The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-30


The eighty-frst anniversary of the
founding of Odd Fellowship was ap-
propriately celebrated at the. Penn
Avenue Baptist church last night, when
the pastor, Rev. Robert f. Y. Pierce,
ID. d.. preached a sermon to represen-
tatives from the twenty-nine lodges,
cncampments and cantons of the order
in this county.
The church was magnificently dec.
grated with the national colors and
various emblems of the organization.
All of the Odd Fellows present were
attired in civilians dress except the
Patriarchs Militant, who appeared in
full uniform. Seated upon the platform
with Rev. DR.. Pierce was Mayor James
Moir, who is the treasurer Of Scran-
ton encampment, of this city.
The following subordinate lodges
were represented at the service: No.
5S, Cambria, Carbondale; No. 157. Olive
Leaf, Carbondale; No. 500, Archibald,
Archibald: No. 94j. Golden Chain, Price
burg: No. 490, Electric Star. Clark s
Green; No. SIG, Dunmore, Dunmore;
No. 10, James Connell, Scranton; No.
29l, Lackawanna, Scranton; No. 492.
Lincoln, Scranton; No. 513, Residenz,
Scranton; No. $40, Alliance, Scranton;
No 603, Green Ridge, Scranton; No.
163, Silurian. Scranton; No. S33, Celes-
tial Scranton; No. $50. Robert Burns,
Scranton; No. 95S, Globe, Scranton; No.
976, Slocum, Scranton.
The following encampments were
represented: No. 16, Lackawanna. Car
n In 20 pf,Nr, .
No. 1874, Armin. Scranton; No. 22l, w.
S. Rogers, Clark's Green. Canton
Scranton and Canton Carbondale OF
the Patriarchs Militant We're also rep
resented. A feature of the evening was
the congregational singing of the ode
to odd Fellowship.
Rev. DIR. Pierce, who is past grand
of the organization, took as his text
Psalms 133. / Behold how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity!" and among other
things said:
SOCIETY'S ORGANIZED FORCES.
"Companionship is the foundation OF
society, which may be said to have
two 81 eat factors, the organized and
the urorganized elements, and all the
great achievements in the worlds his
tory have been wrought by the organ
lied element. The organized forces OF
a nation are naturally divided into two
parts, the religious and the secular
On the one hand there is the Christian
church and its related agencies and
on the other there are the mutual or.
ganizations whose aim is the mutua
encouragement and mutual protection
of their members.
From the very earliest times there
have been secret organizations form.
cd for personal safety and the protec.
tion of the nation, and if We read his.
tory carefully We will see that when.
ever nation emerged triumphantly
from deep peril there was ever in the
forefront of its progress some secret
society.
There has been from the very
earliest times much misguided opin
ion about secret societies, and ever
the church herself has misunderstood
their intent and purpose Most of the
bitter things, however, that have beer
said about mutual organizations have
been said by persons who have beer
| ignorant of their real purposes or whC
have purposely spoken derogativel,
about their interests because the,
could not get within their borders.
Among the greatest of all human
| benevolent organizations | have al
most placed the Independent Order u
| Odd Fellows first. The motto of you
| organization is not one of a debasinl
| character; it is one of the most sub
| lime that has been ever penned; /
! honors God, it elevates man, it re
| lieves the suffering, ana 1t wipes sor
| rows tears away. Is an organization
with a mctto like this wrong in it
| inception or unWise in its existence
! This motto. Friendship, Love ant
| Truth. Is a golden chain that link
| human hearts with a tie so stroni
| that they may we'll be called brethren
There are those opposed to the or
! ganization who say that its member
| are dangerous men, that they are con
| sprators and traitors, and that tn
secret initials and signs are child!sl
mummeries. All, friends. there wa
| once a time when the name of Chris
| and Christian were scorned and un
| loquy that was heaped upon them
| there are no names today so universal
| ly respected and honored.
MISDIRECTED EFFORTS,
How misguided and misdirected ar,
| the efforts to annihilate ;lis great fra
| ternity and how those WHO are tryinl
| 70 do it are being ground to atoms
| while the organization continues it!
| course triumphantly. What a trul!
| great power this fraternity is. 1t nov
| has a membership i'm this country o
! 1,020,16S and since it's foundation il
| 1880 there has been paid out over $75,
90 900 in benefits. Last year SO, 500, ,00
was paid out to the sick and distrcs sed
In our own state of Pennsylvania viii
a membership of 100000 there was ois
| tributed in 1899 some $65S,000, AMI il
this city in that one year, where III,
membership is l,5l5, there was Sll,31. 6
| given out.
80 long as the human heart sympa
thizes with suffering humanity jus
so long will this kind of Odd Fellow
| ship have a mission in the wo"il
There IS one thing l would especially
| impress upon you and that is that 50.
must not thing that being an Odd Fol
low is enough religion for you. ode
| Fellowship takes us no farther thar
the grave, bat Christianity takes M
beyond it into a newer aud more glOr
| ious life.
zone of the main objections agains
| the orga nizaton is that there shoult
be no secrecy about it. Sec:ecy g. no
necessarily bar to goo What
| world this would be II there was Z
| statute compelling the revelation O
| all our secret plans, The so-calle,
| snnrncN, nf the nrdn.. L. NnrN ui,n a IL