Lodges and Societies. 295 



The following is a list of the Past Grands of the Lodge since 

 1882 : — 



Horace J. Allen, Fred H. Miller, Barzillai Lincoln, Edward F. 

 Wilder, Walter W. Hersey, Henry Siders, Arthur F. Hersey, 

 Hiram T. Howard, Eugene F. Skinner, Herbert O. Hardy, Frank 

 W. Nash, Edward Cowing, Henry Jones, Martin L. Stodder, 

 Isaiah P. Pratt, John H. Stoddar, 2d, Charles L. Davis, C. Sumner 

 Henderson, Arthur M. Bibby. 



WOMPATUCK ENCAMPMENT, No. 18, I. (>. 0. F. 



This Encampment was instituted at Hingham Sept. 7, 1846, 

 and had among its members, during its existence here, some of 

 our most respected citizens. It continued in Hingham but a short 

 time, yet it succeeded in making itself a thorn in the flesh to its 

 superior power and became the object of severe discipline from 

 the Grand Encampment. 



The difficulty came about in this way: In May, 1848, the Grand 

 Encampment had imposed a tax on the subordinate encampments, 

 which Wompatuck Encampment demurred at. There was no 

 objection to paying all proper assessments which could be shown 

 to be in accordance with the constitutional requirements of the 

 Order, and a communication to this effect was made to the Grand 

 Encampment, to which the Grand Patriarch made a reply, in 

 which he presented arguments at length for the propriety of the 

 tax. In an official communication, in language which was char- 

 acterized as " offensive," the Grand Patriarch was informed that 

 ' ; what was wanted was a constitutional reason for the tax, and 

 not advice." Thereupon the Grand Patriarch visited Hingham, 

 and " suspended the Encampment during the pleasure of the 

 Grand Patriarch and the Grand Encampment." Subsequently, a 

 committee of the Grand Encampment was appointed to consider 

 the whole matter, and reported in favor of confirming the action 

 of the Grand Patriarch, which report was accepted, but recom- 

 mending that if all due taxes were paid and the members expressed 

 a willingness to show proper respect to the superior power in 

 future, the Encampment should be reinstituted. It does not 

 appear that all the members were willing to comply with these 

 conditions, but in the latter part of 1849 some of the members 

 petitioned to be reinstituted. The Grand Encampment would 

 not, however, reinstitute part of the Encampment, Aug. 1, 1849, 

 the Grand Patriarch reported to the Grand Encampment that 

 Wompatuck Encampment had complied with the terms imposed, 

 and had been reinstituted at East Weymouth. 



This, however, was not the end of the trouble, for some of the 

 members had continued the Encampment at Hingham, and had 

 requested the Grand Encampment to install the officers duly 



