Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-04-27
oDD Frllows' AnnuvsRsARY.
Sixty-Fifth Anniversary OF the Es-
tablishment OF Odd Fellowship
Procession. Grafton and Ball

tabltshment OF Odd Fellowship
Procession Grafton and Ball
The Odd Fellows Of Los Angeles had
o brilliant and enthusiastic celebration
Of the founding Of Odd Fellowship in
the United States Of America by pa.
rade, oration and social dance in the
evening at Turnverein Hall.
At half-past one o'clock P. NJ. the
members formed in procession under the
direction of
P. sLorTERBEcK, MARSHAL.
The line was preceded by detachment
Of mounted police and mantled goat,
led by Pettibone, followed by the
Union band. Visiting Odd Fellows and
Los Angeles Lodge No. l80, followed
with full ranks. Next came the City Band,
followed by Los Angeles Lodge No. IS,
and Orange Grove Encampment. The
latter made very brilliant display and
attracted great attention by its fine uni
form and dignified bearing. The process.
sion was terminated by q carriage con-
tanning the orator Of the day and the
officers of the Los Angeles lodges.
After marching through the business
portion of the city the procession broke
ranks at Turnverein Hall and occupied
the main audience room, while spectators,
both gentlemen and ladies, filed the gall
leries to overfowing.
PROCEEDINGS AT THE HALL.
T. s. Collins. n. g., Of Lodge l60
called the meeting to order, and the ex-
ercises commenced with the opening
hymn of the Order, prepared for such
occasions.
The beautiful ritual Of the order was
then read responsively by the N. G., as
sisted on the right by vice.N. G., A.
Mcdonald, and on the left by the Chap
Lain, R. w. Ready. N. G., Of Lodge IS.
Seated on the stage were John Fischer.
A. L. Bath and C. Cheessbrough, all Past
Noble Grands, and the orator of the
day. J. Il. Benton, Past N. G., from
Oakland, Cal.
After the ritual came . prayer from
Chaplain Ready, when the President
Of the Day. Capt. T. s. Collins, N. c.,
Of Lodge No. 100, opened the literary
and oratorical exercises in short and
eloquent address, delivered in a clear
round tone, that could be heard to the
remotest corners Of the hall. His
speech was followed by great applause.
He then introduced
PAST NOBLE GRAND JOHN K. BENTON,
who was received with immense ap-
plause. Mr.. Benton is physically like
the Old Bullion Benton, Of Missouri.
muscular and large with an undoubted
indication that his appetite and diges-
tion are first class. He is robust
Christian Of the genial kind.
After the applause had subsided the
muscular orator advanced to the front
Of the stage. and said that this was the
irst time he had had the pleasure OF
visiting the City Of the Angels. where be
had been overwhelmed by the odor of
flowers. BY the delay Of the train he
landed here in the night, and found it
all luminous and bright with electricity,
which showed him that the people here
we're angels of Light"
He then explained the object. aims
and operations Of Odd Fellowship,
which was sort of kindergarten for the
making Of men. 1t instructed them in
decorum. in parliamentary rules, in
elocution and methods of stating pro-
positions, besides making them sympa-
thetic. charitable. prompt to relieve
distress, watch over the sick, comfort
the sorrowful and bury the dead. 1t
was man-building order that filed the
space between the government and the
church. The government would lock
after the civil rights of men and be very
sure to levy heavy and constant tax
alton in return, while the church looked
after the theological beliefs Of the people.
but the Odd Fellows stepped in and
supplied the missing link by fraternal
attention to all its members taking care
Of the sick and burying the dead. The
work which they did was not done by
either the government or the church
and was essential to the good Of man
kind. While the Government looked
after the pockets Of the people and the
tax-gatherer took them by the throat to
obtain his tribute.
At this point the speaker stated that he
had forgotten that the Noble Grand was
Government officer and regulated the
weather and had some assistance from
the Government. but he thought that the
brave and eloquent Noble Grand had
derived more benefit from Odd Fellow
ship than from the Government. He
spoke Of the gallant N. @. as possessing
the eloauence Of Murdoch, which he
had obtained by his experience in the
lodge room.
Al makers of noble natures, the
State was = failure, but Odd Fellow .
ship with its principles of righteousness
and love supplied all that was needed to
mould and complete the full appointed
man. He said the day now celebrated was
not Washington's Birthday nor the Fourth
Of July, when spread-eagle was the or
der Of the day, but it was day conse-
Grated to humanity, fraternity. kindness
and love. The principles Of the order
are derived from the Bible and are pure
and sublime. The object of the order
was to SO equip the powers Of man that
he could throw his soul into all his
faculties. In other words, make his ma
ture so pure that it would in its trans
lucency permit the soul to shine through
him in all directions.
During the IS years that Odd Fellow
ship has been in existence, II has dis
bursed $50, 900. 900 works Of benev-
olence and charity. He stated that the
Odd Fellows Library at Oakland was SO
rare that the girls would chuck the Odd
Fellow bachelors and widowers under
the chin, and tease the privilege of
drawing tickets on their cards. At this
Uncle John Fischer was sensibly affected,
because his whiskers were 20 long that
the girls could not find his chin.
The only secret in the order was the
goat and that animal was produced to
show that he was genuine and that his
picture on the signs Of book beer were
accurate. After some stories illustrat-
ing the workings of the order the eloqu-