The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-05-24

Truth is divine attribute, and the
foundation Of every virtue. To be good
and true is the first lesson we are taught
in Masonry" "On this theme we con-
template and endeavOr to regulate our
conduct" knowledge, that rises step by
step, till it brings the mind of man to the
Almighty, the source Of all knowledge,
is the foundation of speculative Masonry.
And the structure reared upon this foun-
dation is Brotherly Love, Relief and
Truth. The temple Of Solomon is often
taken as tit type of Masonry, and from
this it is called the Royal Art. As piece
Of workmanship it was considered perfect
Built according to those principles Of ar
chitecture that impart proportion, beauty,
and grace, it stood as u model, and was
tho pride Of the nation. Its sacre0NeaSh-
ings by symbol, ritlNl and sacrifice, are
GeNsi'iSyed fit types of the Allcgqrical
teachings Of Masonry. The outer and in
ner courts, and Holy Of Holes, into which
only the High Priest could enter-where
was the Ark of the Covenant. the Mercy
Seat, and the Cherubims, where was a
visible manifestation Of the glory of God
arc considered fit emblcms of the mys,
tcrieS and degrees Of masonry, by which
they are advanced, step by step, in their
knowledge Of truth, till they come to the
perfect knowledge of God.
We read in the sacred record concern
ing this building, as follows: " And the
house when it was in building was built
Of stone, made ready before it was brought
thither; 50 that there was neither ham.
mpr, nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard
when it was in building This they con-
? .s.y:~l ,> !. I& alHl~". tyrajn3i0P DDem If
the quiet, unoStrntatiouS manner in which
they should perform their deeds Of kind
ness and mercy, for the relief of the suf
trring and distressed.
Such, then, are the objects of Masonry !;
such is the temple they have reared, as
seen from the outside, but not the full ex-
tent of an outside view what farther may
he known will speak of presently. You
will have noticed how much Importance
is here given to morality, and knowl
edge of truth that leads to more perfect
knowledge Of God. This is declared to
be the foundation and aim of Masonry,
and Brothcrly Love, Mutual Protection
and Charity the results growing ont Of
this teaching.
think the members Of the Masonic fra
tcrnity who may he present, will say that
have given faithful picture Of their
principles and aims; aud | have dwelt so
minutcly upon them, because they EN-
body the great principles and aims Of all
the other secret societies The other or
dcrS differ in this, that their aims are
more limited, and confined to narrower
sphere than Masonry. Temperance soci
cites have engratted on them the element
Of Secrecy. Their speciality is to build
up the principle Of total abstinence from
the use of all Intoxicating liquors as a
beverage. This is their peculiar sphere
The Order of Odd Fellows has for its
object and sphere of labor, Mutual Aid of
/ its members According to the Odd Eel
lows Manual, each Lodge belonging to
| this Order "ls not only a beneficial or
mutual aid society, but also an association
for mental and moral Improvement, whose
meetings and operations are designed to
! improve and elevate the characters of its
members" According to the same au-
! thority, the means through which they
aim to improve aud eXait the character
J of its members are-lst. "TO visit the
sick; ID To relieve the distressed; 3d.
To bury the dead 4th. To educate the
orphan, to aid the widow, and exercise
over each other fraternal watch, care and
moral discipline"
This covers the whole ground; this is
its peculiar, sphere. The conditions ne
cessary to be compiled with, in order thai
a man may receive the full benefits Of the
/ Order are-lSt. That he be accepted as a
member; ID. Contributes regularly to
the funds Of the soeiety the Sum stated as
T., g,Ilar dues. The benefits conferred are
specified in the Odd Fellows Manual as
follows: " He is entitled toa certain week
=, ly stipend during disability to labor this
whether he be rich or poor, at home or
abroad If needing more aid, he is not
allowed to suffer. If he needs attendance
at night, two watchers are regularly pro.
vided every night, without care on his
part or trouble TO his family. If travelling
and he needs assistance, any Lodge where
he may be, will render the same service
for him. If he dies, stipulated sum i,
paid to his family, to bury him properly
or his brethren attend to that duty foi
them If his wife dies, a similar, but
generally smaller, allowance is made. tC
pay the expenses Of her funeral. II hl
leaves a family, our covcnanted vows en-
brace their care and welfare, in our Spe
cial duties"
Thus the Order Of Odd Fellows hold:
the same relation to social life that Mutua
Insurance Companies do to the property
interests of society. 1t is, tn a certain eX
tent, life and health insurance aSsoca
ton, with the advantage of providing per
sonal care and attention, as material aid
and furnishing these at the time they are
needed. ia its m93e III i"furing ir
struction, it is speculative, as is Masonry
inasmuch as it has emblems and symbol,
and mysteries known ouly to the initiated
In regard to the disbursements of tht
funds Of Odd Fellows, they differ in prac
tcc from Free Masons in that they pay
into the funds of the society their regular
monthly or quarterly dues, with the cx
press understanding that they can draw
from the common fund, the sums stpula
ted, in case of disability. Masons have
no such claim Oh the funds of the society
Their claim is on the membership. The,
pay their dues to create fund for chari
table purposes, and it can be appropriated
for charitable uses either within or with
out the Lodge, according as the member.
of the Lodge shall direct The funds o
the Odd Fellows cannot, according to theil
constitution, be appropriated to any other
use than that of disabled member, OF
for society purposes, as building halls fol
the uses Of the Order. Odd Fellowship i.
more properly Mutual Aid society thar
a Charitable organization.
In many respects, the objects aimed at
and the mode of accomplishing these oh
jects, are similar in Masonry and Ode
Fellowship, as seen from the outside
They have both mysteries and forlAs
known only to the initiated. They both
cndeav>r to inculcate morality and usefu
knowledge, through types and symbols
| And both societies imnoSe certain ohlipa