The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-06-11

the form OF tariff he urged was to main
| tain that higher and more manly life.
And that conception of the equality of
labor. be it of brain or Drawn, became a
vital part of his deepest life,
Then, too, out from all those years of
| conflict, came new sense of the
term fraternity. That led him l will
not say into lodge membership, but into
lodge life. He had entered lodge mem
| bership before he came west. as Michi-
gan was then called, but he entered
| lodge life later If it were not for some
things already said, | might now say.
LET us turn for a few moments and
look at his religious life" But this
have been speaking of was part of his
religious life. Still thinking of that we
in general mean when speaking of "a
mans religion, / want to look at it..
Mr.. Dewey was not a church member
| He was believer in that redemption
unto life by God. our Father in Jesus
Christ our Lord, for which the church
| stands.
He was reared in New England, in a
| time when disbelief in the systematized
| faith of the churches, as uttered in
creeds, was esteemed as irreligion. He
came out from New England, then the
great center of Congregationalism, to q
| region where religious thinking was
dominated by the Presbyterian confess
| sion of faith, which was as an enlarged
and intensified New England creed.
| He was reared in New England, where
Congregationalism asked honest, sincere
subscription to creed, because it gave
every church member, of voting age,
| the right to voice and vote in modify
ing or changing its creed. On no point,
essential TO mans salvation, but on
other matters mentioned in these creeds
he did not agree with the creeds.
But his reverence for that for which
churches stood, led him to maintain
silence, except as he was spoken to by
others in quiet manner on these mat
ters.
He had very strong love for the
lturgical in religious service, but far
stronger love for the equality of the
brotherhood in the churches. He
learned very early in life to grasp the
essential distinction between our Con-
gregational churches and others as
resting not in tenets, not in liturgy, not
in forms, but as resting in one word,
Lib6rty
| recite here what | have talked with
him repeatedly in one form or other
Mr. Dewey saw more clearly than
many member of this church saw,
that under the doctrine of the Lordship
of Jesus Christ, the only thing this
church could do to lose its position as
Congregational church, would be to
deny liberty of voice and vote on all
matters to all members of reasonable
age, and that any other church in this
community would lose denominational
position the moment it granted that
liberty. Then, not agreeing in some
matters with its theological declara-
tons, he could abide outside its mem
bership and not seem to quarrel with it,
when, if in its membership, he might
seem a disturber of its peace with his
temperament and his belief Through
three years of a pasotrate of five years,
knew, appreciated, and respected his
position. l., as profoundly, respect it
now. When the National Council of
Congregational churches four years ago
placed itself on record in the concensus
of opinion offered that our creeds were
to be considered not as tests of charac-
ter, but as testimonies of our faith, then
were the conditions so changed with
him that he would have easily respond
ed to any cordial invitation to have de-
clared his position by uniting with the
church, which thing he would have
done had health permitted, because he
had lived to see these Objectionable
things pass away.
But this which have thus far said is
really rough sketch of conditions
which largely furnish reasons for an
other fact. Mr.. Dewey was an Odd
Fellow. He was not only member of
the lodge, he was an Odd Fellow in the
spirit of his life. do not believe any
man who has gone from the outer
courts to the tent of the Patriarchs,
would be less liable to confuse the
province of the lodge with that of the
church, than Bro. Geo. M Dewey.
Still, in point of fact, Mr.. Dewey did
find in the lodge much that met his
religious life. In the first place, its
liturgical service, its emblematic teach
ings met phase of his nature that was |
real and conscious.
Again, It's cardinal principles did fit |
into what his nature and life had led !
him to exalt, while its practical helpful |
ness in the aid rendered the sick and |
bereaved, appealed to love for family |
and aflliction that was as deep as his |
life. Again, it furnished for him
place where he could be active in alb |
these lines. He believed in that he pro.
and sought to foster all the
good for which the Order stands
But he avoided the excess into which |
some slip, of contrasting church and |
lodge to the apparent detriment of the
church. His mind was too clear to con-
fuse the church, that asks no test of |
health, no payment of dues, that gath
ers alike rich and poor into its fellow
ship, often far beyond what it can help,
with the lodge that selects along lines |
Of health and witholds aid on failure to
meet dues.
He clearly recognized the fraternal
the cooperative beneficiary nature of |
the purpose and work of the lodge, but
kept it in his mind just where it should
be, not confusing it with the voluntary
moral and spiritual institution which the
church is He studied with great care
Its principles, its methods, its laws, it's
history and found that in Odd Fellow
ship, which most attrcted his attention,
won his sympathy and commanded his
time. With such o preparation in ma
lure and experience as l have referred