The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-02-04
An Eloquent Address.


lis, secretary of the Minnesota Re-
bekah assembly, gave splendid ad-
dress. She is one of the most &C.
complished lady speakers that has
ever been heard in Mankato, and her
appearance was treat. After speak
ing in general way of the prosperity
which shines out wherever virtue
triumphs, she said that the found a.
tion stone of the altar of the Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows is purity y.
If the heart is pure, no evil words
come forth to mar neighbours repu-
tation or to wound friendship.
Friendship, love and truth are the
three great principles of the order.
Faith, hope and charity are placed
above these in the building of the
altar-faith in God and humanity,
hope in better things, and the charity
that does not stand on the mountain
top and vaunt itself, but reaches
down and brings sunshine into the
valleys.
The commands of Odd Fellowship
are to 60 and bring relief, ebury the
dead and relieve the suffering. Thes e
bring it close to woman's heart. Two
out of three attendants at church are
women, eleven out of twelve inmates
of prison are men, women had no part
in the crucifixion of Christ. So along
down the ages, woman's heart has
ached for woman's woes, and womanly
hands have helped to bear the bur.
dens of life. The sovereign supreme
lodge recognizes the Rebekahs as an
important part of Odd Fellowship.
What has the order brought to
women? The Chautauqua and other
societies help only those who have a
fair education, desire for more, and
time to devote to it. We reach many
whom these cannot reach. We have
many in the ranks of Odd Fellow
ship who are type of the unselfish
whose whole lives have been devoted
to their families. They learn that 1T
is better to put few less ruffles on
the gowns of their own little ones,
and make few gowns for the unfor-
tunate. The order holds only the
purest and the best, Florence Night
engale held higher place than Ma
poIeon. Was Catharine IL q woman
ure and noble? She lived a heart
ess conQuorer and died a tYrao t.
death. Her heart did not throb with
the great heart of humanity. Such
lives as Grace Darling's weave their
own unfadiug laurels, and tend to
elevate and ennoble the character of
the race, but the mothers must ele-
vate the race itself.
The double quartet gave two more
selections.
Past Grand Master A. K Mort on
was called upon and said that 1t
makes man who belongs to the or
der better man, better father and
better citizen. He suggested that a
military branch be established for
the ladies. They might not make as
good soldiers, but they would help
build up that branch of the order.
They now come only little and in
directly in touch with the military
rank.
Past Grand Master Frank L.
Powers, of st. Paul, was called on and
congratulated the lodge and the citi
zens on the new temple, which, he
said, was creditable to the commu-
nifty and the finest temple in the
state. While fire had destroyed the
material temple of years ago, the
spiritual temple still lived. We love
our country's flag, because it is the
symbol of the living principal of pat
riotism, and so with our material Odd
Fellow temples. Mr.. Powers gave a
beautiful description of the living
temple Of Odd Fellowship. sc !,
i A mixed quartet sang selection.
The ladies were Miss Esther Ellis,
Miss Alice Jones, Mrs. Mary Laird
Jones and Miss Jennie Hughes.