Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-04-25
]. o. o. b..
Semi. Centenary Of the IntEe-
duciIOa of the Order into
Ihe Uaited States.
Brief HI story of It's Career.
ITS Name, Origin, Object, Gov
ernment, Religious
r1o Aspect, Etc.

4 Monday the 26sh instant, Ito. morrow
will be the occasion Of q OF the grand
7 est displays in the way of q celebration
} that has ever taken place in the United
States, or, indeed, in America, being the
semi-csntsnial celebration by the
Order, OF the Introduction Of Odd-Fel-
. lowshjp into America. To properly ap-
preci9te this statement and to form some
idsa of the magnitude OF the jubilee the
re5der will glance at the following
STATISTICS.
The number of Odd-Fellows in tbs
United States, in round numbers, is
three hundred thousand. The largest
number in any one State is in PennsYi-
vania, where the Order numbers 81, coo
Ia New York there are is 600, 10
Ohio the same number, II
California sbous 10000. The fset 4
thsir immense prepoDderance in Penn
syivanis ia probably owing almoss solely
to the sxsrti0ss OF one msn-Lhe late
Grand Secretary R;dgely, who was 8
m1st active Old Fellow, devoted heart
and saul to the principles OF the Order,
and who spared nsiiher time, money nor
sxertioDs to advance it il every possible
way. The propiHquity, too, Of the resi-
dercs Of Wildey, the founder of Odd
! Il III SLAE ANC0 = 0A1AE -
in Baltimore and vas much in Philadsl-
phis, may have bad something to do
Twin il. Maryland numbers soma II, 900
| Oit-Fello VIZ. Ia Tennessee there are
eighty five lodges, and about $500 mem
bers, OF whom over a tenth are ia Mem
phis.
In order that our readers may the bet
ter understand the offsets, motives, laws,
etc, of his society, we have prepared
the following accurate resume Of Old
Fellowship:
Abstract secrecy or secrecy of ITSELF is,
! therefore, no valid objection. There is,
however, a sense in which secrecy is al
| evil that is when il Is perverted, just as
sDy other principle, however good in
Itself, when abused will exert q mis-
| chievous i~rflence. The true tOuchs5one
is the use, not the abuse, of secrecy to
this test Odd Fellowship cordially sub
mits its work.
But, spart from this view Of the gen.
ersl subject, strange as it msy sound to
the initiated, it is nevertheless true that
Odd Fellowship is not q secret society.
By far the larger portion OF its ritual, or
work, is in print, and is known to thous-
ands ard hundreds of thousands all Of
It's gensral legislation, comprising vol
1mes OF matter, is accessible to the pub
lie eye, and much OF its ceremonial is
constantly disp'syed to the public gaze.
True, it possesses an unwritten and uu-
spoken language, Ineligible only to the
membership. The language Is, however,
unimportant to the outside world, since
il serves simply the purpose Of mutusl
recognition between those to whom it il
znown. The members Of the family
have exclusive claims upon the supply
which their j)int labCrs and eontriba-
lions have stored; hence is is fitting that
safeguards should be thrown around
these claims how otherwise could q
mutual relief society, in the secular sense
Of the word, be sustained? This is all
the secrecy Of Odd Fellowship.
ITS GOVERNMENT.
al objects, the successful attainment
Of which is hoped for by the cOmbina-
ton Of masses OF men, aud the coEsOlj
dation OF mary minds into 3 single will,
demand 3 sUbOTdinatiOn which Can only
De maintained by q system Of law and
order. Old FellO wship, in conformity
TO this experience, has an organic stion
p~ecuIisr 20 itself. II hss 8 paramount
fundamental law, embedded 10 the form
Of q written constitution, elasnstiug
from a supreme federal head, styled the
Grand Lodge OF the United Statee. This
bsdy is representative ia its character, {
~ E@ELLkGEG EAgCAa 2 AGaN9AANAh q nv
iud Ci2i powers. Il assemblies once 3
year; during its recess its chief officer,
called the NJ. w Grand Sire, chosen BIZ
eaDisBy by the body itself, is vested ita
executive power within constitutional
Limits. Ffcm the Grand Lodge OF the
Uaited States, ss the great hesTt Of the {
order, dJw, and are distributed, the ram
lied powers and functions which are {
possessed and exercised by its sUbordi
rate sg4ncie. TIE first, AMI the most {
Important of these, are the STATE, Terri
toriSl, provincial O~rcCIOnt2I grand bodies, {
80 called for the reason that their sphere
Of action IS ~coniGed TO their respective
geographical limits. These bodies each
have written constitutions and general
laws for the government Of the order
within their respective Jurisdictions, en-
acted By themselves, but subject to the
approval Of the Grand Lodge OF the
UNitsd States. From them, also, are /
chosen bisnuisl!y the representatives to
the GrsBd Lodge Of the United States,
and by them alone sre the primary as
semolies of the order, the subordinate
bodies, created and immediately super
yised, s26jeet, however, to ritual and
general regulations, which ere alike com ]
mon to every Ledge Of Odd-FelloWs l
~thr0ughoub the gioOe. The subordinate
Lodge is the active working thestef Of
the order, and msmbeTshipin good stand |
ing in any lodge, evidenced by proper '
authority, is g passport to admission into i
a Ledge, wherever situated, and TO aid &
and assistance from it when the brother
IS h9 desires the me-, or needs the other,
makes known his character. This sys
tenn OF government has proved so admi-
rsbIy adapted to the great object Of the
Institution that perfect fellowship and
specialization have prevailed ever since {
its formation each body sdhering to its
appropriate sphere, ard all moving in
perfect harmony as = whole.
RELIGIOUS ASPECTS. !
Old Fellowship is 8 neral, not q reli- F,
gicus organization. The religious world
il divided into many sscts, each intent
upon the promotion OF its peculiar plans
aud interests, aud Of consequence want
ing Ia that unity OF action go essential in
every secular Institution to tAe ecu
ment of these great results which Illus
trate the triumph of b~saeUOLence and :
choritg. This want ia, in o good degree, I;
met by the employment of sD agency f.
not amenable to such . disability, ard ia !
which men Of may secfs and creeds
may cordially cooperate and labor, upon
conomon ground, for tbs relief Of human
suffering. S2ch an institution is Odd :
y etlOhc4Aks IL ODEb Luz a4lsy AbSotA
against the church nor presume ,
to aTrogste It's functions, or to
supervise it's teachings. It's lodges are
not the council rooms Of enmity to reli-
Gicas, civil, moral or social oTgsniZs tiOns.
Far otherwise; All its orseiss and in-
structions in relation to these gra % sub
jects find their warrant and authority in
the Divine law, under the inspiration of
which it proclaims tbs golden rule as
ths sublimest illustration Of the law Of
1--we.
THE SUBORDINATE LODGE.
Five or more members of the order ia
good standing, by which Is meant that
they are clear Of the books OF the Lodge
and free from sny chsTge affecting char
acter, may petition for authority to insti.
tute a Lodge. The petition must be al
dressed to the State, Territorial or Pro-
yinciaI or Colonial Grand Lodge within
the geographical limits OF which it is {
proposed to locate the Lodge. If no I