The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-01-04

practioed by the early church Tor they
sold their possessions and helped their
needy brethren as each one had need of
assistance Peter stated this same great
truth when he said: "Of truth | per-
ceive that God is no respector of per-
sons" Paul proclaimed the same fact
when he said in his address at Athens,
"God hath made all nations Of one
blood;" aud again he says; ''We that
are strong ought to bear the inhrmities
Of the weak aud not to please ourselves.
We are members Of one another.
Says the Apostle James: "True re-
ligion aud undeflei before God and
the Father is this; to visit the father
less and The widows in their aAliction,
aud to keep yourself unspottod from
the world. =" Thus this mighty priuci-
pie Of unsellishness, service, love and
brotherhood and helptulness God has
been teaching the race through all the
centuries, aud it fnds-its highest and
fullest and final expression in the
Christian religion.
Every movement in the history of the
world for the amelioration of the race
and to bring about the brotherhood Of
man and to help the unfortunate has
been but an expression of this divine
principle, the answer to the question
asked in our text, Am my brothers
keeper?
Among the many organizations rails
ed up in tho evolution Of mankind and
by the Divine spirit for mutual help
fullness and service to mankind is the
order of Odd Fellowship. That order
which has spread its benevolent inhu-
euce through all lands and climes, and
| am happy today to respond to this in
vitation given me by the Swannanoa
Lodge of the Independent Order OF
Odd fellowship to preach a sermon un-
der their auspices setting forth some
thing of the history meaning and pur-
poses and blessings of the great and
worldwide organization of which you
are an integral part. l consider it an
honor and pleasure to comply with
this invitation today. SO let us con-
slider the following points:
l. The Origin of the order.
II. The history of the order.
III. The principles and purposes oi
the order
~. The growth and work of the or
der
V. The future of the order.
I. THE ORIGIN OF THE ORDER.
This great and benefcent organiza.
tion, like some giant oak lifting its tall
, head in the glory Of the forest las its
roots deeply planted in that great prin-
ciple and doctrine, the Fatherhood OF
God and Brotherhood of Man. Some
one has said that when God comes to {
man he looks around for his brother
God came to Thomas Wildey on the
Goth day of April, 1919, in Baltimore
and he looknd around for his brethren
and on that day the first lodge was or
ganized in this country. Tt was found
ed upon that great and enduring trutl
which God implanted in the human
soul, that spark of divinity: Help you,
fellowmen. Love one another.
Jesus said that Christianity was t.
grow like mustered tree, which in th,
. East has its beginning in one of th,
! smallest seeds, and yet becomes q grea
tree, or like the leaven which woman
hid in three measures of meal until tn
, whole was loavened, or like the ston
: in the prophecy of Daniel, cut out with
out hands, which fills the earth will
its power and benafcouco. Odd Fellow
! ship was born Of this and is an integra
part of that mustard seed and leavel
! and stone and SO is filing the cart
: today rs n part Of those great princi
pies, the fatherhood of God, and tn
-. brotherhood of men, This order exist
in response to the cravings of the sou
for domain of brotherhood and fra
| ternity wherein sweet and congenia
companionships and mutual Offices Q
kindness and regard would soften tn
asperitiea OF life and remove the evil
Of prejudice and bigotry and intoleI
. ance.
4 Tolstoi, the great Russian novelist
o says that one day passing along tn
street he was approached by begga
d who appealed to him for aims. II
looked for coin but discovered tina
: he had nothing with him, and turnin
q TO the beggar he said: 81 am sorry
q brother, but I have nothing wit
! me-" Then the beggar's face glove
n with pleasure as he said, "But yo
o have given me more than I asked fol
d and what is better you called m
n brother. This cry for brotherhood
d for help, for friendship and love an
o sympathy and mutual uplift was Dor
! in the heart of the Father in heave
,r and was implanted in the human SOL
r. because man is a spark of the Divin
n nature; in this soil was born the gres
n tree of Odd Fellowship. Says Charlie
II Kingsley, "Some say the age of chiya
IS ry is past, the age of chivalry is neve
]" passed as long as there is wrong le
: unredressed on earth in man or W.
man, left to say 1 will redress thi