Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-01-15

ill recently.
THE Good Templars are to hold a mas
querade Friday. A fine social time is in
prospect
THE Brooklyn Society of Vermonters
will hold it's fifth annual reunion and
banquet on Thursday, Jan. 18th, O'Clock
p. M. at Pouch's Mansion, Clinton
Avenue. Areception to Gov. Woodbury.,
Lieut.. Governor Mansur, Senator Proc
tor, and other distinguished Vermonters,
will be given in the parlors at p. m.
The banquet will be served in the din.
ing room at Z p. M, after which, short
speeches will be made by the honored
guests, including Mayor Schierin, St.
Clair McKelway, LII. D., and represen-
tatives from Vermont societies in other
cities. Among those who have accepted
an invitation to be present are: Cover
U. A Woodbury., and his military staff,
Vermont; Lieut.. Governor u. NJ. Man
sur, Vermont; Senator Redfield Proctor,
Vermont; Governor Levi p. Morton,
(conditionally), New York; st. CLAIR Nc
Kelway, LII. D., Brooklyn; Mayor Chas.
A. Schierin, Brooklyn; Hamilton Orms-
bee; Hon. Geo. NJ FOss, Chicago Society
Vermonters; Dr. Joseph G. Greene, Buff
falo Society Vermonters; Col. Albert
Clarke, Boston Society Vermonters.
THE attendance upon the service at
the Second Congregational church Sun
day evening was large. The announce
ment had previously been made that the
pastor would speak upon the League and
what il had done. 1t was four months
previous that the League had been
formed with 20 members, and the speak
er thought it time for some one who
knew, to tell some of its workings. The
text was taken from Deuteronomy vii:24,
"There shall no man be able to stand be-
fore Thee" The speaker began by say
ing that there was never more right
eous war than that which is now being
waged in various parts of Vermont to
suppress the illegal sale of intoxiCants.
After referring to the events which
brought the society into existence, and
the reason why it should be continued
and upheld, he gave we'll drawn illustra-
tions of why the League was one of
righteousness, reasOnableness and reso-
luton. The sermon was practical,
plain and interesting review of the work
of the League in the past, and what it
was hoped it would do in the
future, and contained in it "mal-
ice toward none, but charity for
all" Even person who is not in SYM
pathy with the movement could not but
have been interested in it as handled up
on this occasion. The selections by the
choir were an interesting part of the SER
vice.
IT has been said for years til at the first
mention of Odd Fellowship was in the
Gentleman's Magazine in 1740, or there
abouts. A Minnesota brother has been
to London, England, and after carefully
examining the files of that Magazine, de-
clares the popular reference untrue. But
here is an item that gives dates, and
shows that there was snch thing as this
order about that year. The PhUnix of
Saturday says: so. c. Underwood of
North Adams, Mass, is the possessor of
an ancient and highly priced Odd Eel
lows charm. An old burying ground at
Rhinebeck, n. Y, was removed last sum-
mer and in one of the graves this charm
was found, with a few pieces of what
once constituted a coffin. There was
not even fragment of bone left. The
charm is of brass and about the size of a
twenty-five cent piece. The back was
rusted entirely away, but the face, on
which are three links and other emblems
of Odd Fellowship, is perfectly preserved.
The back has now been filled in with
gold. The charm was presented to Mr..
Underwood by a son of the man who
found it. The stone over the grave bore
the date 1740, showing that the charm was
the property of a German Odd Fellow
who was buried 155 years ago, or 80 years
before the introduction of Odd Fellow
ship into this country. 1t was doubtless
made in Germany and brought to this
country by an immigrant"
In every rural community, says Editor
Harris of the HardwiGk Gazette, is an
element of citizens who may properly be
classed as store lawyers. They are not
worthless loafers; nearly all of them
work more or less at something and pay
what taxes they cannot avoid. But their
chief object of existence seems to be to
occupy a chair or for want of that dry
goods box or nail keg in some place of
business and tell what they know. They
locate in some store as soon as possible
after tea, and hang there till the last
light is out. 1t isn't what they think
they know but what they actually know.
They often tell more than they intend to,
and demonstrate that they know next to
nothing of what they are talking about,
but in any case they prove the real depth
of their knowledge. If strange horse
or neighbours wife is seen passing these
incidents are the texts of valuable dis
courses, "reminiscences and remarks,
a; =, or ca,,s alaSS or ucaDdolonc Tho ctnro