The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-26
ODD FELLoWSHIP'S BIRTHDAY.
THE ORDERS zTth ANNIVERSARY
TO BE CELEBRATED TODAY.


of the Order-A Large Number OF
Visiting Odd Fellows Expected
From Augusta - They VIII he
Looked After by the brethren
Here-The Oldest odd Fellow I'm
Savannah-Facts About Odd Eel
Iovship by Grand Master Manucy.
To-day marks the seventy-seventh mile
stone in the history of odd Fellowship IN
America. such occasions are always OBJ
served by the savannah Odd Fellows. The
day falling on Sunday. the exercises viii
be appropriate to the day well as to the
anniversary.
The principal feature Of the day viii be
the attendance upon divine services to-
night at the Lutheran church OF the odd
Fellows in a body. The members Of the
several lodges viii assemble at the odd
Fellows hail at 7:38 o'clock, and viii
march TO the Lutheran church of the As
cension, where they will be addressed by
the pastor, Rev. ". c. Schaeffer. D. d.
The topic Of DR.. Schaeffer's sermon viii
be the tenets Of the order-friendship, love
and truth. The discourse will be Of interest
TO every Odd Fellow.
During the day the odd Fellows will be
occupied in extending the inequalities Of
the city to Richmond lodge. No. 100, Of
Augusta, which will arrive here at 1870
o'clock this morning. The Augustans are
expected to bring down large delega-
ton. They will be met at the depot by
delegation Of Savannah odd Fellows and
escorted to the hail. where a lunch and
refreshments will be in waiting for them.
Mr. c. Y. Richardson will have charge of
this feature.
Grand Master Manucy, who addressed a
large gathering of Odd Fellows at Law
renceville yesterday. is expected to return
this morning. in which case he will well
come the visitors. In case he does not re-
turn in time this duty will probably de-
volve upon Mr.. ID. b. Lester chairman Of
the anniversary day committee. Remarks
viii be made by other speakers, both To-
cal and visiting. All the Odd Fellows who
can conveniently do so are expected to be
in attendance at the hall this morning TO
assist in welcoming the visitors. In the
afternoon the Augustans viii be shown
around the city and will return home on
the night train.
Savannah is the birthplace of Odd Eel
lOwship in Georgia, Oglethorpe Lodge No.
], having been organized here March 4,
1892. There are now seven prosperous
lodges in the city, with a total member
ship Of nearly 1000. and interest in the Or
der is active and increasing. The lodges
are as follows: Oglethorpe No. ], Live Oak
No. 3, DeKalb No. g. Golden Rlue No. y,
Concord No. II, Haupt No. So Acorn No.
Magnolia L.,
ular with the members and IS IN nOurish-
The Oldest Odd Fellow in Savannah, and
probably in the state, Is Mr.. Charles
Gross. who is now in the Slst year of his
age, and his sd of Odd Fellowship. Mr..
Gross was initiated in Oglethorpe Lodge
Jan. II, 1913, when the lodge was only nine
months old, and he has continued mem
OF the lodge in good standing from that
If he is not the oldest odd Fellow in
America, Mr.. Gross probably has the re-
cord of longest membership in one lodge.
During this membership of more than
half a century he has filled every position
OF honor and trust in the lodge. He was
secretary of the lodge for thirty-three
years, and was noble grand in 1850 He
has passed through two epidemics of yell
low fever in Savannah, that of 1854 and
that of 1876, during both of which periods
he rendered noble service in succoring the
distressed. He was vice grand of the lodge
In 1884, and secretary during the epidemic
or 1876. During the latter epidemic large
part of the work of the lodge fell upon his
shoulders, on account Of the illness or alb
sence of the other officers.
To-day is also the anniversary of an
other occasion with Mr.. Gross, for it was
50 years ago to-day that he landed in New
York, having been born and grown to
manhood in Baden, Germany. That was
an interesting period of the countrys his
tory, Andrew Jackson was president, and
was making his night on the United states
bank. There was a great financial question
under discussion then as there is now and
during Jackson's administration the coun-
cial depression much more serious in
every way than that through which it has
recently passed. A year after his arrival
army. and in 1888 passed through Savan-
nah with detachment of the army on its
way to Florida, which was sent there to
Indians to the Indian territory
He served three years with the
army and then settled in Savannah, which
has been his home ever since.
Savannah was only village then, COM
paratively. Mr.. Gross has ever since main
tanned record as a faithful, upright and
honorable citizen. Although so well ad-
Vanced in years he is in the full possession
Of all his mental and bodily faculties and
goes about his daily labor with as much
regularity as men Of half his years He
rarely misses a meeting Of his lodge and
takes a keen interest in all that is DONE He
has been close student of men and books
during his long life, and is fun of interest
ting "reminiscences of men and events,
which have long since passed into history.
Grand Master Manucy addressed a large
gathering of Odd Fellows yesterday at the
camp ground near Lawrenceville, Gwin-
Fellowship, its history, its aims and pur-
poses and it's accomplishments in opening
his address, Mr.. Manucy said:
'tOur order did not originate in the mists
OF antiquity, and we have no desire to
claim for it an ancient origin. Its his
tory is well known. The Gentleman s
speaks of an Odd Fellows lodge at Man
chester in England, in 17i5.
III the carry part u TINS century there
was a division at Manchester. and the
seeding lodges called themselves indie
pendent. hence the name Independent
Order of Odd Fellows" This branch was
established in America on the 26th day OF
April 1919, in the city Of Baltimore, and
from that time dates Odd Fellowship as
1t is now known and constituted. II
was founded by five men, humble and
uninfuential. No royal parsonage stood
as sponsor at its birth, no governor moi
senator gave it patronage. 1t was OF the
people and for the people. 1t was organ
lied and moulded by the same class Of
men who, by their brain, energy and la
Dor, have made this grand union of states
the envy of the civilized world. Odd Eel
lowship belongs to no aristocracy. 1t IL
the stupendous- project of the marvel
Gus nineteenth century-the most extra
ordinary era in the history of the world
what wonderful progress civilization
has made during the present era! w,
have the useful and beautiful blended anC
harmonized for the enjoyment of man
Inventions have been made which are tn,
wonder of the world. Superstition, in
tolerance and bigotry are giving way L
friendship, liberation and truth, ana Ode
TrrfIo chi hos mi nd