An Arcanum, a Fantastic Light Guard, and Fun
Later in the 1880s, Henry and Johanna resided in Hicksville, and it appears that they fit in well. Newspapers reported that they, especially Henry, were active in many social groups. We'll look at two of those here.
The Royal Arcanum was one of the first "open" mutual assistance societies in America, created so that working people could invest in whole life insurance without having to belong to a special fraternal group. It was founded in 1877, at which time it was unique, in that it employed a formal method of assessing insurance risk. Its contemporaries, like the Knights of Honor, issued insurance policies without assessing risk, and eventually, they all failed. Who knew?
Could insurance be fun? Evidently, it could in Hicksville. The Long-Islander for September 6, 1889 reported that the Labor Day picnic held by the Royal Arcanum's Hicksville Council had been a "blow out." It was led by Herr Gelb's Celebrated Brass Band of New York, which rode in a wagon pulled by four festooned horses. Twenty-three wagons and carriages of Arcanum members and guests followed it. They proceeded up Broadway to Jericho, then south to Jerusalem Avenue and Marie Street, then east to Broadway again, and finally north again to the Grand Central Hotel. Upon arrival, there were a few speeches, some singing by the Hicksville Quartet, a picnic, bowling (for prizes), lots of "refreshments," and outdoor music and dancing that lasted until 4:00 AM Tuesday. Hicksvillians certainly knew how to party.
Henry Menge was one of the organizers of the event; he also served as the council's Orator, which meant that he spoke publicly at events during the year.
Almost every village on the Island had a Royal Arcanum Council
1894 Brooklyn Citizen Almanac
Joseph Steinart, local, town, and county jurist, and
namesake of The Fantastic Light Guard
Hicksville Public Library collection
Around the same time, Menge also was active in another organization, new, and unique to the village: The Joseph Steinert Fantastic Light Guard. Named in honor of the respected local jurist, its nominal purpose was not clear. On the other hand, its de facto purpose was obvious: to have a good time, and while doing so, to raise money so that its members could have another good time in the future. Henry Menge served as the organization's Secretary.
In February 1892, at the time of its annual Masquerade Ball, the Light Guard had fifty members. According to the news reports, the ball attracted five hundred revelers to the capacious ballroom of the Grand Central Hotel (it is not at all surprising that August Fleischbein, who ran the hotel, was a member of the group). Dinner for five hundred mandated the use of most of the hotel's many dining rooms. At the ball itself, Justice Steinert and his wife led the Grand March. It was a complete success, for sufficient funds were raised to cover the Light Guard's next summer beach excursion.
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