Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-25
ODD-FELLOWsHIP
Address Of Hon. Nathan por,..

VI 1AOh- Nathan Porter.
A large number of our best citizens and
members of the various Lodges assembled
at Masonic Hall last night to hear the adj
dress OF Hon. Nathan Porter. formerly of
Rhode island, but for some time one of the
most prominent, able and eloquent mem
pers OF the San Francisco bar, and the Past
Grand Representative of California 10 the
Grand Lodge |. o. o. f., of the United
States. The Rock City Band furnished
music Tor the evening, playing "Gentle
spirit, hear my prayer" Just previous
to the introduction Of Mr.. Porter to the au-
dlence by Past Grand Representative. II. T.
Smiley, who remarked that while he might
make some comment as regards the distiD-
gulshed brother in manner Justly and de-
servlngiy complimentary, he would refrain
from so doing lest the utterance ofanv word
or the expression of sentiment ON his part
tend to impair the beauties of the address
whlch would be chaste, and eloquent, and
graceful.
Mr.. Porter prefaced his remarks bv saving
if it were his design to travel the countrv
Tor the purpose of making Odd Fellow adj
dresses, ne would desire to take his brother
onlIey along to make elegant introductions
Mr.. Porter stated that he came not here
Tor the purpose of delivering an address,
yet ne had been kindly solicited to do so BY
members OF the fraternity, and inasmuch as
a distinguished Odd Fellow from Nashville
had been caught, while on visit 70 Cali
lorna, and had to speak, he supposed that
he, as bird of passage on the wing, had
been caught, and was brought to the ground.
Several witticisms of a pleasantly
personal nature were INDUCED in
by the speaker, who then proceeded to pre-
sent the subject of "Odd Fellowship in a
manner that was at once bold in its dietiOn,
lofty IN conception, and most impressively
eloquent in the beauty, grace and purity Of
ITS character. Altogether the address was
one OF profound conviction as to the good
and beneficial results of Odd Fellowship,
which the speaker first showed the propriety
OF letting the public know something as
regards the nature and objects of the order,
so as to invite the examination and demand
the consideration of good and honest men,
permitting them to see its benefits in a
public and private manner. This was
illustrated by reference to the refusal of a
missionary in foreign land, who, when
called upon to lend his aid to the establish
ment of an American Odd-FellOwship,
there asked, Odd-FelIOwship, what is il?
And while the remark of the missionary
| filled Odd-Fellows with shame and
chagrin, yet that same question must
be replied to by men of observation
and intelligence. Thereupon the outlines
Of American Odd Fellowship were quickly
presented by the speaker who showed that
while 1t was once conducted in bar rooms.
| the host OF which was the most interested
party. in times when many clubs of social
and convivial nature existed in England,
and when the name did not appear as odd
| as now to some who thought its deeds ac-
corded with the name. 1t now had assum-
| ed purer and lOftier character Once its
members met to sing songs, tell stories and
| ENJOY themselves; now its character
lad assumed a different type and
while il was elevated and had been adj
vanced by leaving out the doubtful and
evil qualities, its ever and as yet main fea-
ture, benevOlenee, still existed. The OBJ
Ject now was to protect the poor, bury the
dead, comfort the, afflicted, alleviate the
| distressed, and care for the widow and edu-
cate the orphan. That these, however,
were but a few of its benefits, and the
whole could not be estimated in
About fifty years ago the Order met in
Baltimore and formed the Grand Lodge OF
| the United States, and their first act was to
exclude all refreshments from the hall and
| meetings except cold water. It now EN-
braced about $4,000 active members in the
| U. s., besides 900 who were nOn-affiliat-
edmembers; upon these there depended $50.
| OOOpersOns, making in all one fifteenth of the
| population Of this country. No Odd Fellow
was ever known to be pauper. Yet its
members paid a large amount of taxes, but
never received any thing individually
| compared with the the benefits received by
other persons from them. No child of the
order ever entered any eleemOsynary institu-
rion of the country, and while they placed
money in the public treasury they never
took it back again.
Its rapid growth and grand strength we
reviewed, showing that there were lodges il
every State, in Canada, the isles of the sea
Australia and other British Provinces, etc.
all of which were subordinate to the
Grand Lodge of the United States, thar
which the members of no Othe
association were more i'm
pOrtant, influential or intelligent. Henc,
it was progressive and now claimed thu
possession of virtues and intelligence equa
to that of any other benevolent order. Thi
nature of Oddfellowship, compared witt
religion was next explained in a manner a
beautiful and impressive as if done b,
the wand of genius itself; in the cours
Of which Mr.. Porter remarked, after ex
planning the difference between the Orde
and Religion, that while it avoided affinit,
with and between settled doctrines of flitl
in religion and politics, warning with n,
church and opposing no sect in principles
| yet it was the ground in the church and TIN
field from which rich harvest of religion
was reaped 1t may be termed the hand
maid of religion, and if not religious
was moral. The speaker then referreC
to the opposition some time made L
Odd Fellowship, saying he had been mem
Der of the Order over thirty years, an,
during that time had witnessed the declinr
of the opposition; though at present he be
lieyed there was one paper establishes
Ostensibly to oppose it, and anathema
were sometimes hurled from the pulpit b.
parties who knew nothing of its claracte
and purpose. lie thought the opposition
was weak and amounted to nothing
Here he gave a happy illustration, By a
anecdOte, Of the man who suffered fert
ciOus dog to bite his leg and offered no r,
sis ance, merely So ing to person VIII
asked why he did not drive the d)I 0
and not allow it to bite HIM s
badly, Let him bite; he is
noble animal; it does him great good an
does me no injury, because it is Iay woode
leg" So With that oppositiony il doesn
hurt; that wooden leg has no sensation.
L avf al