The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-03-11
SERMON TO ODD FELLOWS
Delivered by Rev. ". G. Watkins in
Main Avenue Baptist Church.
OBJECTS OF SOCIETY PRAISED
Several Hundred Members OF the order
in the North End OF the City Listened
TO the Able Discourse
OF Odd Fellowship.

The North Main Avenue Baptist
church was we'll filled last night, when
Rev. w. G. Watkins preached an excel
lent sermon on THE Worth of Fratern-
ity" before the Celestial and Lincoln
lodges of Providence and the Hiram
lodge of Green Ridge. of the lndepend-
ent Order of odd Fellows. who attended
in a body to the number of nearly 225.
In his sermon Rev. MIR. Watkins said:
There still exists in the world an even
amount of seltishness; but as fraternity
or the idea of brotherhood grows and
spreads selfishness is pushed into the
background. Selfshnes, by definition,
Is the chief regard for the individual.
1t has been called the law of selt-preser-
walton, not that 1t purposely antago-
niZes the interests of each other, but its
sole concern is with the interests of self.
Fraternity. on the other hand, recog-
nizes the claims of others as we'll as its
own.
As odd Fellows you are familiar with
the divine statement of the highest de-
velopment of the fraternal interest. as
one of the principal pillars of your
temple Is Thou shalt love thy neigh
Dor as thyself" 1t is scarcely neces-
sary to remind you that we have not
yet attained the reign of love, but II
might be to our encouragement to teel
that we are attaining to ii and that just
as sure of God has laid down the pos
Sibility of achieving 1t by saying "Tnou
shalt" 50 surely shall this world be-
come broad enough some day to ac-
knowledge the universal brotherhood
of man.
Theory OF survival OF the Best.
There probably was a time when the
fraternal relation of men was unknown
as it was only Il generation ago when
Mr.. Darwin announced that the law
struggle for life" governed all forms
of life, plants. animals and human, and
So fierce and ceaseless was this strug-
gle in the early history of the world
that each individuals energies We're
completely taxed for its own preserVa-
ton. 1t is even yet the rule among
some of the savage and lower forms of
life that only the strongest survive.
Not long ago Professor Drummond
Offset this by law which he called
the struggle for the life of others"
in which he shows how, by the aid of
others, plant which in itself is immov-
able, by the birds. winds and waves
has its seed scattered to all parts of the
world and in this cooperation OF ma
ture we see the first stages of fra
ternity But 1t is crude, being that it Is
all done unintentionally and uncon-
sciously But il we go a step higher we
see where the idea is carried out farther
by the ant and bee, who each form a
brotherhood or swarm for their mutual
aid and protection. And make for
themselves q temple, heaven and home,
where they can live and bring their
| 4 haNs hA ~ ~
store up food for the winter Have you
ever noticed how like man, the bee is
divided into three classes, the queens,
the workers, and the drones; our queens
being the aristocraticy, our workers
the great toiling mass, and the drones
are personated by the tramps and idlers
who live on the earnings and good VIII
of others. But the bee can teach us
much by the prompt and efficient man.
ner in which they deal with their drones
killing them and throwing them
out of the hive rather than locking
them up and feeding them IT public eX-
pense.
Must Begin with the Family.
Fraternity or brotherhood love must
begin with the family, for the family Is
the foundation stone of all govern
ments and conditions of human ad-
yancement, and brotherhood Is what
makes and holds the family together as
from the family grows the community
in a limited sense, and from the com
munity grows the state, and from the
state the nation. all based upon and de-
rived, from one origin and family and
by the extension of this process you
can arrive not only at the nation, but
to the whole Of the human race. 1t is
strange that we should ever have lost
sight of the fact that we are all of one
family, and until we recognize 1t God
cannot accomplish his purpose.
The word of inspiration says in Acts
II. 26. that God hath made of one
blood all nations Of men for to dwell
on all the face of the earth and hath de-
termincd the times before appointed
and the bounds of their habitatiOn."
According to the Scriptureal story this
brotherhood Of the human race was ac-
knowledgad until the confusion of Ba-
bel made strangers of brothers and
scattered the different members of the
family to all parts of the world. The
members drifted apart and became
changed, soathat when they next met they
failed to recognize each other. The fra
ternal bond which was broken at Babel
is now waiting for civilization to re-
store and for Christianity to sanctify.
In the early days each tribe or clan
went by itself into some natural fast
ness and counted all other as its enc
mics. but civilization is breaking down
all barriers, and as Ii Is now possible
for us to communicate with all parts
| of the world as If we were face to face
| with the persons and as constantly in
| termingling with natives of all parts.
| We are beginning to recognize the
| Scriptural saying "of one blood" and
| believe there are forces at work which
| will ultimately bring about the restora-
| ton and unitication of the human race
| for our interests are all related to each
| other and are dependent on each other
and a man left all by himself can ac-
complish nothing and each man must
| sacrifice to a certain extent his own In
terests for the welfare of another.
Organization Of Odd Fellows.
For the aid OF each other and better
ment of self many fraternities, or secret
| organizations, have been formed, but
| as most of them were founded on wrong
principles they soon failed, as they
| should, but among the tried few that re-
mained stands the Independent order
| of odd Fellows. which was founded
seventy-siX years ago, when, on April
26 Thomas Wildey, with four com.
| panions, formed what was called Wash.
ington lodge, No. !, in Baltimore, and
| from this has sprung over 10000 sub.
ordinate lodges and encampments. witt
| over 700, 900 members and with the
| kindred associations the Manchester
Unity. the total of odd Fellows Is over
| |, 400, 900, or over a quarter of a million
more than any other secret organization