The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-27
ODD FELLOWS 18TH BIRTHDAY.
savannah Lodges Celebrate the
Founding of the order.

1 savannah Lodges Celebrate the
Founding of the order.
The 18th anniversary OF Odd Fellowship
was celebrated by the seven Savannah
| lodges at odd Fellows hall last night.
| The members of the lodges, with a num-
Der of their lady friends, were present.
| Mr.. c. H. Dorset, chairman of the an
niversary committee, presided. On the
| platform sat Past Grand Master A. n.
/ Manucy Rev. w. c. Schaeffer and Hon.
| J. f. b. Beck with, the orator of the occa-
| sion. The programme was opened by tho
| singing of a hymn and prayer by DR..
| Schaeffer, after which the anniversary
| proclamation of the grand sire, Fred Car
! Teton, of Austin, Tex, was read, with that
! of the grand master of Georgia. Mrs.
| N. II. Finnie sang two solos, her singing
! each time securing an encore. Mr.. II.
/ Cuyler Gordon's solos were also greatly
/ enjoyed, the audience attesting its appre-
| citation by demand for their repetition.
! Mrs. Finnie and Mr.. Gordon were accom-
! panied on the piano by Miss Coburn.
The Leper'' was recited by Mr.. L. D.
| Strutton. Among the selections played
| by the orchestra was knights Loyal"
composed by Mr.. George Barr.
The address Of the evening, "Odd Fell
| lowship in America and It's Teachings"
was delivered by Mr.. Beckwith, who was
! briefly introduced by the chairman. Mr..
Beckwith apologized for reading his adj
| dress. The comments of the audience
showed that the oratory had suffered in
no degree from the reading. Mr.. Beck
with said
These anniversaries of our order
| birth and progress are dlstinctively dear
| to all true Odd Fellows throughout Amer
| lea; because civic and country lodges
! gather in their respective lodge houses
| and thank God with grateful hearts for
Fellows nenaGl
| substantive growth; and for the personal
| benefits conferred upon their brethren, in
| divdually and collectively. In the mother
! country the lodges were merely guilds or
| trades-unlons, looking strictly to the phys
| ical necessities of their members but In
America the relgio-moral atmosphere de-
manded something more ennobling than
simply dollar-and-cent protectorate.
This Introduction of a strong moral
| sentiment into our order has done more
to commend 1t to good and intelligent peo-
pie in our broad land than any other feat
ure; while its deep and widely beneficial
coadjutor takes care of the widow and the
orphan, and insures the worthy brethren
against moderate financial disabilities. An
order with such a sensible foundation and
such a humanizing inspiration must and
should demand the blessings of all good
men and women; and 1t does.
'Humanely speaking, all great results
have modest beginnings. Odd Fellowship
is no exception. How small in the mother
country we do not presently know. Those
who are interested in tracing history to
her birth may care to know; but AmerI-
ca Odd Fellows point with pride to the
fact that every city of any size, in our
great union, has at least one living inhab-
liant who is as old as American Odd Fell
lowship. Our magnitude and our pride
are running contemporaries. It's Ameri-
can, you know?
Tn ,a11f LII. ~
In the year 1918, five humble citizens plant
ed the seed that produced seed, until to-
day we can proudly boast Of 10000 mem
bers; and from q treasury of a few pen
MES we have 100000. We look
after and nurse our sick; we bury
our dead; we care for our widows; we
educate and clothe our Orphans and Cod
be praised thousands of grateful hearts
rise UP and bless our order. He who en-
ters Odd Fellowship and is true and
worthy sees a hand of promise span
ming the horizon. And Il has never lied.
From the day that Thomas Wdeg, the
promoter of our American order, took
! from his well-clothed back his coat and
put it lovingly over the shoulders Of
poor unfortunate brother, from that day
the fraternal thrill has increased it's pull
sations until now, yes, this very minute,
thousands aye tens of thousands, of
needy brethren throughout the world are
U
kindness. DO you doubt It? Then read
the report of our sovereign grand lodge.
1.-The trinity of Odd Fellowship is the
three linkS-friendship love and truth.
Great Is the leader of a forlorn hope
to victory; great the pilot who steers his
precious freight safely through the storm
ana tempest; but greater the genius who
| evokes from the rough marble, the mas
| terpiece of art and beauty-the divine inn
| age in humanty-and greater stll the in
| stitution that kindles the humane spark
| in the heart OF unlettered man, till the
| glow of friendship ripens into the flame of
| love and the spirit of truth shines di-
! vinely in the tabernacle OF his soul"
| Mr.. Beckett's exposition of the beauties
| of that trinity of Odd Fellowship was
such as to keep his hearers intent, the
flow of the words in the perfectly modu-
lated tones and the grace of the speaker
| gave them a charm that accorded well
with the fraternal ideas of the members
| of the order.
The celebration was entrusted to the
| following committee: c. II. Dorset,
chairman; Percy Sugden. A. ID. Cummings,
| De Ka,b Lodge No. 8; A. N. Manucy, sec
rotary; e. T. Meree, J. c. White. Haupt
Lodge MOSS; w. p. Spalding, X. e.
| Burks, James Van Berschot, Oglethorpe
| Lodge No. /; w. C. Hawley, I. A. Gum
| derson, George Siday, Live Oak Lodge No.
3; 5. s. Purse, Jr., G.. Nj. Weitman, II. A.
| Grower Golden Rule Lodge No. u; E. S.
Mason, r. r. Lee. w. x. Jones, Concord
Lodge No II; T. p. Wright w. T. Shiv-
ers l. Rowlands Acorn Lodge No. 1OS