The New York herald., 1869-04-26
I. O. o. E.
History Of the Origin and Pro-
gress Of the Order.
THE SEMl-CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY.
CELEBRATION OF THE DAY.

To-day is the nftIeth anniversary OF the institution
IN this country OF the Independent Order OF Odd
Fellows. 1t viii be celebrated by all the lodges
throughout the United States and especially at
Philadelphia, where the arrangements are made for
grand national celebration, in which, besides the
members OF the order resident in that city, repre-
sentatives and delegates Of majority of the lodges
tn other States win participate. The day Will also
be festively commemOraed in this and other cities,
though the festivities will not, except in Philadel-
phia, be OF public character the ''brethren OF our
local lodges having concluded TO abandon the idea
of procession in the streets and to conne the cee
bration to concerts. meetings, dinners and balls.
b The fftieth anniversary The members OF this
order may well feel proud OF the astonishing pro-
gress they have made during these years. 1t has
not only kept pace with the gigantic general devel-
opment OF the country at large, but it has far ex
ceeded IL. II was on the 26th day OF April, 1915.
that zone" Thomas wildey, Of Baltimore uniting
with himself four others, instituted the first lodge OF
Odd Fellows in the United States. They were Eng
hshmen, and attached their lodge, which they
named the Washington Lodge No. /, TO the MAN.
chester Unity" the main body of British Odd Fell
lows, and received a charter from there, under
which they began to work and expand And now,
ffty years AFTER the independent order Of Odd
Fellowsn rivals, in point Of numbers of wealth and
the Masonic fraternty-and may be considered as
OF the most important institutions OF the land.
4 The origin Of the Odd Fellows like that of the
Masonic order, 1t has been attempted to trace back
60 remote antiquity. 1t is stated by some tnat
brotherhood like the Odd Fellows. for mutual enter
tainment and succor, had existed among the Goths
and Huns and other Northern and Eastern nations
as early as the fourth century; that 1t was intro
duceed into Spain in the fifth, to Portugal in the
sixth and to France in the twelfth century, and
transplaned TO England by Sir John De Neville and
other associated knights, where in the eighteenth
century, the name was changed to 'Odd Feows''
from "The Loyal Grand Lodge of Honor" Others
ascribed to 1t a still ancient origin. If these
to be believed Adam, tine first man, according to
Moses was the founder OF the order and the first
''odd" fellow. This account may perhaps have been
suggested by the fact that before Eve created TO
make pair Adam undoubtedly must have been the
'Oddn one Stil another account states that among
the soldiers Of Nero the Roman Emperor the brother
hood was first instituted for reciprocal protection
and assistance, and that the order took its shape
and name during the reign OF Emperor Titus, and
was gradually carried through the then known civil
had become initiated.
But all these imaginary tales have now been dis
carded as mere inventions OF enthusiasts. II Is
quite impossible that the origin of the order
should date so far back into antiquity. and yet
neither sacred nor pro1ane history make any men-
ton OF It's existence. Hence in the United States
the Grand Lodge was not misled by an en-
blem procured from a British lodge IN 1926, on
which Adam Is represented as laying the foundation
OF the first lodge and It declared all the accounts
mentioned OF the putative origin and antiquity OF
the Order OF Odd Fellows TO be absurd and idle
stories unworthy OF credence. The true origin of
the order Is given as follows:-
Towards the close Of the eighteenth century a
number OF mechanics and laborers had formed into
lodges calling themselves the Ancient and Honor
citation was mutual support in OF need OF sick
ness, and with the example OF the Masons before
them they adopted secrecy Tor their meetings,
subdivision into degrees, with view to better
internal government. Their meetings were held in
taverns and generally ended with a convival feast
which, IN fact, was also one OF the original purposes
OF the confraternity The weekly contributions for
charitable ends were small. commensurate TO the
means OF the members, and seldom more than from
q penny TO twOpence week. IL was about this time
lodge which is still sung by the lodges even IN TINS
country, commencing with
Where Friendship Love and Truth abound,
Among a band 81 Brothers.
And the words, friendship, love and TRUTH
still form wnat may be called the shibboeth
brothers live up to the dictates of these three
'caTdinal virtuesn From London the order soon
extended TO otner cities, particularly to Liver
then formed uniting the several societies or lodges
IN one "Union order OF odd Fellows the chief or
governing organization or grand lodge being located
at London. BY the year 1s09 the order mad already
spread over nearly the whole OF England and some
discussion arose within II as TO the continuance OF
the system OF convival gatherings OF the brothers.
the minority insisting that they should be omitted.
giving often rise 10 heated debate and angry discus
SON. AT last the reformers" finding themselves still
In the minority, seeded from the organization and
at a convention held at Manchester formed the "ln-
dependent order OF odd Fellows and the central
committee located there and the subordinate lodges
under lis control, and known the Manchester
Unily is still regarded as the main body OF British
Odd Fellows
IL was as has already been stated under the
authority OF this "Manchesler Unityr and by force
of a charter obtained from iis grand lodge "moy-
able central committee that on the 20th April 1919,
Thomas Wlldey ana his four associates started
Washington Lodge No at Baltimore, tine first regu.
lar lodge OF odd Fellows IN the United states. II is
not doubted that there were some Odd Fellow or.
gaDizations before that In this country, but they
were managed upon the original London plan and
convivia meetings were most In order the charit-
able purposes belng second In degree only.
The new organization Of Mr.. wlldey. how
Manchester reformers, making and and assistance
20 poor and needy brothers the chief object. their
burial after death and help 10 the widow, and hence
Mr.. widey may truly be said to be the father OF the
order In this country. Its original charter from
Manchester IA said TO be stu ia existence naming
n ss the Grand Lodge of the Independent order OF
Odd Fellows for the state Of Maryland and the
soon extended. Not only did the nrst lodge itself
increase rapidly IN numbers, but others were in
stituted In Baltimore Philadelphia, New YORK. from
whepce IL spread to the West, taking root and
expanding wherever brother from the East went
TO settle.
The constitution OF the order s very simple. The
primary body is the subordinate lodge Five per-
sons are necessary TO constitute lodge to entltle
in which It Is situated. Outside Of this and a
few other general regulations 10 the fundamental
rules and principles OF the order prescribed by
4ts constitution and guarded over by the Grand
lodges, the subordinate lodges are Independent
IN the management OF their own affairs and
make their own bylaws and their own regulations.
Hence the initiation fees and monthly or quarterly
dues are different in amount in every lodge lust as
the members themselves may choose TO determine
the nrst being from ten dollars TO hundred dol.
sars the latter from three dollars per year to twelve
doarp ana IN some few lodges even higher
Everv male person OF good repue, tweuty-one years
sJf age or over. may become a member by making
written application through brother and deposit
tng the initiation fee. a committee n then ap-
pointed N inquire into the character and reputation
of the candidate, and n the report be favorable,
ballot is had, at which generally three black balls
sufficient 10 reject the applicant. II he be re-
eeived he n notified, and at the next regular meet
81 the lodge ne IL Initiated into the first white
degree. There are five degrees In all-the white.