Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1866-01-10


crafts aud guilds. and other secret associa.
tiens, kept the feeble light Of know:edxs,
virtue and freednm, cleaning amid the
eurroundin. gloom of semi hCa:hen dark.
ness. until the world at large. awakening
from leaden sleep. lit its thousand torches
at The hardly preserved faper,. and thew
the blaze of a general revival. religion.
literature and sciences, once more over
our beniuhted race.
Aud since that revival similar assncia-
ciatinhs have aided no less in spreading
onward the a.pdride "f civiliz ,fion human.
Try and freedom. :" its present full flowing
,rogres.. The reform that has swept
away doctrines and institutions Of error
and Of wrong, grown hoarv with ages Of
general acknowledgements and reverence.
replacing them with the true and with
the right, has Mtcn been nnurished in
the silent secrecy of few caosen souls.
until it gained strength TO 90 Forth ',oiis
ly and grapple successfully with the mon.
ster errors aud giant vices If the age
AMI TIE revnlurinn that in few days
nv e,tu,ned thrones and bani>hel fvrants
replacing the nr" with better institutions.
and giving the ahusel powers of the
o her mn rig!,fn hands: frequently gath.
cred i'- earthqi,ke p,w.r in the privacy
If i.o'a'e1 circ e., which met t' pray and
deliberate fr their c"rntrv's we!fue. and
separated To spread abr'a.l rhe light an!
strength which Heaven gave the few to
direct The minds aud nerve the arms Of the
many.
We NAV be told however that error.
vice and diplomatic dsspoti.m haze also
had their secret organic ,ri"n>, even
i Holly Alliance" True! 20 also have
they had the.- pnhlis meetings. and na
tinnrl congress Shall We reject the lat.
ter also. because bold and bad men have
rsed oreness aud publicity fnr evil pnrpo
SOS A....y ,h- called secret soc;ees
cf modern times il the In iepo-ieut o.
der nf Old Fellows and there ia per
haps nnne that IN. axreled the bene6
cient influence within ifs own pale. in re.
leasing the distressed, and especially in
preventing suffering AMI poverty in the
families Of it's own members We can es
tima,e rhe fu'u-e usefulness of snch an
asenciatipn Of men banded together for
such a n"hle purpose. with increasing
numbers. raisin: their alters of Friend
ship, love and truth. in every city. town,
and village throughout the leng,h and
breadrh Of the lanl BIZ as much good
aaI been done "y that noble order. it
Was !onnd bv experience that there was
snmet,iuy wanting. land the Lord said
i, is not good for man TO be a.one," anl
tine c., operation Of w,man WAS solicited
to walk with Us in this path.
The degree of Rebecca was adopted
BY the Grand Lodge of the United States,
in September, 1851. and went into opera
tion with the year 1852 This was de.
signed TO mite the wives of members
M re infinitely with their husbands in the
work Of Odd Fellowship And most no.
bly, have yen perfrmei your part, in IN.
sumlng the responsibilities of this deyrec.
Having uni,el yourselves With " in
this degree We wun!d direct and stimulate
y"u in the performance Of the duties it
enjoins. by referring you to the illustrious
examples in your own sex. And m5ler
specimens of humanity AMI true waman.
ho,d. can nowhere he found in past ages,
than aic named To u III tie book Of
Bucks. Behold the hospitality Of the
mo lest and graceful Manoah. Sec also
the zeal ami courage of pa.riutism in De-
bnrah. The riskinS Of station anl life,
even Of Esther. the steadfast e ial piety
and devo;eI sffectian of Ruth. the vir.
gin prophecies Miriam. Aud thus FROM
Sarah. the wife of the friend ofG,d, and
the mother of Patriarchs down 10 Martha
and Mary. who watched when the disci.
pies f.d. To D,rcas who cared for the
poor the history siows aud brigh'e"s with
woman : work aud ioveilness. We there.
fore hold up tor y"ur imitation the < ,ol.
ness of those whose mnde>:y and worth,
whose domestic aud public virtues Prove
them " men Indeed.
For won IN S work is TO do good. Men
ueed banding together to stlau'ale their
better affeciious but in woman. beneyo.
ence AMI humanity are spontaneous
Permit me here to quote from the great
traveller Layard. He truly says IL
have observed among all nations. that the
women are kind, civil obliging humane,
and teader beings; that they are inclined
In he oav and chaarful tjneroas and mod .