The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-04-27
ODD FELLOWSHIP.
sixty-Sixth Anniversary of che Order OBJ
served mt the Church of the Messiah
Abstract OF Rev. HEr. CrOsley's Address.

served Mt the Church of the Messiah
Abstract OF Rev. mar, CrOsIey's Address.
Last evening the sixty-sixth anniversary Of
Odd Fellowship in the United States was OBJ.
served at the above church. A large audience
was present, and all listened with much inter
est to the eloquent address of the pastor, Rev.
M. Crosley who took for his subject the
! "Brotherhood Of Man" Space will not per-
NIT us to make more than brief abstract.
! Mr.. Crosley said that charitable and social or
CARNATIONS exist from necessity. They have
grown up on account Of our common needs,
and the needs of our humanity are the same
the world over, because of a common origin
| and like nature. These institutions are not
founded in selishness. They rest upon the
surer foundation of love and good will.
So far as secret organizations are concerned
| the Masonic bodies and the Independent Order
OF Odd Fellows stand cut perhaps the most
conspicuous. Special mention is made to the
order OF Odd Fellowship on this occasion, lot
| to the exclusion of other like organizations,
| but for the reason that this is the Anniversary
| of the institution of American Odd Fellow
| ship.
Five men arranged to meet in an upper
room in the city of Baltimore on the evening
OF the 10Th of April, 1919, and they there and
| then formed themselves into an association
which has been well known ever since on the
| strength of its deeds of benevolence and schar-
| ity. From that small number the order has
| grown until its membership in this country is
| July one-halt a millien. It pays cut annually
Tor relief not far from $1,500,0 600 and distri-
butes aims and charities not few.
This order is peculiar as the name indicates.
Its organization is such that these gifts are
| imperative. The order has done good and it
will continue to do SO because it is young, Wig
| orous and progressive
| Odd Fellowship and the churches have
many things in common, and this is especially
true In respect to principles and doctrines.
| The idea that all men have the same origin
and like natures brings them closer together,
and because We occupy common ground,
| concluded to hold these services and treat q
subject, alike the property of both the order
| and the church, that of the brotherhood of
man. And the text chosen is recorded in the
Acts of the Apostles, 18th chapter, 26th to 29th
| verses inclusive. These words were spoken
| from Mars Hill in the cultivated, yet idola.
trous, city of Athens. They are rich with
meaning and embody great truth. They in.
| volve the origin and relation of man. Man
| is from Gcd, from above. He is the offspring
| OF an All-wise Creator and lives, moves and
has his being in the great house of his cree
| ton.
| The speaker went on to show that theolo
| CLANS, philologistB and philanthropists will
and to recognize the common origin and uni
| versal brotherhood oil man. Theologians are
| coming to believe that we are all brethren by
nature, not simply by adoption. We cannot
| make or unmake truth. We cannot recreate
| or destroy relationship. II God is the Father
| OF all, as Christ and Paul taught, then is il
| true that mar constitutes one universal
| brotherhood.
The text is clear. God made of one blood
| all the nations of mon and SOFAS the poets have
| said. the offanriUr of Hod ic+,
say that the Languages OF the different race
| resemble pure things in common and devote
a common relationship. Every recent dis
covery in the origin and use of language
| furnishes only SO much additional proof that
| the Hlndoo, the Persian, the Greek and the
Roman, all the Celtic races those which once
| occupied the greatest part of Central Europe,
the Slavonian and the Teutonic nations have
| common dialect, so that we have the frozer
| Icelander, the Indian fire eater the outcas
Gipsey, the Plaid Highlander, the English
master and his cooley servant and the restles
Irishmen as brethren decending from com
| mon stock
The language spoken with inherent traits
with like passions and desires, we have q re-
| vealment oil connecting tie running deeper
than Color custom, or that which mere outel
| circumstances produce; we find III the de3p
seated, indestructble nature of man a resem
| blance. The low negro, or the Zulu of Contra
| Africa, where ignorance is pnre, and where
the primitive fig leaf is the only garment
differs from human beings in London, Paris
Berlin, Dublin, Boston, New York, Chicago
and Portland only in color, poverty, degree Of
| ignorance and moral attainment. Their diff
ference is external so far as appearance goes
and they differ in advancement because they
have had no chance to grow in grace and in
knowledge of the truth. They have want
and moral natures the same as our own.
We are to come to recognize all men al
brethren and then learn to no longer dea
treaeherously, every man against his brother