The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-07-18


has law OF attraction and repulsion-she
is select-everythiDg is drawn to its own,
and the freer they are to flow and ebb, the
surer they are 10 become rightly united.
Now, my friends, as Odd Fellowship
| comes under the head of secret societies,
propose here to examine the question ::
| Does a necessity exist for such an associa
| ton And as advance to this important
| duty, / do SO not only as a member OF the
| independent Order of Odd Fellows not
only as member of that venerable frater-
nifty WHICH we delight To call mother.
need not name her, she is known and hon
ored by most of you; do 50 not only as
| n member of the. Order ofDruids; as a mem
Der OF the Order of Rechabites do SO,
| moreover, as an Orangeman, one who on
more than one occasion has come so near
losing his life in defence of the religion of
| Christ. as To have the bullet from the as
sassin pass through the rim Of his hat in
| close proximity to his head do so more
| over as one who, in war, has seen the all
| yantages of these fraternal signs and rec
| ognitions | do so as one who for twenty
! three months visited daily the bed of the
| sick, the dying and the wounded heroes,
some two hundred out OF niue hundred of
whom sealed their devotion to the cause
which they espoused by the sacrifice OF
their lives, and whose bodies committed
| to the dust Notwithstanding their con-
nection with these monstrous, these secret
societies, with good hope of a glorious
resurrection. Iapproach The threshold OF
1 .is.s- Investigation. moreover as an alnbas' =
| sador OF the meek anu iouly-JNsrsa: and
| therefore may reasonably be expedted 10
be impartial in the investigation. This,
nv dear friends, is the acme OF my ambi-
| ton. | shall do SO fearless of the frowns,
| or without counting the smiles of any be-
lieving fully that truth is mighty and will
prevail.
1t must be admitted by every rejecting
mind, that this world in which we live,,
move and have our being, has been made
and fitted up by mans creator, In the most
splendid style, for our convenience ana
| comfort No man, in the possession OF MS
reasoning faculties, can look abroad on
this fair earth, and deny that God has made
| everything beautiful for the enjoyment OF
| His sentient creatures The universe and
| all its fullness are everlasting monuments
| of the inexhaustible goodness and benevo-
lence of the Most High yet with all the
| glory and beauty that sparkle in the azure
| armament, and all the splendor and grand
eur of the earth, freshly painted by the
pencil OF heaven Notwithstanding all this,
| we are often surrounded by clouds and
darkness. by trials and troubles, and sore
temptations and although health and
yigor of life and busy activity continually
surround us, yet sickness and despair stalk
abroad in the earth hurrying on their VIC
Tins to the vale of graves. Moreover,
this world is one of constant change and
vicissitude.
The brightest and fondest hopes of man
are suddenly blasted by the inroad OF cola
/ md worldly
cares The rude hand of misfortune fire
ouently lays its palsied spell upon the
most gifted sons of this world.
The man of untold wealth OF to day who
has servants to come and go at his bidding,
NAV 20 morrow be 6. beggar. The bright
est sun of worldly grandness that ever shed
its mild and cheering beams on mans
abode, NAV in brief hour be shrouded in
dark clouds, wild attempts and horrid tenn
pests. The man who depends on his
brawny arm and stout heart, to gain an
honest support for himself and family, may
when least expected be robbed OF his &C.
customed health and strength, and thus be
deprived from earning the necessaries OF
life. The young man, just stepping for
ward on the great and ever changing stage
of human life-his hopes bright with warm
and glowing ant cipations of the unknown
future-his vivid imagination pointing
him onward to the dizzy summit of human
greatness and glory, he little thinks his sun
| will ever be clouded he does not realize
that his wild dreams of future greatness
his complete success in all his undertak-
ings. NAV at any time be frustrated ; that
his arm. nerved with giants strength
/: his eve, flashing with the beam of intellect
: and genius, may at any time become pow
S erless and sightless And death, too, is in
4 the world He cuts down the young ant
q the old, the weak and the strong, the eyi
and the good, and lays the most favored
and gifted sons of earth, with all their glo
ry and requirements, I'm the cold bed O
, dust. He who to day wears the crown
upou his head, at the sway oE =" hose rega
r sceptcr millions tremble in dlsmay, may
to. morrow 90 down, unlamenteu, 10 'ii'
. mansions vi U,re uc1i. And 90 we are all
the mother and the child, the thoughtles'
+ youth and the gray headed sire-aI, ALL
are hurried onward by the nOiseless foot o
time, to the mystic vaults OF Hades.
G Thus we wander amid the dim land o
e graves, lamenting the downfall of the good
and the great, the innocent, and earth
. loylIest flowers. and reflect with sadness
, upon the vast desolation, the king of ter
> rors has been and is still making in thu
7 world.
I Man is SO constituted that he shrink:
r with inward dread, at the bare idea of dy
7 ing, even under the most favorable cir
s cumstances. 1t is a very serious thing, tC
most persons, to die at home, even when
, surrounded by kind friends, to smooth the
+ rugged path across the gloomy valley
e | But how much more are mans last mo
! ments embittered, aud made dark, will
t fearful forebodings, if called upon by his
| Maker, when away from home, to biz
} farewell to this earth and its attachments
r Obi how dreary must such an hour be
D without one dear friend to wipe the brow
8 on which the dews of death are gathering
7 And there is much GOODNESS and bitterness
t | in the world Truly the great sin of thu
: world is its selfishness. Attimes all seem
to be bound up in poor self. Man too of
ten looks on and sees, with self compla
: cency, the widow wronged, the orphan in
iured, the needy and the friendless desert
f ed. Hate, base and loathsome drags dowi
r honest merit to its own degraded leoel
e SANDER hurls its poisoned dart at the pure
e and spotless, while envy and malice nerv
t the murderer's arm. Yea, the folsom,
4 Journey of life at best, is but little less thai
/, one of turmoil, fatigue and disappoint
J. ment 1t is hard for man to battle alone
q single handed, against the numerous evil
t thai bsset him on every side. All object
# of public good, as well as all evil, are NOR
e easily accomplished and overcome by tn
:, united efforts of men. than by the individ
J. ual in his separate capacity. Indeed, ev
t ery noble and praiseworthy reform has al
e WAYS been accomplished by the power an
Y influence of association.
It Odd Fellowship is an association, of in
r diyiduals, formed for the noble purpose G
d relieving the distressed, visiting the sich
e burying the dead, and educating the OF
y phan. Every member belonging to it
It pledged to help and support his worth
" brother in distress, to be ever ready to eA
l. tend the willing hand of Friendship, Low
b and Truth, and all those gentle acts whic
b flow cut of this triple link and which ar
e so acceptable in this cold and selfish worle
/" Yes, my friends, who belong ZACH inserti
n Order, let me say to you, thsad.
Ia Never the balm in wise Friend
- | IL withheld from the sufferer hdino .dveytiseme
Never the faith in the true he's
n | Shall GROW dipsa V1e 'slaeee rates.
, For God PLANK WALK.
/ No. w. CoRwIN There is grant &c
II side walk along Block 3, Lot 8, Loughri'
and Cassiday's addition to the city OF Os
loosa, the lot owned by you. Unless