The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-25

!. THE FRATERNAL SOCIETIES ]
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The Masonic order had a most inter
esting time last week in the annual
communication of the grand lodge Of
this jurisdiction and in the celebra-
ton of the twenty-fifth anniversary
of the Institution OF the grand lodge in
the state of Utah.
The principal work of the grand lodge
session which lasted three days was
the adoption OF a new code of laws,
hearing the reports of the retiring
grand master and those of the ac-
counting officers and the election of
new officers to serve for the year 1897.
The session closed with a banquet in
celebration OF the anniversary. Full
accounts of the proceedings nave al
ready appeared in The Herald.
Mystic Lodge No. %, I. o. o. F., on
Monday had a pleasant meeting with
A fair average attendance. The busl-
ness transacted was mostly of rou-
tine character. Some interesting re-
marks were made by visiting odd Eel
lows, and the session closed at an early
hour.
Ridgely Lodee No. 9 and Enterprise
No j. held a union installation on
Wednesday night. Many brothers
from other lodges were present ia
sven the tnIOGS. anu liie ONNoio4OAA " 90
made memorable by No. Is members
presenting to retiring Secretary Will
liam NJ. Elliot a handsome and valua-
watch as a slight token of their es-
TEEN and good will. Brother Elliot
has always been a hard worker for
the order and has done good service in
the grand lodge, as we'll as in Enter
prise No. Is. Dr. s Ewing of No.
made one Of his characteristic speeches,
and was followed by Brother Black
mar and others. The officers installed
in No. were Laren CUMMINGS, noble
grand; II. Brisacher vice grand; James
Kelly, secretary; Dr.. S. Ewing, treas
urer.
Utah Lodge No. / on Thursday held
its regular session with many brothers
present Jordan No. on the same
night had its usual quota of odd Eel
lows present
Salt Lake No. 2 conferred the first
degree on one candidate who was in
waiting for advancement.
Fidelity Lodge No. II conferred the
degree of friendship on two candidates.
The work of the degree staff was most
satisfactory in every respect. The al
tendance of brothers was unusually
large, and after the special business
of the evening had been transacted
speec making was INDUCED in to
late hour Deputy Grand Master Car
bis and Grand Secretary Moore went
down to Richfield on Thursday TO iDsti-
tute Richfield Lodge No. % on Friday,
the 22nd.
Last Tuesday evening Ester Rebekah
Lodge No g had their new officers in
stalled by Sister c. j. HigsOn, D. D. G.
NJ. "A large number were present of
their own members and many visiting
sisters and brothers from other lodges.
a very delightful evening was spent
by all. and fine lunch was served by
the sisters to their guests.
It is said that it is the duty of every
Odd Fellow &c be obedient to the laws
under which he lives. and observant
of those enacted by the order for its
maintenance Of good government. The (
word duty means obligatory service, /
and seems to imply tina. it is not the /
choice of its members TO render it, buI /
that they must dc so through fear of !
consequences. The Odd Fellow who /
Obeys for any such reason stands on a |
very low plane in the social and fra /
ternal scale His conception of Law is, /
that il is more or less a task-master, |
rather than an arbirer OF his pTivil |
eyes, So long as he views duty from /
that standpoint he will cling to the |
present and dread the future.
While in our relations with the or /
der there should be no duties, but only !
privileges; in our relations with our
selves and with our brothers there are
many, AMI it often requires an effort
to perform some OF them. 1t is said
that it is a du-y to love our enemies. /
which it is exceedingly hard to dc;
that il is q dutv to bless those who
curse US. but that is no easy matter
that 1t is a duty TO do good to those
who sDitefully use and persecute US;
but we can have no heart in so doing;
that it is a duty to resist temptations
that corrupt the soul, but it is some
thing of task to keep unspOtted from
the evils OF the world. for their spirit
knocks at the door, creeDS in at its
partial opening, ana makes MANY
promises with no intention of keep
ing any of them.
If odd Fellowship is not a satisfac
tory experiment in itself. then it's value
is very seriously diminished. If its
members do not feel that the practice
of its principles brings its own reward
here and now. without reference to what
they may realize therefrom in the fu-
ture, then either they mfsinterpret the
purposes for which it was organized,
or it has failed to educate them TO that
standard of unselishness essential to
the ministrations of charity.
There is. no doubt, an immense
amount of unconscious make-believe in
our acceptance and practice Of the
great principles of the order. We as
little or no use of them practically.
With most CT US fraternity and charity
are ideal We have nos yet learned
their value ard force in daily life. Our
greatest need is to really believe what
We say we believe.
We claim TO be brothers, one to an
other. We should not imagine this to
be a figure of speech. but the statement
IF a literal truth. When universal
brotherhood gives rise to universal love
IF man, and real fraternity first checks,
hen destroys the fraternity within US
the bane Of sOciety-and enables us
% truly symDathize with our brother
when misfortune or sickness robs him
IF the comforts and necessities of life,
hen duties will be altogether abolished
md we shall obey the mandates of the
order simply and only because they are
transferred into privileges, wherein the
erm duty seems to be peculiarly out
# place under circumstances when we /
would do unto others as we would have !
them do unto us for it contains 4
ibel on human nature. Should il be
possible to say that it is a brothers
luty TO be grateful for any benefit or
act conferred upon him. He
an rot help being grateful for he is
% constituted and educated that graft
Ude rises to the surface without an eff
ort and if he were not grateful he
would be something less than a man
II an initiated Odd Fellow.
IN like manner, il is not a brothers
uty TO obey the laws of the order and
owe his brother who is worthy of his z
regard and confidence. but it s