The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-04-25
ANNIVERSARY OF ODD FELLOWSHIP.
Rev. DR.. Worcester breaches Patriotic
Sermon to Members of the Order.

Sermon to Members of the Order.
On April 20, 1919, Thomas Wildey and
four others who had been members OF ODD
Fellows lodges in England organized
lodge in Baltimore, Maryland, calling 1T
Washington lodge, No. /.
To commemorate this event services
were held yesterday afternoon at three
O'Clock in the City hall and despite tne
unfavorable weather conditions good
sized audience was present. the body OF
the hall being occupied by the members
of he.order, while on the platform were
the noble grands of the seven lodges OF
Portland and the noble grands of the
Elizabeth City lodge of Woodfords, and
tho grand officers, D. Page Perkins,
grand guardian, chairman of the meet
ing, also Albro e. Chase, DIG. NJ, Albert
S. +. Pike, G. NJ, B. @. Stone, g. S.,
Rev. Lewis Malvern. P. G. NJ, Reverends
Joseph B. Shepherd and Samuel Worces-
ter, p. G.
The programme published in the
PRESS of Saturday was carried out and
the Introductory remarks were made by
D. Page Perkins, grand guardian, who
spoke of the proclamation Of the grand
sire and grand MASTER Albert L. i. Pike
of Norway, and gave some statistics
touching the membership of the order. In
Portland there are $500 members; in
Maine 81 ZOO, and in the United States
over $40, 600.
The relief granted last year by the order
was over $780, 900. The speaker thought
that the principles of the order were
bers wers 20 be known by acts rather than
by words.
Invocation by the Rev. Joseph B. Shep-
herd followed the Introductory remarks,
and the music on the occasion is worthy
of special mention. -Four hundred voices
under the leadership CT 0. Stewart lay
lor. were booked to appear, and although
only two hundred were on the platform
the effect waa in every way satisfactory.
The orchestral accompaniment by Miss
Mary Jordan on the piano, and the sus-
tanned harmony on the organ, and the
work Of the soloists Misses Hall and
Rogers, Alezsrs. Coffin and Mackie, de-
serve special mention.
Rev. LOWS Malvern, P. G. M, offered
fervent prayer and the anniversary ad-
dress was delivered by Rev. Samuel Wcr-
cester, P. g., who referred to the fact
that it was gathering in compliance
with the request of the supreme authority
of the order to testify to Almighty God
gratitude for the many blessings bestowed
upon them as individuals and as an order.
He referred to the humble beginnings
of Odd Fellowship as evidenced by that
little group Of men gathered in the
"Seven Stars tavern in Baltimore
seventy nine years ago, and oontrasted it
with the present strength and number of
the order.
ssNeearly million Of brothers." said
the speaker, "now march under our ban
ner ready to respond to the cry of the dis
tressed or to battle brevely in the cause
of suffering humanity
Ee estimated that three and quarter
millions of dollars are annually spent by
the order in relieving distress and this
was supplemented by many deeds of kind
ness and sympathy.
The speaker paid a glowing tribute to
the Order and said that on its banner is
emblazoned the grand commission "ws
command you to visit the sick, relieve the
distressed, bury the dead and educate the
orphan"
The story Of the good Samaritan was
central thought of Rev. Mr.. Worcester's
address and among several other matters
touched upon was the Cuban question,
concerning which he said: "One of the
greatest triumphs of Brotherhood and of
Christianity will como when Armchair
and Cuban outrages are no longer pos
slble, when strong nations will not longer
sit idly by and say that the deliberate
| murder, starvation and even worse
crimes committed against hundreds Of
thousands Of defenseless men, women and
children is none Of their business and
permit such horrors to go unchecked and
unpunished. (Applause.)
Continuing, the speaker said: "By the
civil war our beloved country freed her.
self from the foul blot of human slavery,
and we should be thankful that she at
last recognizes the Christian duty i'm
posed upon her as result of the'prosperi-
ty with which God has blessed her. As
members Of the great family Of nations
we are brother and neighbor to Spain and
Cuba alike, and we owe to each sacred
duty. In performing that duty we should
have malice toward none and charity to-
ward all; We are to bring to the work the
oil. OF Observation-Disclosures and the wine of
wise and intelligent methods. In the
sight of God our duty to Cuba is plain
and beyond mistake, it is to free her from
the iatolerable oppression under which
she lies crushed to the earth, it is to bind
up her wounds and setting her on our
own breast, protect and care for her to
the best of our ability until she is able to
care for herself. Our duty to Spain lis
equally clear. She must be forced to re-
strain her evil lusts, her cruel doeds and
keep her passions within due bounds. ;"
(Applause.) -
The speakers concluding thought was
FIJI at fbn IL Union throyv~b