The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-05-01


ss3ss tslBssiy dsassidS. 'd d :essssiy .nysSiSs
towards softmdnV thslGt = tie uhibetunsts and
aistresssd. scascely anything towards amsliOrsr
ting the condition Of thes poor, and nothing to.
wards removing the imperlsctions Of society.
TAe'teal eomlort nd A1priaeH Of life ana ef
society does not ariseT ffoM princely donations.
They come from the itAoInnd little amenities,
the theasAnd little kindnssses and sets Of chari-
y done by one to the othes. in kindly sad,fsp-
, Z s. s:usa e 's' das F Si on.
ihip to show to the woasld hsw charity nay Is
so,organised and dispsnsed that it shall 20 direct
70 its object, with . sure benediction.
Our age ID by NO mems destitute Of the senti.
lAent Of charity, but is, perhaps, sometimes un-
wise IN the exsrmH afpits ssthe habit Of
.nsny persons to deeply sympathise oyer suffer-
ings that are afar Of and send money to. carry
foewa!d : eauss AVER Questionable utility on
the other dds Of the world, while they scorn the
beggsr from their doors and pass BY without
note or pity the reat nieery that meets them at
GA ' Fsgliov,n Il. hssr.s,r. s.a its Ian.
gnage. A iAto9 Been said bei6ss, - principles
Of our order ~ expressed IN MOT bSantiful and
impressive symbols, emblsms and allegories.-
But many p1fsons object 10 OdA Esllowshjp be.
cause 1t uses SYMBOL. And they sAak, why, if
you have anything good in your order, yo1 do
not write Il out in plain Eaglish asa not hide II
away in symbols and emblems? We answer,
that We MS symbols for the same reason that
States and Kingdoms use symbols; icr ~ aame
reason that ehulchss use symbols; ioE, ~ Gsme
reason that institutions Of learning - sJnhols;
BE- because tss sss more expressive TIN wit
does every stata adopt . ooat-of-sTns Why Is
the image q tho Goddsss Of Juskios placed rpon
the seal d = COURT Why = IL thst the most
holy and inrgeseiye rites h church services are
those which ars NmbolieAl7 Itisbecaase great
moral and religious pxinciples cannot b express
cd in writes lsnguage. e -.
symbols addrsG themselves 70 al Of cur senses
"snd speak through the imagination to the soul"
Written Language addrssses itself to the eye
slons The characters which form . written
language were invented by man, and they are
constantly changing. God made the symbols,
and their me 'nings never change. u
What is IT,, flag Of our country but . symbol
ION the field Of battle doss II mot inspire the
heart 81 the soldier With the divine ides Of duty
and heroic daringY' It i . symbol whose deep
and holy meanings can alone be read By tho
heart of the patriot.
The principles Of Odd Fellowship are as old a.
time They wsrc written upon the heart of the
6rs. man, and we're the inspiration Of "that birth
eng which wrapped the young creation in &C.
And it is the mission of Odd Fellowship to
extend her principles throughout the world BY
arousing the spirit of fratsrnal love, which
rises srYsEior 10 the tactitious distinctions ard
ditions Il life, and By sowing through the world
the reeds Of a broader charity and moro actiye
benevolence a
But, says one, youf society has bsen in active
operation for = long time. What have you 20.
oomplhhed? What results have You gained
We answer; that it is not for us to stop and eon.
puts the results. 1t is simply our duty to work
But ask the questioner TO stop and compute
for me the result or effect Of one small oct Of
charity frxtssnally done 70 needy OF suffering
brother: 1t is an exceedingly small thing
comp~te or measure the rssult A philoeoQhsr
has said that it is physical law that when .
force i once exerted, no matter how small the
force may Re, it never stups 5scting., No matter
IL II b she mere dropping, Of key upoa the
fosr, - the teaching Of late string, it creates
. series OF vibrations which continue to travel
on through all space and all time.
So in the moral world, one small act Of kind
ness dino 10 brother waErn his heart aad IN,
duses him ~ DO an act d charity to another
brother; 20 that, however small the act may BE-,
it, in1aenoe yibsates from heart 10 heart NATL il
Seaches the. throne Of God. ~ - IA AsC =
No wise man ever expects to reform tho world
or svsb . lAtaoa. The most any person an d
toVaub refpe1ning u world u 70 thosSaghly
reiorD hin6o1k Rs1neme are not brougNt about
By sudden and brilliant sflhrts Of individuals or
societiaA ,.s.., -. ~ = u sT.s r. y
MiaH Of those Who opposs our ordsr cad other
similar orders belong to that olass Of so-ealled
refornsrs who can never sec that multitude OF
small agencies constantly and silently asting in.
the enc direction may = time prodnosgssat To-
salts They never speak Of doing any smaller
exploih than that Of reforming whole nation at
one end the same time, BY some mechanical pat.
eat right theory which they have, inWentsd.--
forn& Like Esop's fly on the axle Of the char.
lot, they think that they cause all the noise and
huhOuS which they hsar and see around then,
and they talk Of revelations and REFORMS as If
theF were mere chess men.
Earthquakes and tsrnados make ARreat noise
and leave ruin and destruction in their path. But
they arc merely tho 1sults of disturbing forees,
and they produce no lasting effects ON the phys.
ical world. So wars and battles leave famine sad
death IN their traclI but they are merely the re.
suit Of disturbing moral forces-ths product Of
disanion-and thsy produce no lasting revolu-
ton IN the moral world. They pull down bat
change the hearts or minds Of mon.
The great forces Of nature all act silently and
secretly. The unseen force which carries tho tele.
Egran across tina continent and under the sceaa
il easily yoked and guided. 1t patiently obeys
| the bidding of man, and works for his good But
the secret Of It's power it will not reveal to any
question which man can ask 93gp '.GtT.
IL When God undertakes to build a continent or
an island he does not use earthquakes he docs not
set men or elephants TO work at it, He selects