The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-05-05

soul's sake; whose only recommen-
dation to saintship was, that he was
sad, lean, lsnk, haggard and dirty,
and his name was on the roll of
saints by resolution of conclave Of
no such character do we
Venerate but believe and teach that
t'in the practice of friendship, love
and truth, will be found the best
safeguards against the ills of life, "
aud that "good faith and virtue are
the peculiar characteristics of 8 true
Odd Fellow; for according to our
laws we can be Odd Fellows only
while we act like honest men,"
ave were not meant to grope along the
earth,
Strange to ourselves and to our fellows
strange.
We were not meant to struggle from our
birth
To skulk and creep, and in mean path
Act with stern truth, large faith and low
ing will,
UpI and be doing, God fs with US STILL"
Odd Fellowship is practical COM
mon sense. 1t is in harmony with,
and exemplifies every truth wheth-
er secular, scientific, or religious.
II takes man as he is, recognizing
his faults, and seeks to make him
better. It teaches truth, honor,
chastity and sobriety. 1t regards
Gas the viiest and most
pernicious of all vices" And well
It mayi A traffic wholly useless
and always harmful, that entails
upon the country an annual expend-
iture of over two and q quarter bill
lions Of dollars, sacrifices 10000
lives, sends 100000 men and women
to prison, commits 800 murders and
400 suicides and turnsupon the cold
charities of the world 200, 600 little
waits to become corrupted and in
turn corrupt others, and swell the
ranks of crime and people our iails,
potter's fields and brothels such q
traffic and such abnormal indul-
genco well may be termed vice.
1 mention this feature of our creed
for three reasons: To show that
We haYe pronounced opinions on
questions of the hour; that non
members may know our position, at
least in theory, and that the frater-
nifty, If any have gone astray or
lowered their standard of sobriety,
may resolve that this anniversary
shall date in them sn era of reform.
Our order teaches loyalty in its
broadcast, purest sense loyalty to
self, to country and to God. That
no man can be ''in truth an Odd
Fellow unless he is grateful to his
Creator, faithful to his country and
fraternaI to his fellOwmau." This
sentiment was in part anticipated
by England's bard @a -
"To thine own self be true
And It must follow as the night the day.
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
No one injunction so fully covers
our practice and theory, our cree d
and our deeds, as that emblaZoned
on our seal eve commsnd you to
visit the sick, relieve the distressed,
bury the dead and educate the or
phRn." What a field for labor
What q sublime mission! Does the
philanthropist ask for york, or does
the christian seek for duty, they can
find it here.
The great fire in Chicago in Octo-
Der, Il, destroyed IL, 45O buildings,
$500, 100000 worth of property, II
Odd Fellows Lodges and made
houseless q thousand Odd Fellows.
The brethren elsewhere sent them
at once over $4,000, greater con-
tribution than that of all other So
cieties combined. More recent still,
was the yellow fever epidemic in
Memphis, Tennessee, q faint idea
of which we gathered from the re-
ports OF The newspapers of the day.
There Odd Fellowship won another
crown.
Such striking exempliications OF
Odd Fellowship deserve to be
placed upon the enduring tablets OF
history, there to shine with glorious
effnlgence, even when mellowed by
the hazY atmosphere of intervening
years. These are but instances and
though they may stand out in bold
relief, they are but two of the
myriad and oft repeated occasions
where Odd Fellows extend their
kindly offices of benefactiOn in the
hour of sorest need. This will be
repeated over and over again.
Though desolated or plauge
stricken city may not be the incl
dent, suffering humanity will be the
occasion. And what Odd Fellows
have done, will in turn be required
of Ms when tho occasion demands
And though gold and silver may
not DO ours to command, yet in fee
Bile imitation Of the apostle we may
say 'ssuch as I have give l unto
you"
QNs.,o nth nc 80 hint q oorioa nF oC
cidents and neglected opportunities
be it ours to reduce their numbel
to the minimum.
I" Lille is real, life is earnest"
With this motto before our mind
and upon our hearts, we naturall!
cast about to plan our course; t
determine whittier our pilgrimag
sends; 10 what end, through 81
these toil-attended, Wearisom
hours we have wrought. Aye,
| fear too many of us, even with sal
set, anchor weighed, and buoyan
hope, have stumbled on, aimiess
purposeless and to no avail. MAJ
in his primordial existence, Whel
nature furnished it's balm for ever,
i'll, aud for every needs it stimn
liant, might by some be deemed
I happy creature; and, indeed, poet
and moralists have not been want
ing, to chant his praise aud immor
talize his quiet and inoffensive stu
pidity. But to me there is some
thing more of life than this bus
round and dull routine.
When this earth with it's hug
forest aud vast plains, its frownin
mountains and its rolling rivers, il
restless, seethiug oceans and il
frozen poles, came matured froI
the hand of its Creator, it bore upo
its gigantic bosom, man and hi
mighty destiny. That destiny an
Our duty are so closely Intervene
that to achieve the one, we mus
perform the other. This grand dis
Iideratum will be realized nc
through professions nor by resolI
tons, but by earnest work.
ssIf the farmer in the spring time,
Sighed ! wish my reed were sown,'
Never raised his hand in labor,
But Just sat him down to moan,
: Should you wonder II the summer
Found no harvest on the plain,
Should you say twas Heavens doing
That he had no field Of grainI
II kha SvoodYaan In the foraSf