Eye Research One Of Lodge’s Projects

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31225, 24 November 1966, Page 12

Eye Research One Of Lodge’s Projects

Among the most humanitarian projects of the Independent Order of Oddfellows of the World was the establishment of a world eye bank and a visual research foundation at the John Hopkins University at Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, the leader of the organisation said in an interview in Christchurch.

Mr A. M. Black, sovereign grand master of the order, is in New Zealand representing the United States at the twenty-sixth triennial session of Grand Lodge of Australasia of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, which is being held in Christchurch. Mr Black said the endow, nient was for 30 years and a trust had been set up to control the 625.000 dollars that had been raised by the order. “Surprisingly little research has been done on the human eye,” said Mr Black. “Our order realised this and now a study is being made.” He said it was a little recognised fact that one in 10 persons was affected with an eye disorder from the time of conception. “We hope to alleviate much disease of the eye and reduce the incidence of blindness,” he said. “We hope that peoples all over the world will benefit.” Mr Black said that his order, a charitable organisation. was non-political and non-sectarian. It ran 58 homes for orphans aad the aged and in this way provided for more than 50.000 persons in North America. They were the first homes of their kind to be opened in North America and were begun 70 years ago. Now they cost about six million dollars a year to maintain..

“We also operate similar homes in many other countries throughout the world,” said Mr Black.

The order also catered for youth, and each year about 1000 third-year American high school pupils were taken on a pilgrimage to the United Na-

tions headquarters in New York. “The object of this is to teach young persons that peaceful existence depends on tolerance and reasoned under, standing," he said. “Those we take there need not be connected with the order.' Mr Black said that all this work was in keeping with the motto. “That we seek to improve and elevate the character of man." Mr Black, who was installed as sovereign grand master of the order in September, is empowered with all the executive and judicial functions during his one-year term. The order, which has members in South America. Europe. I-atin America, Iceland as well as Australia and New Zealand, has almost 2,000,000 members.