Sixth Grand Lodge Meeting

The 1926 Sixth Meeting of the Grand Lodge was the second held at Camp Indiandale. Minsi Lodge of Reading, Pennsylvania hosted the eight lodges in attendance. The number of delegates is not known. This meeting was a working meeting where committee reports were reviewed and changes were made in the by-laws and rituals. The most substantive change to the By-laws was a decision to hold the Grand Lodge Meetings every other year starting in 1927. A committee was charged with exploring the concept of setting up regions and sections to hold meetings in non Grand Lodge meeting years. The Nominating committee tapped Robert Henderson of host Minsi Lodge to be Grand Chieftain and William A. Stumpp of Ranachqua Lodge, The Bronx, New York for Vice Grand Chieftain. However a nomination came from the floor for Grand Chieftain. Robert Henderson himself, the nominating committee’s selection for Grand Chieftain, nominated Stumpp for Grand Chieftain. As the result William A. Stumpp became the sixth Grand Chieftain. Robert Henderson became Vice Grand Chieftain. Harvey A. Gordon, Cowaw Lodge, Perth Amboy was re-elected for a third term as Grand Scribe and Herbert Birch of Sanhican Lodge, Trenton, New Jersey was elected Grand Treasurer.

2

Lodges are Numbered

Prior to 1926, listings of lodges kept by the Grand Lodge were typically alphabetical or loosely related to the order that the lodges originally applied for charter. In 1926 the decision was made to give each lodge a unique number. Because these numbers were applied retroactively, errors did occur. For example, even though Pamrapaugh Lodge of Bayonne, New Jersey was one of the original eleven charter lodges present for the 1921 Grand Lodge Meeting, they were given the number 14. In its place, Wawonaissa Lodge of Fanwood, New Jersey was erroneously given the number ten. It is not surprising that the decision was made to number lodges. In the early years of the Grand Lodge and Wimachtendienk there was a tendency to number everything.  It was an easy way to keep track of data in an age long before computers.

Large lodges like Unami Lodge of Philadelphia and Moqua Lodge of Chicago gave each member a unique number. That number was given in their respective order of membership in the lodge. The Grand Lodge also used numbers for all Third Degree members (Vigil Honor members).  The practice of numbering lodges continued until 2004.

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First Approval for Patches

Up until 1926, pins were the only insignia approved for use by Arrowmen. This had been the rule in both the first Constitution of Wimachtendienk in 1916 and the constitution framed at the 1921 Grand Lodge Meeting. When the Order expanded to a dozen lodges at least two of them desired patches as insignia.

As is often the case with novel insignia, the first patch was issued before official approval. Minsi Lodge in Reading, Pennsylvania was the first to act. Around 1922 the lodge issued the first of their wolf head chenille with black arrow embroidered on felt patches. A member of Minsi Lodge, A. J. Brown, made the motion to the Grand Lodge that would enable patches to be made. The motion read, 

That the Grand Lodge authorize any lodge to adopt as a felt emblem, the second degree totem of the said lodge with an arrow superimposed thereon and pointing to the left.

The motion went on,

That no felt emblem of the first degree be authorized by the Grand Lodge or used by the local lodges.

This explains why the few OA patches known from the 1920s are so rare. Besides being old, First Degree (Ordeal Honor) members did not get them. Only Second Degree and Third Degree (Brotherhood Honor and Vigil Honor) Arrowmen received badges. And since trading patches had not really started no one needed more than one of them. Patches had not replaced pins. Pins remained the official insignia. Neither the Grand Lodge nor the BSA authorized patches for wear on the uniform. That would have to wait nearly twenty more years.

2

First Grand Lodge Officers

The first elections for officers of the Grand Lodge were held at the first Grand Lodge Meeting pursuant to the newly ratified constitution. There were three offices: The Grand Chieftain (Eluwak Kittakima), The Grand Scribe (Eluwak Lekhiket) and The Grand Treasurer (Eluwak Mawachpo).The first election held was for Grand Chieftain. The first Arrowman nominated was co-founder Carroll A. Edson then of Moqua Lodge, Chicago, Illinois. After Edson’s nomination, E. Urner Goodman of Unami Lodge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was nominated. The election was held with each lodge receiving one vote. E. Urner Goodman was elected on the first ballot.

Elections were then held for The Grand Lodge Scribe and The Grand Lodge Treasurer. The nominees for Grand Scribe were Edson and E. R. Carrick of Unalactgo Lodge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The nominees for Grand Treasurer were future Chief Scout Executive Arthur A. Schuck of Minsi Lodge, Reading, Pennsylvania and J. Oliver Smith of Sanhican Lodge, Trenton, New Jersey.

After the first ballot Arthur A. Schuck was elected Grand Treasurer. Edson and E. R. Carrick were tied and a second ballot was held with E. R. Carrick prevailing.

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First Modern Vigil Honor Ceremony

According to Edson, he recalled returning to Treasure Island at the end of camp in 1916 where he and Goodman wrote the ritual for the Second Degree (then equivalent to Vigil Honor). Edson further recalled that Goodman was put through that ritual. It is presumed that this is the ceremony that Edson experienced when he kept his vigil.

There is no known copy of this ritual. Presumably the Second Degree ceremony was evolving just like both parts of the First Degree ceremonies were evolving.

By 1919, after the next group of Second Degree inductees had held their vigils and experienced the Second Degree ritual, the ceremony was formalized and set in print. This formalization was hurried along because of the formation of the Grand Lodge and the desire for all ceremonies to be similar in all lodges.

The printed version was used for the vigil class of 1921, which by that time were known as Third Degree inductees. The transition from calling what we know today as Vigil from Second Degree to Third Degree was ratified in the writing of the Second Wimachtendienk Constitution in 1920. That constitution changed what had been called “Pledge” to First Degree (Ordeal), what had been the second half of the old First Degree to Second Degree (Brotherhood) and what had been called Second Degree to Third Degree (Vigil).

2, Ceremonies, Founders, Goodman, OA, Scouting

Non-OA Camp Fraternities

At one time the Order of the Arrow, or more appropriately Wimachtendienk W.W., was only one of numerous fraternal camp societies established all across the country at local Scout camps . During the earliest years of Scouting other fraternal programs developed such as Firecrafters, Ku-Ni-eh and Tribe of Gimogash. Like Wimachtendienk, these programs often spread from council to council and camp to camp becoming multi-council programs. Gimogash started by one time Kansas City and longtime Toledo Scout Executive J. St. Clair Mendenhall actually began in 1914, one year before Wimachtendienk. Gimogash for years existed in more local councils than the Order. However, Gimogash’s rule against having a national organization impeded their growth. These other fraternal programs have often been labeled Pre-OA societies. While it is true that many of these groups preceded OA in their councils, others co-existed with OA and often competed or created political divides.

In many cases a local council camp fraternity applied for the equivalent of a national charter for their local society by seeking charter from the OA. Groups like the Tribe of Gorgonio from Orange Empire Council, Santa Ana, California and Tribe of Yosemite, Yosemite Area Council, Modesto, California applied to become OA lodges. These societies provided the same significance to their brethren as Wimachtendienk held for its members. After receiving their WWW charter all of the members were immediately recognized as Arrowmen in a single ceremony without further ordeal. They became San Gorgonio Lodge and Yosemite Lodge in the Order.

Other groups existed at Scout camps that eventually succumbed to more popular programs. National Capital Area Council used Clan of the Mystic Oak (CMO) for decades before changing over to the OA. Many of these groups only changed to OA after the OA was fully integrated into the BSA in 1948 as the official Scout honor society. Likewise the Tribe of Papago at Camp Lawton in Tuscon, Arizona eventually became OA. They kept the name Tribe of Papago at camp, but instead of serving as the camp honor society it became a conservation group open to all campers.

Unfortunately, not all of these early fraternal societies were based upon the strong values of Scouting and the high ideals of the Order. While E. Urner Goodman always insisted on democratic principles and boasted that the Order’s first constitution was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, some societies utilized ignorant and hateful methods. Some societies used blackballing, a method whereby any single member could unilaterally block admission to membership of a potential nominee for any reason or no reason at all. This was to keep so called “undesirables” out, but in practice it was used to keep out people of color or the “wrong” religion. Local Scout honor societies practicing such abhorrent practices were by no means the majority of them, they were however the greatest cause of concern.

Some groups were so overtly racist that they stated it in their secret by-laws. One such group was the Pathfinders of the Golden Trail (PGT) which existed at one time in Jacksonville, Florida among other councils. The PGT ran by Jacksonville Council Scout Executive A. S. MacFarlane incorporated into their by-laws and secret rituals white supremacist principles as the basis of their society. This type of clandestine society was precisely the type of group that caused the Order to be threatened.

Some Scout professionals believed that the root of the evil was in the secrecy of the societies and that no secretive or fraternal groups should be allowed to exist in Scouting and in its camps. Many professionals of this opinion were part of the BSA Camp Commission that presented a dire report on camp fraternities at the 1922 Scout Executives Conference at the Blue Ridge Assembly near Asheville, North Carolina. The main thrust of Goodman and Edson’s plea at that meeting was that the BSA ought not cast aside what works and is in keeping with Scouting principles and is helpful to the council and the lives of young men for the purpose of stopping those other groups lacking in integrity. The motion was amended to discourage groups not based on Scout ideals. Part of the outcome was groups like Wimachtendienk, W.W., Ku-Ni-Eh and Tribe of Gimogash became experimental BSA societies.

Chief Scout Executive James E. West had to know that groups not in keeping with Scouting’s values existed, were deeply embedded and that merely stating policy that societies not adhering to Scout principles would be banned would be insufficient (the BSA did ship A.S. MacFarlane off as far as possible; he became the first Scout Executive of Philippines Council in Manila circa 1924). Instead West observed Goodman developing as a professional and he watched WWW grow on its own merits.

The final solution for the BSA was to embrace the Order of the Arrow in 1934 as an official Scout program and to make the OA the official BSA honor society in 1948. This process extinguished almost all other camp fraternities including any that employed inappropriate practices replacing them with the high ideals of the OA. Eventually all but a small handful of local groups (Tribe of Tahquitz, Mic-o-Say and Firecrafters) went extinct. One by one local honor societies joined Scouting’s national honor society or died out as their council embraced OA. One consequence was Scouting lost the local traditions unique to some of these special societies. All that remains of some of these groups are a few badges and pins.

2, OA, Profile, Scouting

Second Grand Lodge Meeting

Minsi Lodge in Reading, Pennsylvania on October 6 and 7th, 1922 hosted the second meeting of the Grand Lodge. There were seven lodges in attendance and 14 delegates. While the early Grand Lodge and National Lodge meetings were the precursors of today’s modern National Conferences, in the early years they much were more similar to a lodge or section executive meeting. They were business meetings, made up largely of Scout professionals and were not immune to politics.

The Second meeting of the Grand Lodge was at times contentious and political. At stake was determination of who would lead the Order as the second Grand Chieftain. There were two distinguished candidates.

The first was co-founder Carroll A. Edson, a logical follower to Goodman. Edson was there from the beginning, having worked side by side with Goodman in founding the Order as Assistant Camp Director at Treasure Island. He was the second Third Degree honoree and he was actively expanding the Order founding new lodges on what at the time was Wimachtendienk’s frontier in the Chicago area.

The second candidate was Grand Treasurer Arthur Schuck who later would best be known as a Chief Scout Executive of the BSA. Schuck was the first Third Degree (Vigil) Honor member outside of Unami Lodge and like Edson was a professional Scouter. Schuck was serving as the Scout Executive for the host council for the meeting.

In the early years the Grand Chieftain was determined by a vote of the lodges. Each lodge would receive one vote. As the roll call was taken, five lodges that had been present at the first meeting were present. In addition, the Grand Scribe announced that two new lodges had been formed in the previous year. One was the new lodge in Baltimore (This lodge is listed as “Naticahe Lodge”, “Naticoke Lodge” and the “Baltimore Lodge” in the minutes. It is what we now know as Nentico Lodge.) The second was a lodge described in the minutes as an outgrowth of Minsi Lodge (Schuck’s Lodge) in Harrisburg (today’s Susquehannock Lodge, although the name does not appear in the minutes). Schuck had found a new vote and appeared to have secured a 4-3 lead in the votes.

However, Edson chances were not over. The representative from Chicago presented a letter from Edson (who was not present at the meeting) that stated that there were now three lodges operating in Chicago and that Chicago should have two more votes. This would have given Edson a 5-4 lead in the vote. After much discussion it was determined that these two new votes would not be allowed, as the applications had not been received timely.

In what the minutes describe as “strenuous balloting”, Arthur A. Schuck was elected the second Grand Chieftain. W. Perry Bradley of the lodge from Baltimore was elected Grand Scribe and Bartram H. Dilks from Harrisburg the Grand Treasurer. E.R. Carrick was subsequently selected to serve in the new position of Grand Lodge Chief Supply Officer.

Ironically, the lodge formed by Schuck in Harrisburg that cast the vote that put Schuck himself over the top for Grand Chieftain was gone within a year. Its Scout Executive disbanded it before the next Grand Lodge Meeting.

2, Elections, National Event, OA, Scouting

Arthur Schuck

Arthur A. Schuck was one of several early pioneers of the Order of the Arrow who went on to have a long and distinguished professional Scouting career. Schuck entered Scouting in Newark, New Jersey as a Scoutmaster in 1913 at the age of 18. He became a professional Scouter in 1917 and subsequently became the Scout Executive for Reading Council, Reading, Pennsylvania. While in Reading, Schuck became acquainted with the Wimachtendienk and determined it would be a good fit in his council and their Camp Indiandale. E. Urner Goodman came to Reading to initiate Indiandale Lodge (Indiandale changed their name to Minsi Lodge the following year) as the fifth lodge on June 1, 1921. Schuck immediately assumed the role of Gegeyjumhet, the Supreme Chief of the Fire. Later that year Arthur Schuck attended the first meeting of the Grand Lodge and was elected the Order’s first Grand Lodge Treasurer. On July 28, 1922 Arthur Schuck traveled to Treasure Island and became the first official Third (Vigil) Degree member from outside of Unami Lodge. Schuck’s Vigil name was Wulapeju meaning “The Just”.

In 1922 Arthur Schuck and Minsi Lodge hosted the second Grand Lodge Meeting. Arthur Schuck defeated Carroll Edson in a tight election to become the second Grand Lodge Chieftain of Wimachtendienk. Later in 1922 Schuck was reassigned to the National Office in New York City. In 1931 he became Director of Operations working along side his old friend Goodman who was Director of Program. As Director of Operations, Schuck was in charge of the 1937 National Jamboree. In 1942 Schuck was one of three Arrowmen to receive the Distinguished Service Award.

In 1948 Schuck became the third Chief Scout Executive. Schuck served as Chief Scout with distinction through 1960 and received the Silver Buffalo Award from the BSA and the Bronze Wolf Award from the World Scout Committee. Schuck passed away in 1963 at the age of 67.

2, Elections, National Event, OA, Profile, Scouting

Constitution for WWW

One of the primary purposes of the first meeting of the Grand Lodge in 1921 was to frame and ratify the first WWW national constitution.Article II set forth the purpose of the Order,

The object of the Order is to band together in a common brotherhood, those Scouts who are most truly living up to their Scout ideals, and thereby crystallize their Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in service.

Other articles of the constitution established guidelines for membership in the Grand and local lodges, the Degrees (today’s Honors), committees, meetings and chartering of local lodges.

There was also an article that set forth the local lodge officers. The highest of the local offices was the Gegeyjumhet, the Supreme Chief of the Fire. This position was to be retained by the Scout Executive or his representative. The importance of this distinction cannot be understated. The Order was a unique organization. While it was a requirement to be a Scout and all members were in the BSA, they were an independent society. There was absolutely no oversight from BSA national headquarters.

This arrangement, placing control of each local lodge under the BSA’s highest ranking professional in each council, would later provide the assurance the BSA’s National Council needed for the Order’s very survival. This also meant that only so called “First Class” councils could have Wimachtendienk. In 1921 there were still councils that were run only by volunteers. To be First Class, among other things a council had to have a Professional Scouter on their payroll.

An Article was also framed dedicated to insignia, which in 1921 were pins and not patches. It read,

The general insignia of the Order shall be the arrow, which shall be the mark of the First Degree. The mark of the Second Degree shall be the totem of the individual lodge superimposed upon the arrow. The mark of the Third Degree shall be the triangle superimposed upon the mark of the Second Degree.

2, OA, Scouting

First World War Ends

Germany signed the armistice with the Allies on November 11, 1918, marking the official end of World War I (November 11 became known as Armistice Day and later Veterans Day.)

Both Goodman and Edson returned to Scouting after their service in the War without having to go overseas. Goodman returns to Philadelphia Council as Scout Executive (he had been appointed to this position just before entering the military) and Edson began work at the National Council office in New York.

2, Non-Scouting

First, Second and Third Degrees

The original Constitution of the Wimachtendienk written in 1916 describes the levels of membership as Pledge, First Degree and Second Degree. Although they are not spelled out in a separate article in the Constitution they are referred to in the section entitled Insignia as follows: 

The tortoise shall be the general insignia of the order:

- for the first degree the insignia shall be the arrow superimposed on the back of the tortoise;

- for the second degree the insignia shall be the triangle superimposed on the back of the tortoise.

- The pin of the order shall bear the above insignia;

- the pledge pin shall be the arrow.

The Pledge was the candidate who participated in the public induction ceremony at Treasure Island during the camping season and is most similar to today’s Ordeal Honor.

The First Degree was given to the Pledge who completed his initiation during the October annual “member’s only” meeting of the Lodge back in Philadelphia and is most similar to the Brotherhood Honor of today.

The Second Degree was given to a member of the Wimachtendienk whose life and service was far above the other members and is most similar to today’s Vigil Honor. The Second Degree was originally conceived by Goodman as being given to someone who did a heroic lifesaving type of deed.

By the late teens leaders of the Wimachtendienk decided to reorganize the honor levels in the Order. The term Pledge was dropped. A Scout initiated at summer camp would henceforth be called First Degree. What had previously been called First Degree would now be called Second Degree. The Second Degree would have a separate and distinctive ceremony from the one given at camp and no longer would be considered the second half of the initiation ceremony. The old Second Degree would be named the Third Degree.

These decisions were ratified in 1920 in the Second Constitution of Wimachtendienk:

5. DEGREE

A. Members attain the first degree through regular initiation at camp.

B. The second degree is conferred upon the first degree candidates present at the ceremonials in the city in the fall and spring.

C. The third degree shall be open to these members, in good standing, who are elected thereto by the third degree members, by reason of some heroic act, exemplary of the principles of the order, or of some special contribution to the welfare and spirit of the lodge. There shall at all times be at least one third degree member for each fifty active members of the lodge.

2, Ceremonies, OA, Scouting

Harding Elected President

President Warren G. Harding was inaugurated as the 29^th President of the United States. He was also the first sitting Senator to become President. Harding’s famous line "Return to Normalcy” was a call to return to a way of life before World War I.

Harding took a laissez-faire approach to leading this country, but was still able to make several contributions during his term. The establishment of the Bureau of the Budget was a great achievement for the President. He also consolidated five separate bureaus into one – the Veteran’s Bureau. Both of these bureaus reduced government spending. Unfortunately, corruption in his cabinet yielded a perceived lack of effectiveness as a President. In 1923, President Harding gave out “Harding Awards” to Scout troops who increased in membership. There were 5,508 Harding Awards that were awarded that year. He is quoted as saying, “I am with the Scout movement heart and soul.”

2, Non-Scouting