Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-27

highly Dy tnose VINO nave al Ante.es. AZ |
band belonging to the Order. This band
was out 10 full force yesterday, and fer its
age. there is none better in the country.
the band were the members OF
the Order, as one Lodge, according to rank
by degrees. After the subordinate mem |
bers came those belonging to the Grand
Lodge and Encampments, with few Rep |
TO the Grand Lodge of the |
Unite States bringing up the rear.
EXERCISES AT THE HALL.
The procession returned to the hall
about half past three o'clock, where the
exercises commenced with music by the
Odd Fellows Silver Band, followed by
the well known opening ode Of the order,
which commences
Brethren of our friendly Order"
The vast cencourse present, and which
took M every foot of available space 10
he spacious concert room at Masonic Hall,
;oioed in singing the ode. Then came a
nrayer by the Rev. Bro. Thos. E. Skinner,
after which hymn by the choir OF the
Mulberry street Church, OF which VIM.
Phillips, a member of the Order, lie the
leader. A better choir we have not heard
for many DAY.
THE GRAFTON
Then followed the Grafton by Rev. Bro.
A, ]. Baird, the substance of which is as
follows:
Ladies and Gentleman and Brethren Of
the Order: The task that is before US is a
very pleasing one, and at the same time
very responsible and laboriOus one. We
belong to those who have one motto I'M
furled for the reading of the world, and
we are of that tribe that has beaten its
spear into pruning hook, its sword into
a ploughshare, and our war charges are
upwards to those fields of peace where the
lion grazes with the OK, and the young
lion with the failing lie down together;
where the myrtle Tree has supplanted the
briar, and the fir tree blooms upon the
ruins of the thorn. ..-
This ia a day of no ordinary interest,
and as We invite your attention 10 the be-
ginning Of this peace and throw in few
scattering remarks for your entertainment,
We shall attempt to give an analysis of our
talismsn, which ia " Friendship, Love and
Truth" Human genius il one Of the very
strongest evidences of the divine order
and origin of human nature. We are
told that about ak thou 'and years
ago man as the little naked
beggar stood at the door of Eden's
gate, expelled for his misdemeanor. He
was turned out into the world with low
ing heart, a generous mind, and pair Of
hands, and in short time has cot this
earth TO bow down at his feet. He has not
only cleaned from its surface all that is
hostile, but he has taken charge of all its
inhabitants, and none dare to question his
authority. But there are moral achieve
ments as well as physical. From whence
come this vast assemblsge to-day? From
all over the middle Of this State and from
old Kentucky. What motives brought
this assembly here to-day? The farmer has
left his pillow in his furroW; the merchant
has closed his store; youth and old age
hand in hand have come here to-day to
celebrate the fflieth anniversary of the
order on this continent. That motto
mentioned does not announce
three principles, but one prin-
ciple, one cause and two effects. Sup
pose that before US stands beautiful tree
clothed with foliage and odorous flowers
you see beneath that foliage its strong
outreaching limbs and beneath them
strong stalwart trunk. These are seen and
admired. There is another department of
this tree. Down beneath the grassy seat
is a congress of roots. Friendship, 30
much admired and so much sought and
beloved, is but sweet blooming flower
that we see upon this tree. Love is the
strong outreaching braches that form that
study trunk, and Truth is the hidden
treasure of life from whence they all come.
Now when we turn and look at this illus
traiion We must bepractical in our aciiona.
Seek first TO understand and to know and
practice truth, and it will always yield TO
you good efftc's which will be Love and
Friendship. All hate is lie from begin
ming to end, and all discord is a lie from
beginDingto end. You might as well under
take to snatch alight from yondersun as TO
cultivate friendship or love either without
truth He who would seek the fair hand
in marriage must present the truth, and if
he is not an exhibition of truth he is but a
walking, living, smiling, accursed bow
scraping lie. This is the beginning and
ending of truth. When did men begin to
meet and assemble together for the pur-
pose Of overcoming their vast selfshness,
which is 30 common of us all Look back
for a while aud see how and when they
met 10 accomplish this purpose. The
standard of morality must necessarily be
low. They acted only upon the commoG
ground, and agreed only upon common
ground, and that common ground must
necessarily be low.
cast my eye over this vast assem-
blage and see, perhaps, representa-
tive FROM every school of politics, a
representative from every church. How
is it that you all meet here to-day
upon this broad platform Of Odd
fellowship? Ii is simply by the great
conquest that has been made for and by
truth.
This is no low standard of morality,
and the doctrine you have espoused is not
one that lies far down beneath the sur
face but il is the bold and fearless pro-
1ession of truth. OId-Fellowship is pro-
duct of religion aud is the result from the
truth of the Bible. Nothing short of it.
To be sure ii does not stand az high as
we would like to see it stand. 1t has a
higher and broader and more complete ex-
hibition Of divine truth than men have
ever come upon before. That is the
nature of il, and that is its teachings
Give us time We will raise the standard
gently year by year. We will think over
it, pray over it, and practice it and raise
the standard still higher. | may not live
to gee it. Its name might be changed,
but the day will come when the same
principles you espOuse TO day will become
universal, and friendship, love and truth
will prevail.
Let me gave another illustration.
Here is a piece of gold, pure and change
less you may change its shape and you
may give it angles and circles, but still it
is gold and never can become anything
else. There is an alloy consisting of pure
gold and something else, but the gold
that is in the a 10y is gold and moth
ing ellie. So is truth, Truth meyer be.
comes a falsehood and fslsehood never
becomes truth. 1t may dwell in the midst |
of faIsehood and it will never be anything |
else than Truth. Truth never furnished
man character, and never dug human
grave. These things all come from the
corrupti0ns and impurities that were
along with the truth. There is the dia- |
mond and there is the charcoal, one
makes a black mark, the other leaves no |
mark whatever. Now when you see an
Odd Fellow stopping from his high pro- |
fession do not prefer the charge against |
the diamond but against the charcoal |
The power Of truth Let us think of il |
for a moment. 1t dwelIs in the midst of |
every thing uncresttd and eternal, emenat-
lug from the creed "I am that l am" 1t
was Truth that stopped down and wrote
the sins Of woman in the sand; it was
truth that stooped down and took I'D the |