The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-04-28
ANNIVERSARY l. 0. 0. F.
april 26 Celebrated as The Birth OF inc
American Order of Odd Fellows.
HISTORICAL OUTLINE OF THE oa'sIH.
Three Million Dollars Year Paid for
Benevolent Purposes Alone-The
Founder of American Odd Feiio"'
ship Was n blacksmith by Fraae-
Rapid Growth OF thc order.
Copyright. 1885. by Albert c. stevens,>

Copyright. 1886, by Albert c. stevenso
Sunday was celebrated as the seventy
seventh anniversary OF tae toundins Oh
che independent Order of ODD Feiiows
in the United States. There are nearly
one million members OF the order ana In
thousands of instances, lodges or indi-
ylduals formally or otherwise rec
ognize the occasion. The mere fact that |
more than 100000 adult males, about
oHe-sixteenth Of the entire population |
of the country are keenly interested In |
something which vitality affects the pub
Ec welfare, is enough to attract general
attention. Strange as 1t may seem.
both you and i, as mere onlookers, are
Interested In what Is represented by an
anniversary of the birth Of American
Odd Fellowship.
4 The letters ]. o. o. F., accompanied
sometimes by ''three links" are familiar.
They are frequently seen high up on
buildings where Odd Fellows are wont
to hold their meetings. We all recall
rhTee-aink gold emblems on vests or
coat lapels, indicating that the wearers
are members Of the order and 1t is they
who Sunday celebrated in thought
or In fact the seventy-seven years of
vigorous dife of the oldest and largest
secret mutual add society in the United
States, whose members are systemati-
cally assessed for the creation Of fund
from which to relieve sick or distressed
members, their widows and orphans.
No higher tribute can be paid the in
stitution than to point out that 1t Is the
pioneer among secret. charitable and
benevolent societies which seek to re-
Neye the necessities OF their members
and families of their members by the
creation Of n fund for that purpose by
means OF regular assessments.
This point is. perhaps. to be fully set
frr tha I,,,a to- fo,,t ~.
4 encyclopedia of Fraternites." A history
IS of secret societies in the United States
(copyrighted) by Albert Clarke Stevens,
from portion Of the manuscript OF
which this article has been drawn.
There are several different kinds of
= secret societies. the mother, of course.
being the fraternity of Ancient, Free
Z and Accepted Masons, That stands
Unique. Its benevolence and practical
Z charities are not based on pre-arranged
or agreed plan to assess its members
* systematically, or to pay out sums for
reliet as per statute In such case made
+ and provided. They are extended
b5when needed and no record knows them
save that of him or her who receives
But there remains wide field to be
hlled-one in which the secret society
may well play a part with the spirit of
fraternalism, supplemented by some
thing which approNimates closely to the
model mutual assessment insurance
4 society. Here Odd Fellowship steps in.
and nobly has 1t done It's work for II is
In reality the mother of latter-day mu-
tual Insurance. True. 1t does not insure
lives. but ii provides its members
against the evil day which is the result
OF sickness and misfortune, and looks
to the welfare of the widow and orphan.
What better testimony can be offered
It's work. the example 1t has set than
the following in its footsteps. in this re-
spect by such societies as the knights
OF Pythias, Ancient Order of United
Workmen. knights of the Maccabees,
the Improved Order Of Red Men, Order
OF Foresters of America. the Royal Ar
canum. Knights of Honor and more
than one hundred other mutual assess
ment. charitable and benevolent secret
societies which, with one exception, are
the children of the last half of the pres
ent century?
me organizations pay annually not
less than slo.000.000 in SICK death, flu
neral. family relief and educational
benefits. and of that sum the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows expends one.
third.
The question may properly be asked
whence came the society which can
and does pay out more than $4,000 900
annually for such purposes. This takes
us back 157 years to 1899 Fourteen
years prior to that date Free Masonry
NAA A3h6it-i ilttu UeeH revived ana re-
organized with grand lodge as the
governing body. The next ten or TWEEN,
~ years were marked by an active pro-
paganda, and that ancient fraternity
became prominent not only in London
but throughout England It was taken
into most Of the continental countries.
to America. and the British colonies. II
excited antasonisms. was Exposed"
ridiculed and suffered from secession.
though the highest socially as we'll as
those of lowly estate were enrolled
among its members.
Tradition (Which lacks proof saws
that s. number Of Free Nfasons had a
difference with their lodge and organized
another society with the title of Odd
Fellows. The similarity of some of the
titles Of officials in Odd Fellows lodges
to those of officials in Masonic lodges
Of the signs, methods of salutation and
particularly of the symbols of the two
societies leave no doubt in the minds Of
those capable of judging that Free Ma,
sons were engaged in the building OF
the temple OF the Odd Fellowship.
The first recorded Odd Lellows lodge
was Aristarchus, No. 9. London, 1I45.
and there would appear to have been
predecessors for five or six years prior
to that time. Until 1850 Odd Fellows
4 lodges were more or lass independent
one of the other, though holding frater-
nal relations. Sometimes one lodge
would visit another in body and contrI
butte to the latter's treasury that needed
ra,irf iodnt ba forfhropotpo