Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-05-02

4
Within this stone therslies conceal'd
What fufars ages may disclose, I
| The sacred truths, to us reveafd -
By Him who fell by ruthless foes.
| On Him this eorner-stoRe we.build.
To Him, this edifice erect;
And still, until this works fulfilled,
May Heaven the workman's ways direct
An appropriate prayer wsspro
nounced by the chaplain after
which there was music by tire
Band. followed by an address by
Prot, A. M. Birney, of McMinn-
vile. And here we would say
that we took no notes, and, there
fore, in mentioning some Of the
prominent points of the addresses,
we speak of them as a whole,
without giving credit specifically
to either of the three speakers
All of the speeches were excellent,
entirely satisfying not only the
spectators, but the most exacting
of the brotherhood. Prof. BIS nd
dress was about an hour in length,
at the conclusion of which the
procession was formed, the Band
in advance, and marched to the
dinner tables, which were loaded
with an abundance. of as good.
palatable, and nicely cooked food
as weever saw at a public barba-
cue. Dinner over, the crowd re-
turned to the church, where an
able address was delivered by
Prof. C. l.. Randolph, followed by
Rev N. D. Crawford. The speak
ers said that the Order was insti-
tuted 10 the United States, from
England, in lSl9, just fiity-three
years ago, by five men-tiIat now
there were under the jurisdiction
of the Grand Lodge Of the United
States, about 4, 500 working lodg:
es, with an active, affiliated mem
bership OF $40, O00-that last year
there was expended for the relief
OF distress, 81 100, UOO--that, as
al example of the rapid growth
of the Order. California, thirty
years ago a wilderness, now
has a State grand lodge, lS6 sub
Urdipate lodges, and an active
membership OF 1926! Pariicu-
lar attention was called to the
fact that the Independent. Order
OF Oud Fellows is qchae mans
Orgdnizdtion--that the first req.
uisite OF membership il that the
applicant shall be a achite man, OF
good moral character, q years Of
age, and a believer in the exist
= y
ence Of a Supreme Ruler and Pre-.
server Of the universe--that these
are and ever have been conditions
Of neutrality-suspicious. the door Of
an Odd Fellowistlodge has never
been opened to a negro, chinaman,
indian, or any other color thar
schite.. The report in the Cincin-
natl Enquirer Of April 3rd,- that
zone Thousand colored Odd. Eel
lows appeared in q Fifteenth
Amendment procession" in Louis
vile on the End, conveys, an er-
rcr. There is negro benevolent
society there that calls itself Uni
ted Brothers of Oid-Fellows, but
it is not recognized, OF course, by
any white Order or fraternity
thewhole country.
A serious objection with many
people to Odd-Fellowship is the
erroneous OpiniOu that it is a sub
stitute for, if not subversive of,
christianity. 1t does not profess,
the speakers said, to be a religious
society, but social institution, for
charity and ibenevolence-to re.
lieve each other in distress to as
sist the widowed mother TO wipe
the tear from the orphans eye
Sectarianlsm and politics do not
pass within its portals. 1t does
not require, in order TO member
ship ii any of its degrees, the
recognition of any religious creed,
1t. only exacts from its members
the recognition of such truths IN
religion and morals as are com
mon to all the systems which rec.
ognise the existence of Supreme
Being. His belief may be more