Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-10-30
VoI. XVI.

Of guile and hypocrisy, which inculcates sinceri-
ty and plsin-dealing, that communicable attri-
man on earth-this Hall solemnly consecrated
The brothers then answered, $50 be it'' and
gave the honors Of the Order, by clapping the
hands quickly together three successive times
We heard but one opinion expressed in regard
to the address Of p. O. Parker H. Sweet by the
large and Intelligent audience assembled to hear
him; that being-it was beautiful production,
well and gracefully delivered We may add that
itabounded in thoughts of strength and sweetness,
exPrsssed In chaste and appropriate language. He
My Brefhrss and Friends Of Bensroleses: Happy,
indeed, is it for man to be able to bring to mind
y-gone days and dwell upon them with pleasure
and delight to recall friendship's sunny hours and
look back life Of conscious rectftude and vir-
tue Although those sacred moments are gone,
never, never to return, yet their reminiscence 10
ike the ricn fragrance Of spring, and their fruit
We do not, NY hearers, meet to-day to COM
memorate any particular event In the history of
our order; not to do homage to the statesman or
the warrior; no, NO.
g.f A higher duty calls
TO consecrate these walls -
I .l 3 - 3 We gather here;
l .-r To Friendship-high and pure;
To Love that shall endure;
To Truth-forever sure;
.. This shrine we rear.
1t may be expected that should on this occasion
Odd Fellowship i'm the world .....r ..-
Time would fail me and / should weary your
patience did L attempt to go back aud trace the
history Of our order, from It's establishment down
to the present period. and point out I'm ninutia
Its blessings and its deeds. Suffice it to saw that
thousands Of years ago the Egyptian astrologer
found In our temple the secrets OF astronomy; and
the chaldean shepherd, at his watch at Mi ht as
he gazed upward to the starry heavens drew from
our oracles the sublime truth that there were
worlds IN known, incalculable and immense, and
tnat over all presided an unknown and mysterious
yet omnipotent power. Since that time during
succeeding centuries we behold the Eastern Magf
the devout Jew, the intellectual and versatile
Greek, the proud and naughty Roman, bending
at 1ts shrine, and burning incense upon its altars
Upwards of three thousand years have gone
down the tide Of time since Odd Fellowship com.
menced her glorious course-the whirlwinds of
war nave passed over the earth, spreading desola-
Hon ana death; the scepter has fallen from the
palsied arm Of the monarch; the sword has drank
It's full; and the flower Of nations has perished
away; but the blessed principles Of our holy
brotherhood remain unchanged II is one amon9
fhe loftifst instincts Of nature to admire and
love that which is exalted and great The beauty
oil the landscape, the magniicence of the river
and the vasness of the ocean, amid its wide waste
OF waters, kindle in the mind elevated and pleas
urable emotions. But, amid all that is great and
glorious In the ouspread gorgeousness of the uni
verse, there Is no object which awakens such
.nfliing Joy within US as human heart sympa-
thlLlng with another's woes, dropping along The
daily walks Of life kind words and noble deeds
Tor these are the way-marks that are to point to
coming travellers the path to glory.
But there are many in the world who denoupce
our Order as a secret. mysterious association or
such we would inquire, can there be no conceal
meht without fraud, no mystery without crime,
Has not every human heart it's own secret counsels
Into which the eager eye Of curiosity is not suf-
Tered to gaze? Are the sweet comrnunipps and
the sacred confidence Of friendship. OF love. and
OF household faith, so many frauds and inposi-
tlons upon the community Is there not mystery
everywhere, all around and about us-in the com.
mon air we breathe-in the leaf that rus,les I'm the
breeze-in the heavings Of the ocean deep, and
without repose-in the blue and broad ex panse
now radiaIt with the one bright orb Of day, and
now with the myriad paler lights In which the
night rejoices! Our very existence ia rnyxterious
How 10 1t that we live and breathe! How is II
tnat the sprig Of grass springs up into life and
beauty from the bosom Of the earth, How is IL
that the mind leaves the body, as il seems in its
deep siumbers, and fleeing with the rapidity of
lightning afar of to the sunny fields and Vre-n
hiiiocks Of child hood calls back in motnest m.
hours that are gone forever those dear that
sleep beneath the clod Of the valley holding sweet
converse with the dead? Oh. 'tsa glorious mys-
terry this, that rolls back the tide OF time-C;od
nature the heavens, the earth, the immortal mind
we admire and love them; we revere them nono
the iess, but still the more because the sable veil
OF mystery envelopes them all 1t were charity, at
least, where nothing but good appears, to abstain
from the suspicion Of evil The true tests of the
value OF an institution are the excellence Of tts
ends and the fidelity and success with which the
ends BY these Odd Fellowshi m ay safely submit
to be tried. Its efficiency for the benevolent ppr
poses of It's institution has been severely tested and
hiumphantly sustained Ask the tbous. .nds ~
Christians who are members OF the order Iwbos.
tenets link them to the skies IL their faith is weak
eaed III their morals corrupted ftheir
ces nave 6een hardened; all, TO man, answer "no,
o,no The best Christian max es the best Odd Eel.
low Amidst the long and brig ht catalogue OF yir-
tues which shed beauty and glory upon the humble
worsniPper at the shrns Of mercy, there exists not
N Nurfi iRk ELL
close Kindred When the saint shall have hem
r1nsplanted TO the paradise Of glory and seated AT
tne right hand Of his Creator, the chapIet which
spa sh Wfeatn MS brow VIII be all interwoven with
the principles OF our holy brotherhood Oh, ,tis
not TOT the fadtng laurel the tinsell ed wreath
Tor winch We are striving, but for the esta bIish
ment OF those principles which must elevate the
man. -
? A nations heroes and nations beuefactor. ara
enthroned side by side in her chronicles and their
Of durable material. Egypt has he, nyramid..
and those who have drank from the classic foun,
tains OF Greece and Rome have their memoriaIs Of
Intellectual tfiumPhsi and from the ruins of Min
even shain ana columns are dug up bearing
records Of the great and useful men who were
identified with the leading events OF their ave
Bat Tine monument sTe shall rear in the grateful
teeouection Of those who have benefited by our
Order will far outlast any which have been erected
TO the monarch or the conq1efor.
Z He then proceeded, In strain of beautiful
mag ScIy, W paint the Dressings OF Charity.
I. We have not space to follow him further. or
even give an Ineligible abstract Of this hne ef
Iort but we cannot forbear quoting his con-
cluding sentences: .r.a ia =
&c forth, then, ye messengers Of mercy and We
pring OF the Gospel your errands Of blessings
throug the world, and when the earth has bee n
renovated, humanity recovered and beautifed
wrsn salvation, return to the Infinite Fountain Of
All GOOD: from whom you proceeded 20 !
LEI us continue, my brethren, TO cultivate the
principles and practice the work Of benevolence
ana charity, thus COOPERATING with Christianity In
tne great work Of reform, never forgetting that
odd Fellowship Is based On those eternal truths
ana those great moral precepts which were taught
oy PIN who spaks as man never spoke" }" who
writes upon the heart Of man the impressive truth
OF MS accountability, and to whom the suppii-
Gazing eye Is never raised I'm vain ,,
, The Grand Chaplain then pronounced q bene
aicuon, ana the exercises closed - - .,,.I.
Az tne conc clusion Of the dedicatorv services the
yainng brothers were invited into the room, on
tne ground noor, where collation was set before
'hem' 70 which they did ample justice. = 80
, THE LkvEs. gOt .eass .bg ,ss. .l,-t
+, III TINS report was not already 90 lour = vnuch
might es aid Of the Levee at light. NJ Fo,re.t
Han, OF the great crowd there assembied Of the
beautiful ladies, some Of whom came All the ,vsv
from the Navy Yard TO participate; of the wa n