BPOE Elks Convention 1907

The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks (B.P.O.E.) held a huge convention in Philadelphia in 1907.  They held a convention every year, but this one seems to have been particularly important for some reason, or at least it seems to have produced more postcards than the rest of them (and that's the most important measure by my standards.) The Elks are one of the leading fraternal (more on that later) orders in the United States, with approximately one million members.

Although the Elks started out as a social club with members originating primarily from theatrical performing troupes, they widened their scope fairly early on to embrace charitable and service work. Today they promote patriotism and provide scholarships, drug education and other youth and community services.

So, now back to the fraternal aspect...
Fraternal order suggests that the organization is composed of men or brothers, and so it was. However, early on, the wives of Elks members formed their own auxiliary groups and performed charitable and patriotic work as the Benevolent, Patriotic Order of the Does. There is no official record of the Does, because they were not officially recognized. In fact, it was at the 1907 convention, that the Elks proclaimed that they would not recognize any auxiliary groups. In the 1970s, the Elks opened their membership to African Americans, but women were still excluded. In the 1990s, the Elks Club was mandated to accept women as members, based on the Oregon Public Accommodations Act. Atheists are now the only ones denied membership in the Elks.

Dear Burt...

This card was sent in 1972, so it's not all that old, but it is pretty amusing!
It was sent to Roy Leonard at WGN Radio in Chicago. Roy Leonard was a radio host from 1967 until 1998, focusing on the World of Entertainment. Leonard interviewed some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, many of whom referred to him as the best in the trade.

1972 was the year that Burt Reynolds caused a big stir by posing nude for Cosmopolitan magazine. I don't know if Roy Leonard was interviewing Burt and offering a date as a prize or if this card came entirely unsolicited. I'm afraid we'll never know why she was thanking him in advance, but the picture on the front of the card may be suggestive.

The message reads:

Dear Burt:

Thanking you in advance - I admire you mostly for your honesty on talk shows and your Body aint bad neither
love - Envy Johnson

Peychaud's Cocktail Bitters

Created in the 1830s in New Orleans, Peychaud Bitters is a gentian-based bitters still used today for mixed drinks, in particular the Sazerac cocktail. People were sipping Sazeracs in New Orleans before the Civil War. This is an advertising card, announcing the visit of a salesman, R.L. Purnell, who is going to stop by sometime in 1904. L.E. Jung, the sole proprietor of Peychaud Bitters, was also a big New Orleans absinthe distiller.

We were eating dinner at a restaurant a few days ago and I decided to order a Sazerac for research purposes. The original drink was made with cognac, but since then many different versions have been developed. The one I had was made with rye whiskey. The Sazerac is also sometimes made with absinthe. I am not a big fan of whiskey, but I appreciated that this drink was not sweet as cocktails so often are. Here's a link for a Sazerac recipe.