Greater Astoria Historial Society 35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor | L.I.C., NY 11106 718.278.0700 | www.astorialic.org Gallery Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 2-5 PM Saturdays 12-5 PM Exhibits ~ Lectures ~ Documentaries ~ Books Walking Tours ~ Historical Research Unique & Creative Content For more information visit us on the web at www.astorialic.org This image adapted from an invitation to the Long Island City Athletics 33rd Annual Masque Ball, 1909. 32 november 2015 i LIC COURIER i www.qns.com ■LEGENDS “The Brother hood of Elks” We are social animals. Our instincts are to band together, to find common purpose, to share in enjoyment, to reach out to those in need. To bind ourselves to our principles and purpose, we create rituals and symbols, be it a neolithic Stonehenge, or a secret handshake. The ‘Jolly Corks’ (named for a bar trick that conned drinks out of new members) were one such group of – mostly actors – who would gather in lower Manhattan for company and companionship. Shortly before Christmas in 1867, only a few months after the fellows began to meet, one of their number died, leaving his wife and children destitute. This event gave rise to the notion that, in addition to good fellowship, the Jolly Corks needed a more noble purpose in order to endure, and serving not only their own in need, but others as well, would be appropriate. Being itinerants of a profession that generally paid poorly, they organized themselves into an association to pool their resources to pay for such things as members’ funerals or emergencies. In 1868, they decided to call themselves the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. They chose the elk as their symbol because P.T. Barnum had described the majestic animal as “fleet of foot and ever ready to combat in defense of self.” The Elks have four founding principles: charity, justice, brotherly love and fidelity. Elk Lodge #1 is still in Manhattan. In addition to charitable works one of their noted rituals is the Eleven O’clock toast. That hour has a significance that goes back a thousand years to the time of William the Conqueror, who, fearful of secret meetings, mandated all fires and lights were to be extinguished at that time. The hour of 11 quickly acquired a somber meaning, and in the centuries that followed, became the synonym throughout Europe for someone on his deathbed or about to go into battle: i.e. “His family gathered about his bed at the 11th hour.” At 11 PM every Elk Lodge intones their ritualistic toast, which reads in part, “It is the golden hour of recollection, the homecoming of those who wander, the mystic roll call of those who will come no more. Living or dead, an Elk is never forgotten, never forsaken.” Late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were the ‘golden age’ of social clubs, which, provided not only opportunities to socialize and network, but also offered a social safety net before our modern government programs as Social Security or Medicare. Add to the mix an organization that was noted for events fueled by the wit of entertainers, and the Elks were on course for explosive growth. Within a generation tens of thousands joined. Hundreds of chapters opened. And on Wednesday, September 24, 1908, a meeting of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Chapter #878, was called to order in Long Island City. Next: The Elks and the Knights
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