The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-02-25
. FOURTH. ANNIVERSARY
or LaBeIle Lodge no. 2. Ancient V
der or United wOrkmeD, at Haho'
Ian Hall, south wheeling, sat"r-
Iav Might.

The exercises attendant upon the
/ fourth anniversary of LsBelle Lodge, a.
o. U. w. on last Saturday night AZ
Hsndlsn Hall, were listened to by q large
and intelligent audience OF ladies ana
gentlemen. We do not doubt If the con-
| di,ion of the streets had been more Ia
vorsble to walking, the handsome room
would have been packed.
The event Of the occasion was lec-
ture by Mr.. NJ. McNslr, OF Pittsburgh
Grand Recorder and Past Supreme
Master of the order in Pennsylvania,
and was heartily appreciated by all pref,
ent. 1t is full of instruction and Is well
worthy careful perussl.
Mr.. MCSAIR's ADDRESS.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND
BROTHER WoRKMEN:--1 wish from the
bottom OF my heart l could do justice 10
the occasion. believe the Ancient
Order of United Workmen is one o. the
grsndest organizations on the face OF the
earth. l believe the principles taught
by 1t when faithfully carried out are e1-
erling An influence which is almost In
cs!culabie. | believe under God we
have done more coed than any other
society ia the world.
Ours is social as well as
charitable society. God created man
TO be q social beng. 1t was his
Intention, that unless man should sym
psthize with the sorrows and affections
OF those around him, and
with all his ssrrowing fellow
creatures, he should be unhappy.
There are many difficulties in the path
way of life, whose rough places need TO
be smoothed over. There are many
orrows which need sympathizing word,
| and when talk about helping men, L
do rot mean to help them particularly
by giving them bread. believe there
are many more persons starving IN this
world for sympathy than for bread. oh,
| il there were more men willing TO go 70
the houses of the poor, who feel that no
one cares for them, and drop kindly
word or sympathic tear, there Is no
telling the amount OF good that
can be accomplished. 1t ia our duty TO
20 to the houses of sorrow and tell them
we are ready, and by our actions prove
to them that in us they have friends, and
thus encourage them to hope on, to hope
ever.
God has implanted this social feeling
III the heart of every man, and men are
unhappy until they have given exercise
10 it. 1t is this feeling that leads to the
formation OF societies. 1t is this that
leads men everywhere to form unions
and lay down certain rules and p'incl-
pies. If every man who belongs to these
societies had these principles firmly
grounded in his heart and would carry
them out to the best of his ability, this
would be heaven on earth and
men would be sorry TO leave a
world so fraught with everything desira-
BILE to make life happy. We would not
then hear OF suicides from melancholy.
You know men often grow morose and
melancholy because sorrow and stiliction
or financial depression comes to them,
and ,Aey ieel that every mans hand is
against them, and in one OF these spells
thev often take that life which God alone
can give. You have no doubt known OF
such cases. While talk case comes to
nv mind OF young man in our State
who to-day holds position 81 cashier IN
n bank, and who but few short years
ago had gone from bad to worse until he
seemed TO be without hope and without
God in the world. His friends had all
torssken him; his brothers and
sisters had given HIM up; no one
seemed to care for him, but when he was
lust going to take the final part IN the
drains, a brothers hand was extended to
hun and he was saved. God pity the
nan or woman who comes to think no
one cares for them. Surrounded IN this
world by misery, and 1t may be destitu-
ton, a stranger among strangers, theirs
is indeed a hard lot. For above all the
sad hearts, that one is the ssddest that
feels no one cares fer 1t. 1t is our duty
to 90 ou, to our fallen fellow man, and to
speak a kind word to them and to hit
them up even from the gutter, and 20
point them to the star Of hope, and, ss
said before, bid them hope on, hope ever.
All societies, be they whist
thew NAV, have their own particular
principles and bylaws. We have ours,
thew are in our printed constitutions, and
we invite men everywhere to examine
them and see If they contain anything
Objectionable; TO see if they are not the
embodiment OF all we profess, and OF all
that is calculated to make people happier.
We are wiling that men shall come 10
us. and demand OF US, what do you pro-
pose? II we do not propose to make men
better and happier then we say let the
lodges be disbsnded, the lodge rooms be
abandoned and the principles upon which
thew exist be scattered to the four winds
of heaven.
III had time would like to speak
upon the six cardinal principles OF the
order. | do not claim | could do justice
70 them sll in one address. There ia ms
terisl IN each OF them for lecture, and
in fact for several lecttfes. l wilt there
fore refer as briefly Is possible to few
of the most important ideas. And hrst,
let me say that we do not require that an
applicant for membership shsll be ns-
tive American. We ask nothing con-
cerning the land where his eyes first saw
the light. We simply ask Are you a
man in the truest and noblest sense OF
the word, and are you willing TO assist US
IN carrying out the noble prin-
ciples upon which our order is
founded, and TO do the work which
may be assigned, for each one has some
particular station TO I'LL.
In taking 3 retrospect of the history
OF the world, we have found there has
been pressing need 81 sll times ihst men
should be educated. do not mean by
this that collegiate education is COM
pulsory, but that men shall so inform
themselve on the questions OF the day
as to be able to Judge for themselves and
10 vote intelligeDtly upon sny subject
which may be Submitted TO them. We
do not belong TO sDy political party
we have among US men who sre Demo
Gratis and those who'sre Republicans, and
we aim TO ask, not that they cut loose
from party lines, but that
they should carefully weigh the
men and the platforms, and
I ka. tha,- haliava