Huntington advertiser. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1874-1921, 1875-01-28
ADDRESS BY GEORGE ". ATKINSON. OF
CHARLESTON. DELIVERED AT THE
ODD FELLOWS lIALLIN THtS CITY,

ADDRESS BY GEORGE ". ATKINSON. OF
CHARLESTON, DELIVERED AT THE
ODD FELLOWS HALLIN rUJs CITY.
THURSDAY EVENING, JAMIE ls'5.
Brethren Of tie Independent Order
Of Odd FeiioTs, ladies and Gentlemen:
The world is naturally antagonistic
to fraternal relationship. Ii left
to themselves the people would form
dominions consisting Of separate fami-
| lies, and each family would be an in
dependent Institution, governed by
rules and customs that would forward
their own interests and be hostile to
every other household except their
near relations. | mean to say tha,
mankind is averse TO an universal fel-
lowship With each other; hence the
necessity of societies and 0rganlza-
tions which have tor their ohjeci the
cultivation Of friendship and love for
each other make the broad a>ser-
tion that. if there were no social,
charitable societies, there would be
no civilization; and without them
we would have no peace with our
selves or each other. They are there
fore essential to our peace and pros
peritv, both us individuals, families
and communities. Without them,
/ in fact, we would be dormant and
dead.
Societies have two general divisions,
viz: public ana secret, both of which
are Is ancient as civilization Itself
/ By the former We mean religious as
Sucia ions, and societies common to
all men alike, and by the latter Is
eomprehended all societies that pre-
serve their organization and identity
bv means If secrets that are only
known to the regular initiated. Pass
ing over the former. we observe that
among the most ancient of the after,
NAV be mentioned tue E,eusyaidl
| MYSTERIES first known in Egypt, after
wards In Greece. and were finally in
troduced into Judea by the wise men
of the East. years before the ChrIs
tian Era The Gym.oSoPhiteS, OF ln-
dia, are also of ancient origin; also the
.Mythros or worship OF the sun, cele'
brated by the ancient Persians at an
early day of our history; the EgyP-
tiaa histories, or the worship OF isis,
Apis, and Osiris thuse Ct D'ORyslGs ;
the Rites IF the Draids, celebrated IN
/ Western Europe by the scandinavian
and Celtic tribes; and the society OF
ancient Free and accepted -uasons,
which, perhaps, originated at the
building of kng Soiomons temple
at Jerusalem, b. =. 1904. As We have
seen societies of some kind are essen
tial to tine well being of the people IN
every lge, hence secret organizations
were protected, even by the church
itself. as a means of good to mankind,
runtil decree was issued by the Pope
prohibiting members Of the komlsn
/ Church from atliliating with all Sc
cret Orders The reason for tins
ediot. however, was because OF the
corruption that, for u tiiae, controlled
many OF the secret societies OF that
day; and 1t was perhaps well Tor Tue
churcn and the world at large that
His Ecclesiastical HighneSs wlthdre"
his cAuich patronage at tue tl'he ne
did. as il had mucn o do IN riddihs
AL secret orders of the corruptlonS
that had found their way within their
tiled precincts From tnat time
everything like politics and personal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT have been Danisned
from all secret societies, AMI IL seems
20 me that it would be proper ana
right for the Romish church to re-
move Its restrictions IN this particular
direction, and allow Its members
equal liberties with all the other reii-
cious denominations of the world.