Wm. Lloyd
Bowron. George F. McDonald.
Thos. G. Riggs. Wm. Sheppard,
James Glenn and Harry Vander
mark. Most of the work was done
by George F. McDonald, who was
a fine actor, a man of deep senti
ment and possessed of consider
able literary ability. At the same
meeting the following officers
were elected: Charles A. Vivian
Right Honorable Primo; Richard
| Stierley, First Assistant Primo,
* Assistant Primo; James W. Glenn.
William Lloyd Bowron. Second
Third Assistant Primo; William
Carleton, Recording Secretary;
Harry Vandermark. Tiler.
The degree ritual was adopted
May 17, 1868, and an election was
ordered for that date. At this
time the Right Honorable Primo;
first, second and third assistant
primes had extensions added to
iheir titles, respectively: Exalted
Ruler, Esteemed Leading Knight.
Esteemed Loyal Knight, and Es
teemed Lecturing Knight. The
initiation fee for the two degrees
was two dollars.
Over One Million Members
Brother George F. McDonald,
who was responsible for the
merger (of the Jolly Corks and
the Elks) was a man who visual
ized the future and saw the great
possibilities of an order devoted
to the practice of charity and
brotherly love: and it is recorded
that in the early 70’s he predicted
that within 50 years the Elks
would have a membership of one
million .....
This brings us to the end of the
story of the foundation, and also
marks the beginning of the great
American fraternity which has
since spread to every corner of
our country’s possessions. The
roster of the Order at its foun
dations was a list of leaders of
the amusement profession. Today
it contains the names of moie
Ihan one million American citi
zens. leaders in all walks of life
and of every degree of wealth
and influence. Out of the heart
throbs of a -few actors, 1.533
lodges (as of January 1, 1951)
have been born, each inculcating
the principles of the founders and
urging the emulation of the qual
ities attributed to the animal
from which our order derives its
name. In the name of Brother
McDonald, the Elk is urged to be-^
come “strong of limb, fleet of
foot, quick and keen of percep
tion: quick to see or hear the
sign or cry of distress, timorous
of doing wrong, fleet of foot to
aid the unfortunate.’’
-—-—-1
Come lo Palmer
YOUTH FOR CHRISTj
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20
Chalk Artists and Others
8:00 P. M.
i
CHURCH OF OSS
I
I
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rannmmnminiramnmnmi
“COME QN ’A MY HOUSE”
Try
LITTLE EVA’S LUNCHEON
and
EVELYN’S FAMOUS PIES
Something Rare to Munch on
THE FRONTIER CAFE
MAURINE AND EVELYN