Weekly Trinity journal., 1866-05-05

tions fail to bring him up to the true standard,
charge it to his own depravity, rather than to
the benign teachings of Odd Fellowship.
Again The opinion has attained with some
/ that the benefcence of of our Order is confined
solely to those who belong to the Brotherhood,
and this by them is regarded as an objection.
| In reply to this can say the idea is erroneous.
Mutual relief as before remarked, is one of our
| leading objects, and the funds of our Lodge are
raised with the understanding that each Brother
! in good standing is entitled when his misfortunes
require it, to assistance. Yet there are bounds
| to all human action. Archimedes declared that
with another planet to stand upon he could move
the globe. But no institution, however exten-
sive, ever in its widest dreams imagined that 1t
occupied the position and possessed the fulcrum
and lever necessary to raise the wide world from
suffering. We have however not only cared for
our own members but outside of our organiZa-
| ton much has been done through its instrumen-
| tality. Ireland realized this fact when famine
was within her borders, and the relief sent by
our Lodges, both in England and America was
welcomed to her shores by the grateful ejacula-
tions of her furnishing people. Pittsburg realz-
ed it when mercess conAagraton swept over
the city and the munificent donations of the
Order assisted in repairing the losses and restor-
ing to homes her beggared and sheterless inhabi-
tants. Other cities have realized it when " the
pcst:lence that stalketh at midnight and wasteth
at MONDAY" was in their midst, and the efforts
of our Brotherhood aided in staying its ravageS
and alleviating its horrors. Oh no Odd Fell
lowship has not been partial in her bestowments.
| In the day of caamity-in the most catholic
spirit of genuine benevoence-she has repudia-
| ted all distinctions among mankind, requiring
no password to enttle suffering humanity to
her attentions but the moan Of distress. Her re-
l.s.f I,, L. 1o1 L., h.
command Her charity has begun at home but
not ended there.
Ladies, by your presence with during these
anniversary exercises | feel assured that you
sanction our cause, and are here to encourage
our work with your approving smiles. Ever
ready in every good work as you are, and ap-
preciating as we do your earnest and hearty CO.
operation in benevolent objects, your exclusion
| from all the gradations of the Order save the
Degree of Rebecca is by some regarded as an
Objectionable feature of orr society That you
are not admitted to the other Degrees needs, |
| think, no apology from me, for without pretend
ing to know why the founders of our Order
make it to exclude your scx | think a reason
can be assigned for it which is to you in the
highest degree complimentary. It is not from
any Mohammedan estimate that Odd Fellows en-
tertain of your qualities 1t is not that are
| timid lest you should step beyond what some of
the " lords of creation - are pleased to term the
appropriate sphere of woman Bat it is because
you do not need, as man does, the aid of such in
stitutions to provoke and stimulate you to good
deeds Man becomes hardened by daily inter
course with the cold and selfish world, in the
marts Of traffic, in the rivalry of politics and in
the thousand avenues that open to tempt him
from the path of duty. Odd Fellowship is a
school to educate rs up to the high standard
from which Won seldom swerve. Too often is
our sex to be found unmovei by the cry of an
gush. and witnessing with Implying eye scenes
of misery. And while q mans nhumanity to
man makes countless thousands mourn TO the
lasting honor of your sex be il said that in al
! the worlds history there have been bnt few wo
men - great like Cpser stained with blood, OF
with the ambition of an Alexander, who looking
hack on the desolltion his wars had accustomed
81 .hed for other worlds to conquer. Woman
then needs not the aid Of any outward influence
to develop her sympathes. With her to hear il
to answer the voice of woe. to see is to relieve
suffering. The same now as centuries ago wheI
! she - last at the cross and first at tht
scpulchrc" she obeys the ready promptings o
her heart, and willingly forcgpes the com
forts of home, the pleasures of the social circle
and the attractions of the gay assembly, to watct
through the long vi-ils of the night by the hes
| of sickness, to mosten the parched lips, Il
battle the aching brow. to whisper peace Il
the departing spirit, to breathe "A prayer rs /
wings its tlight to the God who gave it. Il
| the language of another. woman ; sympathie:
are true us the magnet to the pole to the voice o
duty. As the sken fbres of the Aeolan harp re
spond with soothing sounds TO gentest zcphyrs
so does that most mysterious of all instruments
a woman 5 heart ever and quick vibrate to thu
/ fInieSt sigh of sorrow" Yes. wherever youl
sex is found, amid the untutored children of tht
forest in the highest walks of civilization ant
refinement, You are mans superior in all the
qualities that have an expression in deeds o
mercy, charity and benevolence You may bt
grave or gay, lively or scdate, or in the word.
of the poet
"In hours of
Uncertain. coy aud hard t., please,
Aal variable ~ the shade
That's by the quivering aspen made
But when anguish wrngs the brow
A ministerng angel thou"
But from noticing what has been urged in OBJ
| lection, let turn to consider for Il few
moments its progress and results Minerva, it i;
fabled, sprung full grown from the cleft brain o
Jove. Unlike the Goddess, strength and maturity
we're far from being characteristics of Our insti-
tuition during the period of its infancy The first
twelve years of its existence this continent
furnishes no evidence of its growth being rapid, oil
its operations extensive. for in 1881 there were in
the United States but 60 Lodges, numbering some
| 4,4j0 members, and having an annual revenue OF
about S26, 800. Though the small number of its
/
narrowly crcum scrbed its measures of relief
| the unpretentious character of its adherents and
the unseIfsh nature of their labors disarmed its
opponents of their weapons, and silently and
slowly though not the less surely, were CON-
mending it to favor and preparing the way for its
future extension throughout the broad area of
| our land Nine wears later, in 1910, the Fra
ternity in the United States numbered 55 Lodges
with IL l66 members, and revenue Of $50, 29S.
In the next decade, in 1880, thirty-one years
from its organization in country, it number
ed 2,354 Lodges, with ,6o7 members, and a
yearly revenue Of Sl.2l7. .4l6, having disbursed
for relief the sum of S4s3, i04 during that year.
In 1860 the reports to the Grand Lodge OF the
United States show returns from 3,547 Lodges
and 64l Encampments, having a membership in
the Lodges of l73, ,sls and annual income of 81 :
7o,9O4, of whjch there was expended for relief
| to Is, l41 Brothers the sum of 1881, ,920 to q
629 widowed families, S63,s26 towards the