Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-05-08
Manchester
Unity Lodge
First Lodge il the State of
Vermont Instituted Sat-
urdayf Evening.
Officers of the Grand Lodge
of Massachusetts Present
Fifty-four Charter
Members.

On Saturday evening Green Mountain
Lodge. No. "a, Of the Manchester Unity
Odd Fellows was instituted in this city
by the officers of the Grand Lodge
Of the Massachusetts District, nam
ely Prov, e. NJ, Thomas Roe,
llolyoke. Mass Prov. d. g. M, Joseph
Turner Fall River. Mass Prov. c. S j.,
j. W. Gregg, Lowell, Mass; PROV.
Treasurer &. W; Rocket, Maiden
Mass.
The instituting ceremonies took place
in Forresters Hall. The officers elected
were Thomas G. Carson &. NJ; Alex
ander Dobic, N. g.; Joseph Graham.
V. g.. A. ID. Smith, p. S., David r..
Williams. T.. A. Adams, W.; William
Oliver, G. Speeches were made by the
Grand Lodge officers and several others.
The lodge starts with 81 charter mem
berS and the prospects are bright for its
future. After the iastituting ceremonies
were over the assembly proceeded to
Mrs Zottmans and partook of a splendid
banquet which was waiting them there.
Following is the speech of welcome
made by &. NJ, Thomas 9. Carson,
Worthy Provincial Grand Master.
Worthy Provincial Deputy Grand Mas
ter, Worthy PrNincial Secretary,
Worthy Provincial Treasurer, Officers
and Brothers. 1t is@Nith feelings of
great pleasure that bid you welcome
to our Granite City. When We first
spoke Of organizing u lodge, we met
with ,discourageniegs on every hand,
because there are bo. NANNY lodges and
clubs here, bat we persevered, ana 1
assure sou tits very gratifying to me to
present So charter members to you, We
feel that the Manchester Unity is one of
the best assemblages in the civilized
world We know that in 1909 mem
ber of London Lodge removed TO
Manchester and introduced the order
into that city where it was so favorably
received that several lodges were speed.
lily organized, and in 1914 the Lodges in
Manchester and vicinity were CONSOLE
dated under the name of The lndepend-
ent Order OF Odd Fellows of the Manch-
ester Unity. We know lhat the Man.
chester adherents attained greater pros
perity than any Of their rivals. We
know that ii is the most important body
of Odd Fellows in Europe, and that the
Unity has organized lodg IN the United
Kingdom. France, Turkey. Africa,
North and South America, East and
West Indies and Australia. 1t is with
pride and satisfaction that we present
ourselves to YOU to be organized here in
our bustling wide awake Mountain
Surrounded City.
Worthy Charter Members: Our OBJ
iects are to visit the sick, relieve the
distressed, bury the dead and educate
the orphan, to improve and elevate the
character of man: im5ue him with
proper conceptions Of his capabilities for
good, enlighten his mind, enlarge the
sphere of his affections, and lead him to
"a proper cultivation of the true fratcrnal
relation designed by the great Authur
of this being. In 1745 the earliest soci-
eties or lodges OF Odd Fellowship in
London are described as asscmblages,
mainly for social purposes, but by q
gradual process OF evolution the lodge
movement is beginning to eXemp!ify
today sincere cooperative seeking for
the greatest good TO the greatest num-
bers. To my mind the greatest benefit
of Odd Fellowship both to the individual
and to the lodge is the breadth it gives
in every way: breadth of outlook,
breadth of association, breadth of SYM
pathy, breadth of work. Aul with
breadth comes growth, the one thing
needtul alike to character or to Lodge.
| strongly believe that the truest test
of worth is u capacity for growth,
Emerson says: "No truth SO sublime.
but it may be trivial tomorrow in the
light of new thoue hts" There can be
no growth without desire for it. An
other great benefit of Odd Fellowship is
the increased nowledge of one another
it gives. 1t brings men into active,
hopeful work together, and " good
times together Il 'dear togetherness,"
as Doctor Garnett puts it, Odd Fellow
ship benefits the individual because it
gives breadth, because it stimulates
growth, because it develops latent
power, teaches largeness and tolerance,
widens acquaintanceship, and dcvclopes
altrusm. 1t promotes Friendship, Love
and Truth.
s rai