The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-27
ODD FELLOWSHIP.
Its seyenty.fourth Anniversary
Appropriately Celebrated.

a large assemblage gathered at
Smiths hall last night to witness theS
seventy fourth anniversary of Odd Eel (
lowship in the United States. Rev. CD
FL. Thompson opened the services with az
prayer of Thanksgiving and invoked the
divine blessing upon all assembled and
| mankind in general.
An address OF welcome was then de.
livered by s. Hamilton Graves. ESQ in
which he recited the beauties of the
| notices of the order = Friendship and
Love towards God and all creation, and
Truth to each other and all mankind.
"Our aim," he said, ''is to protect the
weak and uphold mankind. Between
the years 1880 and 1890, 100, 900 persons
| were relieved by the order of Odd Eel.
lows"
In the several great calamities that
have befallen the country since 1880 the
Odd Fellows have ever been foremost to
| aid In the relief OF suffering humanity,
and after the Johnstown flood S73, 600
was contributed by its memb ers towards
alleviating the sufferers of that Inflated
| city. Assistance and charity, to min
lister to the sick, relieve distress, bury
the dead, care for widows and orphans,
etc are the objects OF the order You
are welcomed in the name OF benevolence
and charity"
The Water Mill" was rendered in a
| most excellent manner by tue Phil
harmonic quartette, composed of Henry
Neal, first tenor; D. w. Jones, second
tenor; R. R. Wood, first basso; d. w.
| Scott, second basso.
Col. $. s. Brooke, who was to have
delivered an address on the degree OF
"Friendship," sent word at late hour
that he was unavoidably prevented from
being present, and the first degree was
necessarily omitted.
w. A. Wynne, secretary of the Y. M.
G. A gave brief and pointed address
upon the degree of "Brotherly Love-"
he likened the motto of the Odd Eel.
| lows unto mans relation with the fair
sex: First, friendships; then love and
last truth.
The bass solo, "Red Scarf" by Prot.
d. W. Scott, was rendered in a n amer
that won the hearts of all his hearers.
An address on the degree of truth"
was delivered by Rev. g H. buchanan
in happy manner. He said, among
other things, Truth, the third degree,
embraces both of the others and makes
them what they are. The world need
not be told what the truth is, it comes
out in the actions OF the world true to
himself, true to the world al true to
his fellow man
Prot. Rochussen then rendered piano
solo in q superb manner, which WAS
followed by the introduction OF the
speaker Of the evening, Judge w. M.
Barnitz. of Salem, past grand master,
who delive ed very interesting and
instructive discourse up IN "Odd Fellow
ship" He said, in substance: nIt is
always pleasure to bear my testimony
as to what Old Fellowship has been,
more especially on this, the seventy
fourth anniversary of Odd Fellowship in
the United States. We revere all things
on which moss has gathered and to
which ivy clings. We study men of the
past and their deeds. We can't live
among them; we can only learn to know
by past scenes what we can DO.
1.-THE Object of Odd Fellowship ia love,
fellow man. Wives, your husbands
learn no wrong at the Odd Fellows
lodge; young ladies, your sweethearts
are none the worse for being Old Eel
lows. Odd Fellowship makes them
better husbands and better sweethearts
When pay 81 into the treasury it is
| used for sick benefits. burials, charities,
| etc, not for wine suppers-we have no
money for that. II an Odd Fellow comes
from Canada the South Sea Islands,
&c many or Japan to Roanoke and is
taken i'll he is relieved, not by subs:rip-
ton. but by money which we have for
the purpose. Il is banking system,
| and embraces within i Is arms the whole
world. In our existence of seventy
four years in the United States we have
grown until to day we have 500, 1881
members, and have gained $1,000 mem.
| berS during the past wear.
There have been during our ex-
istence 100000 persons initiated into
| Odd Fellowship in the United States
alone, aud $3.50. $40, 900 has been paid
out for the relief of brethren, widows
and orphan children; over 100000 was
spent last year in relieving the sick,
burying the dead and educating the or.
| phans. We seek to elevate men, recog-
nize God as our Faith ,r, and believe in a
universal brotherhood; no man can be
an Odd Fellow unless he believes in a
Supreme Being.
"Odd Fellowship is much better
than trade unions, though have
nothing against them. Odd Fellows
never go on strike. To be an Odd
Fellow binds your obligations and makes
you better citizen, husband and
father. We do the moral work and
leave the spiritual to the ministers, and
people who object TO Odd Fellowship in
the name of Christianity are on the
wrong track. We are working together,
only on lower plan trying to push
men up. We are driving ahead; If we
accomplish as much in the next seventy
four years Odd Fellowship will be ahead
OF everything in the world except the
church.
'Scapegrace," a tenor solo, was next
rendered in q charming manner by Prof.
P. G. Leary, after which the benedic ton
was pronounced by the Rev. G. 81.