The Mankato free press., 1891-02-13
1uty il is ITO omen and close the meet

duty it is ssto open and close the meet
ings with prayer (using none other
than the prescribed form, to attend
at funerals" &C., and 'sthe chaplain
should be, if not a religious. at least
moral man." See Text Book. page
106. But the Encampment which is
said to be ''Patriarchal, and therefore
pastoral also. "Opens and closes in
each degree with peculiar ceremonies)
which it confers during each session
land it is always opened and closed
with prayer by the proper officer.'' See
p. NJ, page 355.
In all Lodges the ceremony is con-
cluded by singing an Ode, and s.all
sectarian. ;. utterance (is) prohibited
under penalty we are told. 2. NJ,
page $50.
"The Grand Chaplain must attend
the sessions of the Grand Lodge, for
the purpose, of opening and closing
with prayer" T. B., page 173.
5. Hence they also have a religious
hope. They confidently expect to
meet them their brothers in the Odd
Fellows home of gloryl" T. &. 44O.
At the dedication of an Odd Fellows
hall or lodge room, the Grand Chaplain
offers the following prayer:
Grant, o Heavenly Father that
the seeds of truth that are here sown
may fall only upon ground, springing
up and bearing fruit unto eternal life,
Amen" The G. M. says; ''As broth
ers may we pass through the journey
of life; and as brothers enter, in fra
! ternal embrace, the dark valley of the
shadow of DEATH" Then the G. G.
says: MAY we all meet as brothers in
that house not made with hands. in
that celestial Lodge whose members
no tongue can number" &c.
When living up to their principles
they think they cannot fail" T. B.,
p. 76. They expect that their works
will be owned of Heaven" and that
when the time comes for them sto
leave this earth and join the vast
Brotherhood beyond it, they shall be
able to look back upon a life well
spent, and be prepared to meet Him
who has taught us that love for our
brethren here is duty incumbent
on the children of our heavenly Faith
er." r. B., p. 234.
"He who practices this charity, and
teaches it to others, shall be crowned
with honor" we are told, "and come
down to the grave in peace, with the
full assurance of blessed future. -
Text Book, p POP.
6. Accordingly they also have re-
| ligious burial Of their dead with re-
| ligious ceremonies, odes and prayers.
Now if all this does not prove that the
order of Odd-Fellows must be regard
ed as religious society, then do not
know how we are going to prove that
any church assumes to be religious.
Hence / have proved that my prem
ises are not false, and so my argument
stands unrefuted, Mr. Editor, in spite
of your contradictory remarks by
which you try to make your readers be-
lieye that ] know absolutely nothing
about secret orders and their aims and
objects. Adduce your proof when you
make an assertion, and then you will
be entitled to confidence and respect.
You say, "that secret orders are not
anti-Christian is apparent from the
fact that there is ND word or teaching
to that effect in their literature" but
any one can convince himself that
such "a statement is false by reading
my former article. Christ is denied a
hundred times tacitly and indirectly
to every one time that He is directly
denied and opposed.
see you rather doubtingly multiply
the three million dollars by three,
when the sum is to cover all the ex-
penseS of all secret orders with their
thirteen million men for charitable
purposes, in which their own funeral
expenses also are counted in; but is
that really all you can show up, after
boasting SO much about their ''great"
and ''good works 2" They certainly
ought to pay as much as one dollar
each anyhow, in whole year. Don't
you think so?
What makes you think that
mans ''mind is incapable of grasping
the fundamental principles of frater-
nal societies." who in his researches
''shall find anything to convince him
that secret orders are curse to the
community, or that they prepare men
to reject true Christianity ?" Please
explain! Respectfully,
A. G.. III. OvERN.