The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-05-04
ODD FELLOWS.
FIFTY.ForRrU ANNIVERSARY AID
DRESS
DELIVERED By DIR. Il. = bh"hh AN
BEFORE ALEXANDER LODGE No. 2si

Noble Grand Brothers ana SISTERS, l
think IL due the Judgment oil your oo.'-
mittec and myself, nnd tue octaso"' :"
state that | am tho second cno'ce US
orator of the evening, ana perhaps py
the tine .ret through, you Wiitn'hh !
should have been the third or iourth
choicel. and il was after CLOCK yesler
tetday, before was requested TO 90 tne
ora,,ng of the evening, as Brother oberly
coud not be here, and therefore consider
ingthe sbortne.s of the time to prepare
in. and nv professional duties, you VIII De
40 kind ma TO excuse the crude
i1as and the undres.ed manner thst J
pesent them in this evening. MS, 1
blieve, /. the thirty.fourth anniversary
n tho in,roduotion of Odd Fellowship
mo tho Irni,el State, of America. The
Botherhood of Man gave birth to this
oricr. and il is, | think, the only order IN
tia United States whose text and pre-
rauisite for membership is simply honor
abe manhood, and honorable manhood
alne. We exact faith in no creed, in no
DOGMA, but simply Tor man to feel In
hoDr bound to always, under all circum-
stances, give exact justice to his fellow.
man and therefore to always act IA
tho,rha ctu s,ed by the Golden Rule in our
dealings and conduct with our
felloMmsn. Friendship, Love and Truth is
the trune motto OF odd Fellowship. From
tho imc our little bark 10 launched
on thu troubled sea OF life the voyage Is
ever accompanied by storms, winds ana
wave, which more or less ruiils the sea
over which we are destined to sail until
we achor in that mystic harbor, and,
Therefore, there are ever opportunities for
the Manifestations of these grand princi-
pies { our beloved order. Infancy has
its roubles; childhood and youth also
hav, their troubles, and the strength OF
mat rity also has its troubles and vcxa-
ton and these in greater or less degree
90 With us oil the way ndown the journey
of life. In this journey of
in tb future to be desired, something to
stimlate US to activity, something to
make ia restless. Childhood is restless,
and longs for youth, and youth is restless
and longs for maturity; but constant
struggle is continually KEEP. up in this
race OF life, and stern realities are ever TO
be ba,ted with, for tho golden apple, Con-
tentmnt, is always just a W,lc ahead, n
little BEYOND our reach, and 40 the Alabama
i. never found on this gido of the mystic
vale. And SO in this busy whirl OF activi-
ties, lot Tn, motto Excelsior, ever actuate
tho true Dad Fellow. To be true ODD
Fellow signifies knowledge OF the social
relations Of life and knowledge of the
social rel.tons of life demands the highest
development that the physical, moral, and
mental NATURES of man possible to be at
tanned b, the race, that their powers may
be used for tho furtherance of human
Happiness for the elevation OF our kiad
In the nature OF things mankind, and so
ODD Fellowship, must be progressive, as
stagnaton ever produces corruption and
decay; therefore onward and upward
must and should be our motto, that the
glorious trinity of +. l.. ana L. may
Triumph. Odd Fellowship is n un.
ion of TIE hearts and hands of those who
desire c put their shoulders to the wheel of
human welfare, and aid In lifting it out Of
the mJral ruts OF the day, and modern
Odd Fellowship is by its authorized rit-
and no maNtA WSst the practices 't Of some
Of ito professed nembcrs may be, the time
must come if tle order continues 10 -four
ish, that the term Odd Fellow will mean a
good moral and Intellectual man. When
American Odd Fellowship undertook to
improve and elevate the character of man.
1t started upon long voyage, and now its
b ONE is on the great sea of humanity, and
here working for the grand purpose that
gave I birth, and stimulates the flow of
iu lte-blood. And when Odd
Fellowship shall become universal, Il man
will 10 honored not for his brass
or gols, but for his moral worth in com.
muniy, for his fathfulness in oil the life
relations, OF the use he makes of the tai
ents 40 may have or may have acquired,
for the good he does, the happiness he
produces. If moral. grow mankind must
be educated to understand the great no.
cessilies of tho Brotherhood of Man and
by education ] do not mean merely
the book sort, bat that kind that gives ex-
pansion to the intellect, gives liberality
of ideas that will enable US to take com
mon sDse views of ourselves, of our lives
and our destiniesi an education
that will give Us not sec
tariansm but that religion of the heart
which will ever cause Us TO ever do our
Who'll duty, without fear or favor, to God
and aan. Therefore it is the wise and true
aimand business Of every understanding
Ode Fellow to do all he can to encourage
andelevate education everywhere. Man
NUT DO educated because he is q man,
andas man has the faculties for making
hin capable Of everlasting improvement,
anothe faculties or forces must be rightly
edrated sooner or later, for such is the
hatof heaven.
I've general aims of education arc not
merly to enable rs to get pcrishable
richs and honor OF doubtful kind, but
TO ppperly cultivate the mind and heart
individual may understand his
own nature and the nature of this beauti-
ful aid curious world in which we find
Ourselves, and so be evor ready 10 avail
ourselves of the ever present opportunity
for ,oing good. At birth we are more
nea,y equal than at any future time, and |
the,amo humanity burns in all our hearts, |
butt is the education that We have re- |
,etod from the surrounding, that,has made |
.h difference in tho various specimens |
d humanity that We see around |
l. 1t is education that makes the differ |
,ce between savages and cultivated peo.
%, and it is education that makes natures |
antleman-atrue0 Odd Fellow. Therefore,
say, let our dogma s. forth, that there
,ust be an educated class, and that class
Il humanity. The free schools of our
puntry noed encouragement, need enthu-
asm, need the stimulus Of parental zeal
i, behalf of the right and proper and
borough education Of the rising genera
in. This coming generation should be
nre strongly impressed with the impor-
arce Of making savings bank of their
ends They should realize tho necessity