Ask any of the 1.4+ million members of Lions International how “LION” came to be our name and symbol, you’ll get a blank look…
‘ I don’t know’… or if you sneak a look on the internet , you’ll find a variety of answers…all incorrect. Really, a full 99.9 % will fail to respond correctly. Just as in the case of our founding and early history, the Internet will prove to be unreliable.
Here are some examples from official sources you will find on the Internet :
On June 7, 1917 at the invitation of Melvin Jones, delegates met in Chicago . The only point of contention was the selection of a name for the new organization. Melvin Jones researched the idea of calling the new organization Lions. He was convinced that the lion stood for strength, courage, fidelity and vital action. On a secret ballot, the name Lions was chosen over several others. (www.lionsclubs.org)
Note: This is contrary to Melvin Jones own version of the founding on June 7, 1917 which insists that Dr. Woods turned over his ownership of the ‘International Association of Lions Clubs’ to the “new” organization being formed. Melvin Jones goes on to say, “We already favored the Lion name and hoped that the organization to be formed would agree to this name.”
“We, representing the Lions Club of Chicago, favored the name ‘Lions’, as did some delegates of other clubs, and the name ‘ International Association of Lions Clubs’ was adopted by the delegates of the convention.” (Melvin Jones’ 11-page dissertation)
Our name was not selected at random, neither was it a coined name. From time immemorial, the lion has been the symbol of all that was good, and because of the symbolism that name was chosen. Four outstanding qualities—Courage, Strength, Activity and Fidelity – had largely to do with the adoption of the name. The last of these qualities, Fidelity, has a deep and peculiar significance for all Lions. The Lion symbol has been a symbol of Fidelity through the ages and among all nations, ancient and modern. It stands for loyalty to a friend, loyalty to a principle, loyalty to a duty, loyalty to trust. (www.lionsclubs.org)
Note: The above interpretation came from the January 1931 issue of THE LION Magazine. Can you notice the similarity of the first example above ? While the author is not named, one should not be surprised to learn that Melvin Jones was editor of the magazine.
Searching the Internet reveals many surprises when comparing LION history from one source to another. It was noted that a Multiple District in Belgium put forth its version that when the Lions organization was founded, it was not until two years later that they finally came up with a name for it… “Lion.”
The following information will reveal the factual origin of LION.
The REAL “Lions” Beginning
The ‘International Association of Lions Clubs’ is NOT the originator of “Lion” as we know it today. We have to go back to about 1901 when Dr. William P. Woods began forming his earlier clubs better known as “dens”. Being a ritualistic, fraternal and a sort of secretive organization, it was probably a carry-over from his college days that influenced him to form them along these lines. It was not easy to gain admittance, limited to only one person representing any occupation. But organizing “dens” around the country proved to be very successful, and they flourished for a number of years. When the number of “dens” reached a certain point, Dr. Woods decided it was time to file articles of incorporation for the ROYAL ORDER OF LIONS, and he, along with four of his associates signed on August 18, 1911 and filed the papers on August 21, 1911. Early on, Dr. Woods had not decided what to call his new organization. It was during this time that a minister happen to arrive in Evansville, Indiana, for unknown reasons, but Dr. Woods is on record that the two of them had a few conferences together and had the minister write the Ritual which was needed for this fraternal organization. After a number of discussions as to what name should be given, Dr. Woods related that the minister made his suggestion by saying, “Call it the Lions, and base it on the Book of Daniel .” Dr. Woods acknowledged in his sworn affidavit that it was purely by the writing of the Ritual by this preacher and the suggestion as to the Book of Daniel that the word, LION”, was used. And even though the two organizations, the ROYAL ORDER OF LIONS and the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LIONS CLUBS existed simultaneously , the name, “Lion”, was carried over to the latter and exists to this day.
Note: “Rituals” by their very nature are secretive, known but to accepted members who are duty bound not to divulge it to outsiders. The “hint” here is the Book of Daniel, and from a reading from an old newspaper that featured a story about the ROOL, another “hint” came about. It clearly mentioned Chapters 3 & 6 of the Book of Daniel. After reading those two chapters, one gets a better idea of what this Ritual was all about.
Now, a brief note on the origin of our Lion Symbol. Again, the Internet has a number of sources, and one gives credit to a couple of members of the Oklahoma City Lions Club. Melvin Jones is also mentioned in relation to a jeweler. Our present Symbol with the prominent “L” in the middle cannot be traced back to Dr. Woods. Nevertheless, none of these other sources give a hint as to how they arrived at the design of the two Lions heads: one looking back to our proud past and the other looking forward to new challenges. This, however, can be traced back to Dr. Woods and his ROYAL ORDER OF LIONS. (Please Take note of EXHIBIT ” ” ) The original origin? One would have to go to ancient Egypt for starters.
Note: For an in depth history of the ROYAL ORDER OF LIONS, go to the website of the San Antonio Founder Lions Club and read what HENRY SIMMS had written. Through many years, Mr. Simms was a past president and the recognized premier Lions Historian of the SA Club , second to none.