The Portland daily press., 1893-11-10
ODD FELLOWSHIP.
What Rev. Mr.. Hughes Told an Enthusias.
tic Audience About 1t.

1t is seldom that lecturer is greeted
by SO large and enthusiastic an audience
as that which filed City hall to the
doors last evening to hear the Rev. Matt
S. Hughes tell about Odd Fellowship. The
lecture was of rare literary excellence,
imparting much valuable information
and sparkling with bright sayings. 1t
was literally and enthusiastically ap-
plauded from start to finish. Mr.. Hughes
said:
Man is bound to man by multitudiuous
ties. No man liveth to himself is a
truth of reason and experience, no less
than of revelation. The primary bond
is that expressed by the phrase i" the
brotherhood of man." Next. perhaps,
that which finds expression in the term
fellow-citizen.n So we have home ties,
and those of business and social life. The
thoroughly independent man was the
savage. He was his own grocer, tailor
and carpenter But we cannot live our
lives without the thousand and one work
men who do for us a thousand and one
things we cannot do for ourselves
The early associations of men lacked
the principle of brotherhood. The
primitive organizations were doubtless
for purposes of war, of trade, and of
1
Christianity entered more fully into the
life of man, societies having for their
specific object the mutual fellowship and
help of their members were esta bllshed.
Among these leading place must be ac-
corded to the order of Odd Fellows. 1t is
peculiarly the product of Christian con-
ditions. 1t draws it's inspiration and the
lessons it inculcates from the Scripture,
1t is based upon trinity of virtues.
Friendship, Love and Truth. Its results
are manifest to the world.
/ am not a blind worshipper at the
shrine Of Odd Fellowship. I appreciate
it's ideals, but make for it no swollen
claim of perfection. Such claim would
be absurd, until we limit our member
ship to angels instead of imperfect men.
We do claim lofty and humane objects,
we do claim pure principles, we do
claim history of helpfulness.
Odd Fellowship is one of the Good
Samarltans of the 10Th century 1t is
worthy of that designation. What is my
/ travel the roadway of life and see the
ministrations of this order, shall I pass by
on the other side, like the ancient priest
or Levite? Shall / join that other small
party of ecclesiastics who stand and curse
the Good Samaritan while he performs
his good offices, or shall lend helping
hand? I'll lend hand! The meanest
and smallest bigotry is that which de-
mands that all good shall be done &C
cording to certain directions while bigotry
bosses the job Moreover, Odd Fellow
ship is a fruit of religion and antagonism
against child and parent is contrary to
nature. Again you are practicing what
the pulpit preaches-good works. Ii |
did not speak to you as clergyman l
could as a citizen-for it is no small
public benefit that half a million men
are removed from the danger of becom-
ing public burdens, and not one would
be buried in the potter's field At least
before other organizations lift their
voices against us let them remove their
own members from the poor house.
The prime objection to our order is that
it is seclet. Secrecy. is not in itself
morally wrong, else why the mysteries of
| nature, and why has the Heavenly
Father SO hidden Himself? Secrecy is
wrong when it hides wrong-and who
lay that charge at our door? Strictly
speaking we are not secret Our MEM
bership is not secret, our principles are
not secret, our objects are not secret,
| our practical workings are not secret. We
only have secrecy enough to protect us
| in our work.
We sometimes hear it said that our or
| der teaches that Odd Fellowship is a
sufficient religion of itself Whenever
| hear such statement brand it as false,
and you are my witnesses that it is en-
| phatically untrue. But it is a fact that
once in a while we find member Of tn
| order who has such high opinion of the
fraternity that he makes Odd Fellowship
synonymous with Christianity. His idea
is usually expressed in some such way
as this: "If man is as good an Odd
Fellow as he ought to be and will live up
| to it's principles he will be about as
| good man as you will fnd.n
| Now there is no force in such state
ment whatever, except as it reflects credit
| on the morals inculcated in Odd.Fellow-
! ship. The same thing can be said OF
any relationship of life If man is as
| good q father or husband as he ought to
be. he will be all right, for man cannot
be the highest type of father or husband
unless he is a Christian man. If a man
| is as good citizen as he ought to be he
will be a Christian man. Ii a man is as
good business man as he ought to be
he will be all right In any relation Of
| life that is true. But that is not the
sense in which the statement is usually
| made. Now have several reasons why
| object to such ideas in connection with
Odd Fellowship, and why 1 believe
every truly sensible brother ought te
| frown upon any such pretension.
In the first place Odd Fellowship an6
| salvation are not synonymous terms
! The degrees of Odd Fellowship do not
| change character as we have had only
too many reasons to know. Odd Fellow
ship cannot forgive sins. Odd Fellowship
cannot impart the divine life. Odd
| Fellowship did not bring life and immor
tallty to light Odd Fellowship does mo-
cry "Come unto Me all ye that labor
and are heavy laden and I viii
| give you rest" Odd Fellowship canno
| promise grace to help in every time. o1
need. Odd Fellowship can promise 81
much material aid and sympathy upor
earth, but it has no tickets for HEAVIER
| here or hereafter. And any member o.
| the order who, by his life and Language
makes any such preposterous claims for
| the order simply shows that he has nc
true conception either of the order mol
| vet of Christianity. Odd Fellowship il
it's spirit and work is fruit of Christian
ity and cannot be substituted for it anS
more than you can substitute the sun
shine for the sun, or the harvest for thu
| forces that nurse the grain to maturity
The lessons of Odd Fellowship are from
the Bible, but they are not the whole O
the Bible.
One result of these unguarded state
ments is that thoughtful people, whe
know the difference between the whole
and its parts are prejudiced against al
order supposed to make such claims, anl