The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-05-14

me more HGHt.
We celebrate this day as the 10th ami
versary OF cur order in the United States,
and set it apart rs a day of thanksgiving
For forty years, continued blessings have
been showered upon our country and our
brotherhood. To-day plenty ILLS all the
borders of our extended empire,
Pipes on her pastoral hiiock a langud note,
And watches her harvess ripen, her herds increase,
And the bullet rJists the sothiul shore
Aud the cobweb woven across the lannon's throat.
Shakes its threaded in the winds foreyermore."
To-day the star Of empire, in its circuit
from the east to the west, hats in the
m;d-heaycns and stoops down from its
home on high TO bless us To-day two hun
dred thousand odd Fellows throughout
our fair Union, have met, as we have met,
to feed the perpetual fires that burn upon
our holy altar, like the restal virgins OF
Rome,
Chaste as the iccle that curdled by the frost. from
pure snow
And hangs on Dan's temple.
We have met to offer up 70 the great
Am the incense OF thankful hearts, more
acceptable q sacrifice than the blood OF
victims, and to drink together once more
at Siloas brook that flows fast by the
oracle of God"
To-day our Brethren come from the
Aroostooll and the RIO Grande to offer
their citations at the shrine of Friendship.
Love and Truth They come from the
Granite Hills of New England with hearts
a. iIrin and true as their emblem rock on
which the sure foundations of the earth
are laid. They come from the Palmetto
groves of the Carclnas, and from the ever
glades Of Florida, laden with perfume from
their ORANGE homes They come from the
wilds Of the Columbia,
Saye its dasiIg-"
They come from, mountain rlens OF
the great Sierra Nevada, from that tar of
gold-land, where on hill side above blooms
an endless ilora, and in the valleys beneath
rivers freighted with the glitter of gold.
roll ever on to the calm western sea.
And the brotherhood from the broad
prairies of our own State, Just mant!ing
into g:aGncSs, and saluting the coming
spling-tinle. send their Joyous greeting II
the mystic tie in everyNand. Yes. every
where songs Of praise from happy hearts
cheer the wclkin, and hail this festive gala
day Of our fraternity.
Free Masonry. too, Ike foster mother.
kind. ina"naniHou- and noble aS she al
ways Is, ignoring all rivalry. seems REQ c.l
that hey beautiful daughter Is wooing and
winning mankind, and has sent up hci.
ChcruJic banner to minalc with our, in
gracing this natal day Of our order. To
night the banners Of Judah and EDlrailn
and heu0rm and Dan hang n2jrsticlllv u,,-
on our ie.tiyc walls They too pcrtogmel
their qu2lr!gesimal mission. For forty
years. from Egypt - Canaan. through The.
Red Sea, and through the Wilderness. this
standard marked the Israclitish CAM. and
protected the holy ark, and il sacred
tgcasure-and tonight It still reminds u
OF the perception OF the caalc of Dam, the
VS. lon OF the man Of Reuben, tie pa
tiencr of the OK OF EphraiIn, and the
lion.of the tribe Of Judah
Forty y,a,S of trial end persecution find
our order to-day more fourishing thar: al
any former period. Like the cinnamon
tree. which when bruised bv the axe Of
the RELENTLESS wood-man. only fills the air
with Increased oior. 50 Persecution has
only rendered cur fellowship more emo
bling and sublime She stands today
a beacon Of light and proud memorial
Of truth, and the attentive ear still receives
the mystic word from The instructive
tongue. and the mysteries of cur order
are safely lodged n the repository Of faith
full breasts y Anteal!S. the failed cialit
renewed his strength every time he touch
81 IotLe: tn from which lie -p9anG.
- We hay" met To r"uew our vows and re
IgIvauatr Our N.goc by reourrin. to those
iirsr principle upon which our fraternity
: founded. talE TWO score wears in e.s-
ist"uce and veI Uhoi. ao"S Of glory seem
To liz III the bright tract: over which We
have travelled al OF our past has been
prospcrty-allO f our present Is pregnant
with ble-siHar-au ouG future ;U1uls Of
hope and triumph
To the E.bie,i heavens Of the ancient
heather poets. new star was added cy-
cry century. but eyorv year q now star ap-
pears in our mystic t.riuaIaent y nI;-
and manifold duties press upon us. our
Institution seems to acquire new strength.
and beauty adau:gate,o the occ5s ION which
requires lis exercise. as the arch Of the
sky at midnight, when al! tn hcavcns
twinkle with c-y-5lllinc drliIht. bears
it burden Of starry beauty with the same
ESQ, a. wien N the dimnc,s Of twilight,
evening one blue STAY hams in throbb;ng
CLEAN above the horizon
Not descended as boon from former
generations. Odd Fellowship derives 10
advent ;ious aid from the Antiquity of il
or;.in. Tradition o. iegend She has none.
ana romance throws no dina mantle over
her fortunes or her history. Her parent
fraternity stands to-day in The pride Of
old age. hoa1y with the weight OF Years
like Il pyramid in the solitude Of time
around whose base the waves OF by-.cue
ages have washed without wasting, and
upon whose summit s;ts q halo OF retul-
gent glorv She carries the mind back 70
the cTusadcs Of the middle ages, when the
Knight Tcmplars struggled for the scpul-
c!lre OF GUY Sayiaur-stretc!.inG back TO the
end Of tie Babyloni>h captivity. whom
Zcrruhbabel. prince Of Judah, rebuilt the
the House of the Lo:t-back to the time
when the wise kim OF Israel deposited
the ark OF the covenant in the Holy OF
Holes. when the great Temple was finish
e,i-bacll to .he time when Bezaicel and
Aholiab built the Tabernacle by divine
conmand-hack 10 the time when ,Ieho-
yah revealed his name, and delivered the
law to Moses Al the burning bush. As he
kept the f:Ocll~ Of ,JethTo priest of Mid
an-bacl 20 the time when nj Pa,ianaram.
III the visions of the night Jacob saw the
mystic ladder reaching from earth to hc:-
en-, upon which the angci, assembled and
descended bearing messages Of mercy
from God to fallen nan-bacll TO the time
when the patriarch Abraham IN his opn!.
tent received the BLESSING and the prom
- i.t't ii-- progeny Nit'i!'t o' rs tiie S.ii!S
Of heaven for nluititudc-back to the time
when Enoch. III anticipation of the de
luce buried in the bowels of mount No
liali the sacred pillars on which lie chisel-
led the arts and sciences Of his day While
these brilliant circumstances grace her an
nais and render her venerable, Odd Eel
low>ilip presents herself in the vi-Or OF
Youth with 40 wrinkles upon her brow,
no stain upon hec csCutcheou, she links
the modern with the ancient civilization.
she stands upon the ruins OF the bowers,
OF i.den, y:ul.catirc her claims to exist
eEce upon the fallen condition and help
!esS dependency Of humanity. preaching
I Liberty, Fraternity and Equality. And
with the w.tcbworis OF Friendship, Love
and Truth crEUiazoned on her magic chain
OF triple Links, she hopes at last to aid in