Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-05
I. Q. 0. F.
MEMORIAL SERVICES At THs ODD
FELLOWS TEMPLE YESTERDAY
In Honor of the Kencry of James L,
Ridgely = Euiogy by Grand Repre-
sentative Grove L. Johnson.

Fraternity OF the Independent Order OF Odd
Fellows, in honor of the memory of thu late
James L. Ridgeiy, the veteran Grand Seere-
tary of the Order, who died at Baltimore,
Md, on the 16sh of November. Past Grand
Master Ezra Pearson presided, and Rev. I.
II. B. Anderson officiated as Chaplain. A
quartet composed of Mrs. w. G. Fitch, Mrs.
G. w. Cooley, and Messrs. Beaumont and
Fritz Sang with good effect three pieces, and
in Others the audience Joined. W. D. Grove
presided at tie organ. Tins proclamations of
the Grand Master Of THE State, and OF the
Grand Patriarch, ia relation to the death OF
's Grand Secretary, were read, and then fol-
cd the regular funeral service of the Or.
r. which was impressively rendered.
At the close of the funeral service Grove
L. johnson, Grand Representative, delivered
the following address and eulogy upon the
deceased:
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen
Brethren There is mourning throughout
the land, there is sorrow wherever the triple
link has upfurled its banner; there is lamen-
tstion mid all the people. A great maR has
left us, a good man has gone before. Our
friend, our teacher, our brother, James l..
Ridgely. has passed from earth. No more
by tongue or pen can he cheer our hearts,
animate our exsrtious or illustrate by word
and deed tbs fitness OF our Order as minister
to the cares and wants of man. His MEM
DRY, though, Will remain green forever, and
by its ever shining purity will illumine the
pages OF our fraternal life, prompt the
worker, reprove the erring and applaud the
fost f,l IS Oll Eail0-yahID
We meet to-day az members of grief
stricken family to express our sorrow, voice
our lament and chant our mourning dlrge
over the true Old Fellow who has pierced the
mysEeries OF the hereafter. We meet to
unite cur voices with those OF hundreds OF
thousands of Odd Fellows, that from every
cline, under every sun. are to-day mingllng
in one common food Of praise to the
man. honor to the Odd Fellow. love for
the brother who has left the scenes of earth
to enter that other aud better world where,
in the full realization of the fatherheod of
Goi and brotherhood Of man, for which he
toiled so increasingly ia the flesh, an eternity
Of i,v awaits his rsus0med spirit. We shall
seek also to gather from the hounteeus har-
vest OF his life and labors from the teach
ings of the Order ha loved 50 well and i'm
proved so much by precapt and example !;
solace for our sorrow, courage for our hearts
bouudess future. A biographical sketch Of
cany length of Brother Ridgely would of ne
essity include history of thu Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, for ne became mem
Der OK tbs Order go soon after attaining his
majority, and after becoming q member was
so closely allied with it, that his whole life.
time as a man may be truly said to have been
passed in the service of the Order.
The pleasure Ct a personal acquaintance
with our honored dead was denied me, for
when was East his physical inGrmities pre-
vented his attending the Sovereign Grand
Lodge. All that l can say, therefore, of his
life and character ia drawn foom the record of
onr literature and the impress bis mind and
life have made upon my heart in common
with that of every member of our great
brotherhood. Eli that l shall attempt will
be to Frame as it were, o skeleton sketch of
the career OF Ridgely, leaving to other and
ADLER hands, st a moro opportune season, the
task OF writing biography. We each and
all can for ourselves fill 10 from the dates and
acts given to-day the pictures of the thought
hard.working citizsn, the kind father and
husband the liberal thinker, the faithful
official, the pure philsnthropist, the eloquent
writer and speaker the true Odd Fellow
that all combined made up the life of the
man James L. Ridgely, that stamped him at
every age and under all circumstances as one
OF Natures noblemeD, rich in honesty, truth
and purity.
He was born in January q, 1907, in Balti-
more, Maryland. His father was an old and
respected merchant of that city, and for
nearly two centuries his ancestors had resided
In that State. We can claim Ridgelg, then,
rs he wished, as pure American-as a typs
of that nationality which, cosmopolitan in its
beginning, has bscome sui generis in its &C.
tivity, its energy, its liberality, its success,
its inventive power, its fidelity to principle,
its freedom which has harnessed the light
nirg to do its work, annihilated distance and
weight with its iron horse. cleared continent
from wilderness, opened mines exceeding
Golconia's wealth. framed, maintained and
saved a Government more liberal and more
powerful than any ever known, aud builded
society that through its beneicent actions
and loving teachings has made the name Of
Odd Fellow the proudest boast of half a
million of freemen throughout the world.
B-other Ridgely received good education,
graduating from Mount st. Msry's College,
ut Emmiltsburg, I'D, ct about the age Of
twenty. His chosen profession was the law,
and after studying therefor in thu Office of
David Hoffman,, ESQ, a leading attorney of
Baltimore he, in June, 1928, was admitted to
practice. Had he continued his work as a
LAWYER there is 20 doubt bat that he would
have won and mainteined high rank at the
bar. He had that anslytical mind, that firm
ness OF purpose, that directness Of statement,
that persplcuity of expression, that distin-
guishes all successful lawyers these united,
as they were, with r, rs !gift # eloquencs,
would have enabled him to stand in the front
rank of that brilliant profession which at
tracts SO many OF our bright miads aud
showers success upon 50 few 1t may not be
auiss to notice here thai he was honored with
political office and distraction.
La 1S34-5 he was a member of the Balti-
more City Council, and in 1888 he was a
member OF the House of Delegates answering
so our Assembly, of the State of Maryland
He was also member of the two Constitu-
tional Conventions of his native State, held
respectively In 1919 and 1864. La all of these
legislative positions he was noted for his in-
dustry, for strict fidelity to his duties, for
scr1pulous honesty; laboring to advance the
political interests of his people ss their public
servant with the same zeal and thoroughness
that he lsbpred to advan ;e their moral iater-
ests through the teachings of the Order he
was ever pressing upon their attention. For
twelve years. commencing In 1852. he was
Register of Wills of Baltimore, giving uni
vnsal satisfaction TO all having business rela-
tions with that Office. His efforts to benefit
mankind we're not confined alone to adults
he included the children of the land in his
far--eaching philsntrophy. For number
of wears he was q member of the Board Of
Education of Baltimore, serving for several
years as President of that body while thus
member he earnestly s.rove to elevate the
character, simplify the details and raise the
grade of the public schools OF Baltimore. 1t
was mainly through his -exer.ions that the
present complete school System OF that city
was established. He was Collector of In
ternsi Revenue for the Baltimore District by
appointment of President Lincoln, serving
during that and the administration OF Prssi-
dent johnson. Into this Office he carried the
same exact regard for the feelings and rights
of Others, the same care as to details, thst
characterized him in all other departments Ct
life. His accounts were always ready and
always correct
These episodes in the life of our departed
brother arc mentioned that we may see how
the true Odd Fellow easily succeeds In other
walks Of life that we may the more clearly
realize the varied services and ability of the
man who for so many years we have perhaps
unwittingly regarded as only the incarnation
OF Old Fellowship. His life in connection
with the Order is household treasure in
every Lodge, and will be but epitomizad
Nav q. 1929. he was initiated into and made
member of Columbia Lodge, No. 3, I. o.
o. f., of Baltimore, Nd, October II, 1929
he was elected Vice Grand. aad February II,
1880. Nobls Grand of that Ledge. From
these dates to the day Of his death, November
is 1881. ne was always in Office, always per-
forming duty for the Order. For over fifty
! !