Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-28
Immediately by members of the Eu-

III 'front.' OF anu ahoVe the pulnlt the
motto of Odd Fellowship" Friend
ship, Love and Truth was inscribed
in large letters, aud underneath the
bond OF union, symbolized 10y the
three links.
After the audience was seated, the
exercises commenced 10y singing the
beautiful opening ode of the Order.
which was rendered with great power
and sweetness.
Prayer was then offered by Rev. Mr..
Parker, OF Sweetwater, in which the
Divine blessing was implored to rest
upon the efforts Of the society, whose
anniversary we had met To celebrate
ADDRESS OF A. S. PRossER, ESQ.
After AN air from the band, District
Deputy Grand Master, :. D } Lewis,
introduced Mr.. Prosser, who enter
tanned his hearers In speech Of about
twenty minutes. containing much sta
fiscal infOr alton. He spoke a. fol-
lows:
Ladies, Gentlemen art Brother Oil Ft,-
iOlCS.
As one of the duties of a trze odd Eel
low Is obeying the orders of his superiOrs,
in obedience to such an order | am here
to-day to assist with my mite in celebrating
the Fifty sixth Anniversary of the Order
in America
On occasions ike tho rrosor, o,r ,ro-
tors not unrrnouaptl, csrr,, tl,oi- a., J;,,.,,
far boc, in tho bistor,, 81 tlo ,y,ri5 onS
there noiut them to si,ns srd v'nri ir,,y i', or
secret associpfions, and inform tber, tbot
there Odd Fellowship first had its origin
This, am persuaded is done for the pur-
pose of pleasing that great mass Of the hu-
olcd bgrd l., bona ,gitb ,b
or Cririnated nmonrst thc arn,i"s s ~ Rm,oe R''
or Greece fhnro rorIj n0 c,o,a c,,onatc
| fromit Iconfess to Won tb9t 7 do ro, bc-
/ Heye. though tbero ,yern secret ,.spci.tion,
/ in the armies of Gree. and Rome bv
which tbesoldIcrs Lnn,y rarb otner botb
! by day and hv nigbt that tbev were tLe
| origin1tnr. nr1sij the famndati,, .ton.,'nf
cnr Or5cr nnl5 Vj'aa''',' LA sr',,'', y.
| in this audience Who i6rongh a SL,irj s6or-
alton for fhe nys,e-inus OR Inve f,-
! sometime tb.t ,r,ocl,s nr or+i1,;t,.,. IA
1 desires il 10 be incnrnorsted ina III, bisto-
nv of our Order tciI him bn cs, fnd al,
! the heart desires bv referring to snn,a Of
/ the printed works ON tho oPigip of pjd
Fellowship. -
But on examination Of ,boir hi.t,r,, y,;I1
| be found no trace of The graaf c.rdinai
principle; of fraternity that undcriies our
! whole fbrin M - 0Snn',f -, H.,
needs not 10 invnt" a;d ~ or 1%-u"y
| cd antinuitv 10 assist II 10 a rInco birb h
| tbe niche of f,me anS,ncst ~ s;sto. socrat
association. or to commend its merits ~
an enlightened public Thouph known for
many wears in England in some Slam or
| other. vet its historian has failed to nform
us of lis true origin or noe Tho sonaa his,
torian has neglScted 70 inf,rm M "r,V h"y, !,
was that the Tr1tsruify Of Nan was selacts
| ed as The greot fonnd,tion stnnc nf ,bn
! Order.
The Order known in Epol,nd ne utbo
! Manchester Unifvi is the mother of tho
Order i'm America: but il remained for the
! Order here 10 deyeion in MI its beanty
its'stl en- rth and its grandeur lis true nri1l
! ciples Thomas WiId,,v t6e roundar of
! Odd Fellowsbip in America wos mem
ber of the " Manchester Trniiy y and offer
his arrival in this country in iS17 adver-
tised in the nublic nri1ts of Baitinore
! MARYLAND for Z neoting 0f odd Feilows
at his bouse The result was that on the
18th of April 1919 there met In The citv of
| Baltimore. Tbos Wildev. Jobn Welsh
! ,Jobn Duncan Jobn CbeStbom and RichL
ard Rushwortb who then and there insti-
tuted Washingion LoIge No I Of the
Order of odd Fellows This Lodge sue
ceeded so well that shortly thereafter
! Franklin Lodgo. M , was caIlod into nv-
/ istence
Then in order to show their Glial atTeo-
| tion for the mother LODGES in England
thew nppiied fer n disnensation fo recogl
nized head. and on Inc 22d of October
1870. it arrived having been Granted nv
| the following Lodges ''Duke of York
Lodge" Preston and Manchester
! Unity
on the 22d Of February 1921 they or
ganized the Grand Lodge. of MARYLAND.
and elected Thomas WiIdev. Grand Mas
! ter. This organization lasted until the 25th
of January. 1885. when it was severed and
the Grand ICdge of the United States he
came a separate and distinct ORGANIZATION
from the Grand Lodge of MARYLAND. and
since that date has been the recognized
head of the Order in America.
A charter OF authority or aispensation
was granted to m, Grand Lodge Of the
/ United States. on the 9th of Nav. lS9J. by
the Order in England. known nj that date
as the " Grand Movable Committee" also
confirming one previously granted by The
Duke OF York's Lodge" which author
lied this Grand body To- conduct the affair
of Odd Fellowship in America. without
reference 10 any other country.
Thus matters stood until 1872 when. iol
1 some reason. the American branch with,
drew from the mother Lodge and establish.
ed what its name indicates the "Inde.
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