Brookings register. (Brookings, S.D.) 1890-1894, 1894-05-18


human side. The Bible says, God
made of one blood all nations of men
for to dwell on all the face of the
earth. The second great command
mcnt Of God to all men is, Thou shalt
love thy neighbOr as thysclf," and
Jesus teaches that ones neighbOr is
anyone who needs help. Surely. any
organization having such high pur-
pose is good in its intention and so
far is in harmony with the best wis
dom and nOblest impulses of mankind.
But we have already noticed that
theories, the best and nobleSt, may
exist quite apart from practice. How
is it that practice is SO Slow to follow
principle? What has hindered
through all the centuries past, the
prompt and full expression, in action,
Of those noble fratCrnal sentiments
so generally held and universally OPP
pressed? How changed would have
been the history of all our race if each
man had always acted the brOtherly
part toward every other man. When
ever a wrong has been done, some one
has sinned against those fraternal
relations which naturally bind all men
in the bonds of brotherhood. 1t is
just such SHINING that has wrought
such general ruin to that which is
nObleSt and best in our common hui
manity. The inexperienced child
naturally trusts everyone, but when
his confidence has been repaid with
deceit and fraud it becomes as much
his habit to suspect everybody as it
was before to trust everybody. The
fraternal spirit cannot live along with
suspicion and diStrust. Friendship,
love and truth cannot come in where
confidence does not abide. The man
who has been deceived, defrauded,
wronged, not only has his confidence
in the one who did the wrong de-
other man is weakened. Hence, he
who breaks faith and betrays conf
dence. sins, not only against himself
and his brother Immediately con-
cerned. but he strikes a blow at pub
lie confidence and does an injury to
the spirit of fraternity.
Because Of pcrfidy, fraternity in the
abstract has rarely had full develop
ment in the concrete. Men do not
like their charity to be expended in
fostering hypocricy Tor their bread to
be used in nOurishing fraudulent
paupcrSm. Even our christian
churches. founded as they are upon
"love to God and love to man." are
constrained in the practice Of that
fraternity expressed in their creed.
They cannot be sure that the sUran-
ger coming to them in the name of
the Lord for christian hospitality and
benevOlenCe is not a fraud. OF some
who are numbered with the home
church. we may say with the apostle,
Il am in doubt of you" If one is to
have no care that his friendship and
his beneVOlenceS are wOrthiIy be-
slowed, then he had better give
neither. Hypocricy, deceit and fraud
are propagated by the gullibility and
false sentimentality Of people who
make such wickednesS profitable.
But let US inquire how the Odd
Fellows put their high ideals of fra
ternity into practice. In the first
place their organization is not an
open one. 1t does not embrace every
one who may choose to join. The Or
ganiZatiOn is close: the members of it
are carefully selected. In the lam
guage of their constitutional law,
"Any person Of good moral character,
over twenty-One years of age, who is,
to the best of his knowledge, in sound
health and who is believer in a Su-
preme Being, the creator and pre-
server of the universe, is eligible to
membership in the order"
A confirmed invalid might be in
fluenccd by merCenary motives in
joining the order. The lodges want
men, who not only seek help for them
selves, but who are both willing and
able to help others. Any member
who knows of one disqualification on
the part Of an applicant may secretly
cast his ballot against him and thus
bar the way to all the privileges Of the .
order. This careful selection of mem
bers is vital to the fullest exercise and
enjoyment of fraternal duties and
relations. When to know that a man
is an Odd Fellow, is to know that he
is a good and worthy man, founda-.
ton is laid for friendship, confidence
and mutual aid.
When the good Samaritan saw the
wounded man in the road, the thought
would naturally come to him, perhaps
he is a member of my fraternity, a
sworn brother; / will go and see.
When he discovers the badge of his
order, then he knows that the wound
ed man is good and honorable; he
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