Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-05-07
WHOLE NO. 1924.

been barren Of good truit-that in a
quiet way, without sound of trum-
pet, without any parade of benevo-
| lenoe, it has been substantiating it,
claims to be q great-hearted institu-
ton, full of benifcent and loving
spirit.
But there is that connected with
Odd Fellowship which can never be
written. We may reckon the num-
Der Of its lodges, tell the aggregate
of its membership, count the money
in its treasury, put down in figures
the millions of dollars it has paid for
| the relief of the sick and unfortu-
nate, and estimate the rate of its
progress and the value of its resourc-
es in the future We may also point
with just pride to the great shocks
Of yellow grain it has gathered in
| the field of it's labors-to the moral
results it has garncred-to the re
| forms it has aided to an improved
condition of things in all the places
where it has wroHght-tO the thou
sands of homes it has gladdened, and
to the heavy burdens it has lifted
from off weary and fainting hearts.
But there is a secret, silent influence
| gong out from Odd Fellowship,
sweet and holy, which we can never
measure. There are blessed minis
tries of its grace and mercy we new
or detect. There are deeds Of chart
ty performed in it's name of which
no record is kept save in heaven. Ii
we would know what it is, what
wealth Of blessed power it possesses,
what are its real coin and treasure,
| and when it's beat works are wrought;
we must go task the weary traveller
wandering in the distant land-the
| youth whose unkind fortunes have
cast him penniless at brothers. door
the widowed mother, helpless,
friendless but for this Order, kneel
ing in her sombre robes beside the
grave where lilo her buried hopes and
loves-the orphan child, saved by
kindly offices from perjury and woe,
perhaps from vice and infamy,"
These will tell you what our figures
do not reveal what our statistics do
not contain, what no historians pen
has ever yet recorded.
And yet, most strangely, Odd Eel
lowship is sometimes spoken of as
the enemy of religion, the enemy of
the Church, oovertly undermining
the foundations of the one, and him
dering the work and the progress of
the other. The fact is, religion never
had truer friend than is found in
this Order, nor the Church a more
faithful helper. 1t is a teacher of
practical religion, and the very work
in which it is employed is a prepar-
alton for the work in which the
Church is engaged. If | wished to
preach the gospel to starving man,
or one without garments or ire to
keep him warm, 1 would 60 to him
and say "My brother, here IS food
for you )" or, there are clothing and
fire to make you comfortable" Then,
if | had any great truth t. teach
him concerning God and Duty and
| the Hereafter, be would listen to me,
and | should DO sure of making a
favorable impression.
There are vast outlying masses of
humanity that need to have the gos-
pei preached TO them, not SO much
| in the form of sermons, as by a re-
| moval of the causes which hedge in
their truest life, and make them
poor and wretched External con-
ditions and circumstances need to be
| changed Unchristian laws, institu-
lions and customs, which crush so
many of Gods children down in the
| dust, must be put away before the
pulpit can reach these perishing poor
of our common brotherhood, and
convert them into believing disci-
Piles. Millions Of human souls are as
much shut away from the immediate
operation of the gospel, as though
they were closely immured within
| thick walls of stone and iron. Meth
| er the thunders nor the persuasions
of the pulpit ever reach their ears,
and even if they did, they would
make no impression, they would
awaken no response. There is an
| other kind of preachiHg to be done
frst-a kind of sermon preached
that these poor of Gods family have
scarcely ever heard. The text OF that
sermon must be CHARITY, and the
| sermon itself must be composed, not
of words, not Of speech however ell
| oquent, but of bread, and education,
| and employment, and comfortable
homes, and the entire removal OF the
crushing burden Of external oircum-
stance and condition.
There lived in the city of Now
York not many years ago, laan by
| the name of Pease. This man bad
not only the fear of God before his
| eyes, but he had the love of poorend
suffering humanity in his heart. One
day he went down into that dark and
pestiential district called the Five
Points to preach sermon. 1t is, as
you know, the central hell Of that
great Babylon of the New World. 1t
literally reeks with rotteness Sur
rounded by the marble palaces Of the
rich and great, there are the dens and
hiding-places Of every sort of pollu-
ton, and of every species of crime.
Children are there born and nurtGr-
| ed in an atmosphere Of vice. 1t had
| at The time to which | have alluded,
no God, no Bible, no Sabbath. Such
| another sink of all that is villianous
and sickening apd loathesome could
hardly be found on the face of the
earth Well, as | said, the good man
Pease went down into this place of
lost souls to preach sermon. And
what kind of sermon do you sup
pose be preached. 1t was & most
powerful and convincing one, we
may be sure, and no doubt the angels
bent over their harps to listen to it.
He established Mission School, open
| to both adults and children; and in