The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-02-09

| S'u you, pus WHICH
| shall scarcely 'u'.5ed in expressing IN
words.
we feel confidence ,ha, il rcfre, hing
when va are present. As his
so'd'ers felt toward Frederick the
oree,, or W. Coatincntals toward WASH
'Ston, 50 wo feel toward ycu-slrong
/ when you are in command, aud conH Dent
that MI is right u, the front.
we Know by personal experience that
your grip upon the banner OF Old Fellow
ship is strong enough to hold it aloft even
amid ten-fold greater opposition than you
Will have occasion to encounter.
You may justly feel proud of the c.-
TEEN in which We hold you. We value
you rs n citizen. We value YOU
still more highly rs brother. We
arc proud Of you as our Grand
Master. Bu: especially do We hold you
Ia nigh esteem Il. type of the coslnopoli.
tan character of our Order --as II true rep
resentatiye of the grand and comprehen.
sivc idea that "Odd Fellowship is universal
rs man that wherever the tide Of hu.
man life extends, whether upon the cOu,.-
nonts or upon the islands that stud the
waters of the grea, deep, there Odd Fell
lowsnip will lind home ani erect it,
hosPtatlc tent, dispensing Joy to the sf-
hlcted, wipins away tho tears of
sorrow, culiivaling the social amsni-
tics, and teaching man his high
destiny as the suLduer alike OF phys-
,cal nature and OF his own evil passions
wlile Oh this planet, and as tho Ultimate
Recipient Of that existence hoped for 10y the
Pagan philosopher, Plato, in bis longing
after Immortality and represented and
known in the Christian philosophy MS TIE
"Life Everlasting
We arden,ly hope for tic day, and have
high and encouraging faith that it is not,
far distant, when Odd Fellowship shall
represent tho moral manhood Of the world,
when the ODD Fellows grip shall be known
unto and loved by all the good and virtu-
Gus in all the habitable parts of the earth
when the grip OF the Odd.iell6w shall be
accepted OF all men us the true token OF
human brotherhood.
refer not, oh, most worthy Grand
Master to your personal grip-dein Hand-
Srif--.ear!ul aliketo the puny bro her f. m
equatorial regions and to the rugged Odd
Fellow whose muscles and whose virtues
have been hardened amid the storms and
SHOWS Of Scandinavian winters. Bu,
we all grimly smile with pleasure when
you squeeze our hands. For mankind ia
all ngss have admired physical strength,
and Odd Fellowship oily elevates and
purfes, it docs not change our natures.
Aud 60 VIC are proud to know that
Alexander Lodge has furnished to the Or
der Grand Master who i, u worthy rep
resentatlve OF all the physical rs well as
the moral virtues, whose grip is more
terrible tnsn Nh Gruiy with banners,
and whose fitness to be the standard
bearer OF that growing army which an.
tagoniaes vice in all lis forms With the
wa;chword< Friendstip, Love and Truth,
will not be f1liy known and utilized until
his grip shall lay hold dpoa the saysi Of
the Most Worthy Grand Sire ufthe Grand
Lodge of the United States
We have desired 30 make you q present
that would count for something moro tbau
its mere pecaniery value--that would
symbolic some leading feature o, odd
Fellowship. We might have given you
q diamond rs cnbicmatic OF purlly--or II
sword AS representative Of iusiice-or the
silver link, symbolic Of friendship, love
and truth. But after holding solemn
counsel together, We agreed that the first
duty Of An Odd Fellow was TO stand erect
before the world as you stand, -atype of
virtuous manhood, swerving neither to the
right nor to the left,-neiiher bowling to
the naughty, nor expressing the weak
cultiva,ing and practicing the cardinal
virtues, and yet avoiding the cant and hy-
pocrIsy Of the Pharisce And thus il
came to pass that We chose the walking
cane to be our gift 1t is both useful and
ornamental. IL in some degree is IN
outward representation Of what should be
the conduct CT man TO his fellow man
strong but not rough, erect but no. I'M
bending. 1t may bo both rod and a
staa--may 1t be to you symbolic oe the
same thought expressed by tho royal
Hebrew poet, and may Odd Fellowship
lead you to cxclaim with the fervor and
faith OF King David, Thy rod and thy
statf, they comfort mo"
To thoso who are present, and partici-
pate in this brief ceremony of presen,a
ton, the occasion has furnished q pleas.
ure not to bo forgotten with the passing
events of our busy everyday life. Cor
dial, hearty good feeling seems beaming
IN every face around US. Formally and
false etiquette hide themselves from the
bright rays OF friendship and love without
selGshness, and Of truth without fear.
Gentle in its influences, strong and right
eous in its commands, prompt bu, tender
in its punishnents, Odd Fellowship offers
tho scene iu this lodge-room tonight as
strong evidence that its teachings ard its
work tend to soften the ruder phases of
our nature, and to ennoblo and beau,ify
| l,,,,an ltfa