The herald., 1896-04-27
Odd Fellows Attend Special Ser.
vices at the First M. E.
THE SONS OF ST. GEORGE
Listen to . Sermon by the Rev. w. II.
Ratcliff
AZ Unity on st. Pauls Promotlon-Dis.
courses at Other Churches

There was a special service at the
First Methodist Episcopal church at 8
p. m. yesterday for the Odd Fellows
of the local lodges and those from
neighboring towns. who are in attend
ance at the encampment, the occasion
being the seventy-seventh anniversary
of the inauguration of the order The
members of the different lodges and can
tons met at Odd Fellows temple. on
Main street, and marched from there in
body of several divisions to the church
on South Broadway. The ladies of Re-
After lining up outside of the church, the
order of entrance was arranged and
each division filed into the building,
keeping step to solemn march played
on the pipe organ.
A very brief musical and praise service
preceded the sermon. which was deliv-
cred by the pastor of the church, the
Rev. John A. B. Wilson. In part he
said:
Gentlemen, in welcoming you to this
church today, and attempting to ad-
dress you. there are some things which
am not required to dwell upon. l need
adduce no argument to prove the ex-
istence of God, for had you been atheists
You could never have been Odd Fellows.
Nor shall l seek to inculcate a belief
In the sacredness and inspiration of the
holy scriptures, both of the Old and New
Testaments, for had you disbelieved
this and only believed in God, and been
consequently deists, you could not have
worn the badges of this order, which
draws its most fundamental lessons
from the teachings of the Old Testa-
ment scriptures as to the SacredneSS
and obligations of friendship and from
the New Testament scriptures and
from the very teaching of Jesus, the
great teacher, those lessons of love and
N xx-hi tIn
exists to inculcate and exemplify with
in the limitations of it's own member
ship.
Il know that this order depends upon
the Old Testament for its example of
friendship, and upon the New and upon
the Christ for its ideal of love.
I'm your presence, therefore, I am
saved from defending either the deity
or the Bible. Hence, shall seek to en-
force but a single lesson from that body
we mutually reverence. and that lesson
shall be the Old Testament ideal OF
friendship, by which you seek to shape
your own, found in Psalm xix.3-6
" I will go out and stand behind my
father in the field, where thou art and
will commune with my father of thee.
and what see that will tell thee and
Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jona-
than, and Saul sware as the Lord liveth,
he shall not be slain.'"
The obligations Of friendship was the
theme Of the sermon.
After relating the story Of David and
Jonathan, he said: "It teaches US these
practical lessons:
ITO recognize the hand Of God in Diff
ferencessof gift.
ITO blame no man for divine differ
entation.
ITO dwell upon the good in each
other.
ITO remember favors received.
ITO protect the interests of each
other, and
ITO help one another at cost to our
selves.
But with all these lessons learned"
continued the pastor, you come short
If you make Oddfellowship substitute
for religion. 1t takes from the Bible
those lessons that teach mutually of
obligations of people pledged to each
other. But there is a broader brother
hood which obligates us to kindly deeds
of helpfulness to those who can make us
no return. The great teacher has said
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.'
We are never at our best until we have
sat at his feet and felt the great heart
throbs Of this purpose and have learned
| to receive them as our own.
May you learn of Him the broader
brotherhood that makes us the neighbor
| of every one in need everywhere"