Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-01
THE SEMI.CENTENNIAL0 OF ODD
FELLOWSHIP.
The Philadelphia Celebration.
Thirty Thousand In Line.
tphiladslphia Papers OF Tassday)

than yesterday for the Grand Jubilee
homer of the Fifieth Anniversary of Cd
Fellowship in this nationality,
I The sky was cloudless frou the brea
of day until dusk, and the sun neve
beamed with more brilliancy The al
mosphere was mild and thing wa
wanting to make the meBl ers Of III
Order Of good cheer.
The city was astir by rsylight i
fact, from an early hour 20 Saturda
evening, when the delegatinys from
distance began to arfiEs &c demon
siration really conDencea With the risinI
of the sun. BY that time delegation
from abroad arriving by the early train
were moving through the streets to tn
music of the bands, and our home Lodge
were preparing for the final move.
| Broad street never before witness O.
such q display. The thirty thousan
and upwards of men, with their gorge
Gus regalia and other fixings, the stream
ing flags and guidons, the banners richly
wrought in gold and embellished will
artistic paintings, the bright emblems or
the Order, and the strains of scores o
bands made up a scene that will never
be forgotten by the tens Of thousands o.
men, women and children who lined the
sidewalk and peered from the windows
of every building along that noble
thoroughfare.
The scene at the Academy, in the
morning, was one Of unusual briliancy.
The parquet was devoted exclusively to
the members Of the Grand Lodge,
while the parquet circle, the balcony and
the upper part of the house were filled
with ladies. On the stage, in q semi>
circular form, were the officers Of the
Grand Lodge, all dressed in the regalia,
and wearing their jewels. In the cens
tire sat P. G. Master John w. Stokes; on
his left was Most Worthy Grand Sire E.
ID. Fsrnsworth, of Tennessee, while
Mayor Fox occupied the seat on his
right.
Shortly before ten o'clock, the exer-
cises at the Academy of Music were
opened by the performance of the fine
overture to Herold's opera of ZamFa, by
forty instrumentalists, under the leader
ship of Professor L. Engelke. This was
followed by the singing of the Anniver-
sary Hymn, written especially for the
occasion by Brother B. P. Shillaber, well
known as the author Of MRS. Parting
toms" genial sayings, member of the
Sloan Lodge of Boston, Mass.
After prayer by the Rev. j. ". Vena-
BILE, r. W. G. Chaplain, P. G. NJ.
Stokes delivered the following:
THE ADDRESS OF WELCOME By P. G.. MAS
TER JOHN W. STOKES.
As soon as the premlimi nary exercises
were concluded, John W. Stokes. ESQ,
Past Grand Master of the r. W. Grand
Lodge of Pennsylvania, and chairman
of the Joint Committee of Arrange
ments on the Semi-centenniaI Celebra-
ton, stepped forward and addressed the
assembled multitude s follows:
M. W. Grand Sire, Officers, .and Mem
.bers of the R. w. Grand Lodge of the
United States:-Phrough the partially
Of my brethren and on behalf of the r.
w. Grand Lodge and r. w. Grand Ems
campment of Pennsylvania, it becomes
my duty to express to you the grateful
pleasure they feel in having you present
with them upon this Interesting occasion
The R. w. Grand Lodge of the United
States having resolved that the Filtieth
Anniversary Of the introduction Of Odd
Fellowship in America be appropriately
celebrated this day throughout the entire
jurisdiction, and that a grand national
celebration Of the occasion under their
auspices should take place in this city, in
obedience to this direction a number Of
the brethren Of the order are assembled
to-day to extend to you a cordial and
hearty welcome. We have also been
joined by the brethren Of the order from
some of the adjoining Jurisdictions in
doing honor to the legislative head of our
great fraternity; and take occasion here
to thank them for uhiting with US in our
endeavors to make the ceremonies Of the
day as imposing as was demanded by the
importance of the event which you
deemed proper to commemorate.
The brethren of this Jurisdiction fully
appreciate the high compliment paid to
them in selecting this city as the place
for the proper observance Of the Grand
National SemiNC Centennial Celebration Of
the Order. Your presence with US to-
day gives also an additional interest TO
the occasion, for which, in the name OF
the brethren | tender you their sincere
thanks.
,
Hoping to be favored in the future, as
We have been in the past, with fraternal
and united counsels, with a reliance upon
an overruling Providence for our pre-
serVation and peace, we shall feel an as [,
surance that our labors in the work Of
human benelactien will far exceed in uses
fulness those of the past, and better en-
able to obey your injunction ITO visit
the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the
dead and educate the orphan"
And now, Most Worthy Grand Sire,
in conclusion, on behalf of the brethren
of the Order in this jurisdiction, l extend
to you most cordial welcome. In be-
half Of the widows and orphans whose
tears have been wiped away, and then
stricken hearts gladdened by the kindly
offices of the Brotherhood, l bid you
welcome.
In the name of the good people of this
great metropolis, who recognize and APP
preciate to the fullest extent individual
and associated efforts in the amelioratior
and relief of human suffering, / bid you
most cordial and hearty welcome to oul
peaceful city.
May your sojourn amongst US be pleas
ant and agreeable, and may you carry
with you to your families and homes thu
most pleasant recollections Of your visi
REPLY OF THE MOST WORTHY GRAND SIRE
Ed. FABNswoRTH.
| At the conclusion of the address o
welcome, the Most Worthy Grand Sir,
Of the Grand Lodge Of the United
States, E. d. Farnsworth, Esq, of Ten
nessee, responded as follows:
| Past Grand Master, John W. Stokes
Chairman of the General Joint Commit
tee of AIrangements:-In beHalf of tn
J Right Worthy Grand Lodge Of the I'm
tied States, and of the assembled breth
| rem of the Order from other Jurisdictions
: who are to-day the guests of the mem
bers of the Pennsylvania jurisdiction
and especially of those of the city G
) ! Philadelphia, | return thanks for tn
| hearty and fraternal welcome which ha
been extended, and acknowledge my in
ability fittingly to reply TO the elOquen
and impressive terms in which you hav
! expressed it. Be assured, sir, that th
: pageant which your great city present
!. to-day, prepared in the broad spirit {
! liberality which characterizes our Fra
L .o.A;Lrr nnd in dauntinn 10 The nnhl