Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-03-07
The Odd Fellows.

from the Grand Lodge at Phlla., ana }
Heron Foster of Pittsburg came to Butle
and effected the organization. They nam
J ed their lodge the "Connoqueuessing" and
since that time it has existed in Butler
with varying fortunes. During the pas
] year and a bali, however, it has trebled
its membership, which now numbers near
Is two hundred, and as il owns substan-
tial brick building II well furnished hall,
and has money in its treasury, it may be
truly said To be in a Aourishng condition.
Zach year since its organization the
lodge has given Il reception, to which the
The members invited their friends. Their
reception for this year, the 42d was held
in their beautiful hall, on Friday evening
last, and shortly after O'Clock, the hour
fixed upon, the hall was comfortably filed
with members and their friends.
Brother Ezra Brugh called the meeting
to order, the officers took their seats and
prayer was offered by Brother Anderson.
Brother Prugh then called upon Brother
Ira McJunkin to welcome the visitors Mr..
McJunkin bid the friends a welcome, and
then spoke of the principles and objects of
the order, of its three great links-Friend-
ship, Love and Truth--of the organization
of the order in London in l745; of the first
permanent lodge in this country, which
was organized at Baltimore in 1919; Of the
alleged secrets of the order aud he dis
| claimed any proprietorship in the goat
4 thut lrau~saa IN IA lnfp ori,
Mr.. Lon Russell and Miss Mary Wick
| then favored the audience with duet.
Brother J. W. Hutchinson was then call
ed upon. He spoke of the objects and
aims of the order, Of this its 42d amiyer-
sary, and promised that. if the Connoque-
Messing Lodge continued growing az it has
been during the past few months. it would
| eight years hence, celebrate its scmi.cen-
| tennal in a style that would throw the
Worlds Fair at Chicago into the shade-a
sentiment that was heartily applauded.
The next thing On the programme was
| a solo by Miss Alice Wick
Brother Geo. w. Fleeger then spoke of
the common brotherhood of the whole
| idOCy Seilh llub IulS pluGl vas IL lGNcItI VI
rank, that in it all were equal, that it
taught morals and the golden rule; that it
elevated man and made him social and
humane, and that it was destined to stand
till time ceased.
Brother A. G. Williams was sorry to
correct two of the previous speakers as to
the origin of Odd Fellowship, that one of
the speakers said the order was organized
in London in 1745, and another that it was
organized 100 years ago, but that they
were mistaken, the order began with the
race and Adam was the first Odd Fellow;
that the order encouraged every member
to be a man. He then favored the audi
ence with song.
Brother Lewis Mitchell was called, but
said he had the Grippe and only came out
that night at the request of Brother Helm
eman, who promised to help him ont at
the table.
Brother Anderson, who had been refer
red to by two of the speakers as the witty
member of the lodge, proved to be poet,
when called upon and compare the char
ity of the order to the dew drops falling
from the mountain tops; he had also been
spoken of as the praying member and he
he commented on the opposite characters
given him, then he spoke of the socability
of the order, of the weekly meeting and Of
the ladies meeting with them but once a
year, he thought this should be changed,
and that all the members should marry
and bring their wives with them every
week; he said a man was but half man
till he took unto himself better half and
as he was looking at Ezra when he said
this the audience enjoyed it. lie also said
that there are now $4,000 Odd Fellows in
Penn'a.; that they ministered to the needs
Of those in want, that the order made men
better and nobler, that good Odd Fellow
was a good everything, and held to Friend
ship, Love and Truth.
Brother Cuthbert. when called upon,
gave q biography of the Goat belonging to
| the lodge, he asserted positively that the
lodge did own one at one time, that it
died and that he was at the funeral but
| unfortunately that it was SO long ago that
all the witnesses were dead.
This was the last of the speeches and
| the Choir entertained the audience for
half an hour pending the announcement of
supper at 10 p. IN. when all marched to
| the Willard House and partook of one Of
those repasts for which that house is be-
| coming famous, and of which mine host
Reihing can well be proud.
The /. 0. 0. +. is a growing organiza-
ton in Butler County, and as we said be-
| fore, the Connoquenessing Lodge of But
Ter has trebled its membership during the
past eighteen months, it owns the building
in which it meets with handsomely fur
nished room, and it always has good
balance in its treasury. Since it's organi-
zation eight others have been organized in
| the county as follows:-the "Saxonia' of
Saxonburg, which also owns its own
building, has large membership, aud at
present has $500 in its treasury; the
Rustic" of Prospect owns its building
and has large membership, the "Meylert"
of Centreville, aud the lodges at Porters-
vile, Middle Lancaster, Millerstown, Ev-
ans City and Karns City.
We have no doubt but that these orders
do good and that they encourage that
friendship, consideration and homer among
the members, which if extended to all their
neighbors mako them model citizens of the
greatest Nation and greatest Republic on
the planet. Most of them also have sick
benefits and endowments, which insure
the families of members competence
when they are in distress, or upon their
deeease.
This has been one of the meanest and
most Improbable winters for livery men
ever known in the history of the busi-
ness.
Henry Powers, aged II years died at
the home OF his son George Powers, Oh
Eleventh avenue, Sunday, at 1890 p. m.
Some weeks since, Mr.. Powers, had an at
tack of la grippe, which resulted in pneu-
monia and ultimately caused his death.