Daily Republican., 1880-05-27
FIFTY YEARS.
Delaware Lodge, L. O. OF, CeIe.
brates ITS Fiftieth Anniversary
An Address by James r. Hayes
ana Lecture by Hon. Schuyler
GOnRnx

|
COlfax.
|, Last night was a proud occasion fo
Delaware Lodge No. l, I. o. o. f., tn,
Fiftieth Anniversary being celebrated
in a most appropriate manner by {
public meeting in the Opera Honse ant
a banquet at Odd Fellows Hall immedi
ately thereafter.
The crater of the meeting, Hon. Schuy
Ter Colfax reached this city last even
ing, aud was entertained at the Clay
ton Bouse. At 7.3O o'clock about
eighty members of the Lodge in regalia,
and headed by the City Cornet Band
escorted the honored guest to the Opera
House.
In the Opera House an audience o.
about thousand persons were gather.
ed. The exercises Of the evening open
ed with prayer by the chaplain, Rev.
Mr.. Nicholson of Seaford. After ar
overture by the orchestra, p. G.. James
P.Hayes delivered sketch of the lodge
The charter is dated May 9th, 1880,
but owing to an unnecessary delay the
lodge was not organized until Septem.
ber 18th of that year. The original men,
bers were eight in number. AT first the
lodge occupied the building No. 40 W
High (now Fourth) street, which was
nearly opposite the city spring 1t moved
March 2lst. 1882 to the old academy,
between Eighth and Ninth streets
facing Market near the Opera House
and in March 1888, to No. 81, (now
No. 304 Market) street.
December 9th, 1886, the Lodge ceas.
ed to work, giving up its charter to the
Grand Lodge of the State. September
Goth, 184l, at special meeting of the
Grand Lodge of Delaware, application
was made for restoration of the chart
er of Delaware Lodge, and in that year
the Lodge resumed its meetings at No.
81 Market street. April Sd, 1S43. the
several Lodges of the city rented Tenn
perence Hall, in Fourth street between
Market and King streets. Early in the
spring of 1S49, ground was broken for
Odd Fellows Hall, building owned
almost entirely by the Odd Fellows of
this city, and in which Delaware Lodge
has 152 shares, representing par
value of 81, $50, and an actual value OF
little less than $4,000. The corner
stone was laid with grand ceremonies
June 29th, 1s49, and the Hall was ded-
icated July 2Sth. 1S49, thousands of
the people assembling in the city on
the occasion, and great crowd gather
ing ia Asbury M. E. Church to hear
the Grafton of the eloquent Ridgely.
During the past SO years Delaware
Ledge has had 896 members. 1t now
1S6 on its roll. Its receipts for
half century have been $56, 80, 81. II
has expended during that time for
weekly benefits $40, 1926. II; for funeral
benefits IS, 1876 35; for widows and Or
phans' benefits S2,546 So; for donations
81 ,495.0S; for ipoidentals $16, 6,l27.42.
Its assets in bonds, mortgages and
Dthes property are now valued at $l0,-
5S9.76.
A song "Daucing oe'r the Waves"
was then rendered by the choir under
he able leadership of Mr.. William j.
Fisher.
Noble Grand E. H. Spencer, intro
luced Mr.. Colfax, who commenced
speaking amid applause.
In opening Mr.. Colfax thanked the
iuiiancs for the hearty manner in
' which he had been received by the peo-
lie of Wilmington, and said he was
lad to return to Wilmington after a
apGe Of many years.
Speaking of Odd Fellowship general
y he said that some traced the origin
t the order back through II centurie, {
0 the days of the Roman Emrerors. !
'thers took it that it originated in the
avs o. the Crusades. Much has b.en
yritten to confirm these theories, bu
be majority of meNbers believe that il !
anne into existence during the rress ii !
entury.
1t has not been many years ago sincA \
l Baltimore. a small band Of men laid
he foundation stones upon which arose :
le grand structure of modern Odd
ellowship. These man we're not rich
xcepting in benevolence, and they
uilded better than they knew. To II
ay the order counts its members by
alf millions and its revenues by mil
ons. 81
Having eulogizsd the Nineteenth Y
injury, not the least wonder of which N
as Odd Fellowship. Mr.. Colfax told 9
le story of his joining the order. Near cy
one third of century ago, while al
anaging a small printing Office at 10
,uth Bend, Indiana, he read a little wi
ory that convinced him of the worth -
the order. The story was that of a 7
,upg widow who found the benevolent l.
icers of her dead husbands lodge al
N side with aid and counsel when-
er she was in need of either. lie
ad it to his wife, and although they
,re both strongly opposed to secret cit
cieties, it led him to join q lodge in Je
nth Bend. He had found in its COM
,nds nothing that contlicted with his ''f
ty toward his God, his country or :.
mself. ~
With great earnpstness the orator re-, re-
oke of the benevolent features of the doi
lsr and ably met all objections that abt aiM
re urged against it. He spoke of tio
n ale division, containing 90, 900 mem OF
rs, and said it plainly showed that -
men can keep secrets. The secrets Il
the order are few. No secrets are u
jectionable unless pernioious. Those for
> not. len
Mr.. Cofax closed with an eloquent, WI
r-oration, in which he urged upon str' stu
, members of the Delaware Lodge to =
,ss on in their course and live out n
re carefully the grand principles Va
down in the ritual. ms
Music followed, and the benediction Sec
Chaplain Nicholson closed the occa w
n. "
ifter the Opera House exercises, the noe