The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-27
FOUR SCORE AND ONE YEARS.
ODD FELLOWS CELEBRATE THE
ORDERS SYST ANNIVERSARY.

The Sovereign Grand Sire's Procla-
nation Read and Speeches and
Songs Followed 1t an CONNIE ms ora
tion of the Founding of the First
LOdse-Rev. DR.. Schaeffer's Address
on Odd Fellowship as Exemplified
by the Insignia of the Order-The
Three Golden Links.
The eighty-first anniversary of the In
dependent Order of Odd Fellows was cele-
brated last night at Odd Fellows Hall
with exercises appropriate to, the occa-
sion, songs, recitations and addresses.
Long before the hour for the exercises
the hall was we'll filled and the crowd
was momentarily augmented to such a
degree that not only were all of the seats
in the hall and the gallery filled, but a
large number Were compelled to stand.
The programme began with an opening
ode, in which the audience was asked to
join, and then after prayer by Chaplain c.
II. Carson and an overture. by the orches-
ira. Grand Secretary J. S. Tyson read the
anniversary proclamation of the Sover-
eign Grand Lodge as follows:
ITO the Officers and Members of Grand
l
ent Order of Odd Fellows, and 10 All
Whom 1t May Concern In accordance
with our time-honored custom and in ODE
dience TO the resolution of the Sovereign
1 Grand Lodge, l, Alfred S. Pinkerton,
grand sire by virtue of the authority vest
ed in me, do hereby enjoin upon all grand
and subordinate bodies under the juris-
dicton of the order, to take appropriate
action for the due commemoraton of the
26th day of April, 1900, it being the eighty
first anniversary of our order by suitable
exercises in observance of the day and
by public thanksgiving to Almighty God
for His manifold mercies to us as indi-
viduals and an order"
The proclama ton was followed by a
comic song, 1--WE Waited Honey, Waited
| Long for YOU sung by Mr.. Deitz Clark,
which ELECTED generous applause Miss
! Rosa Beckett played piano solo, which
was likewise well received.
The next number was negro dialect
recitation by Miss Sadie Wilenski, which
made an excellent impression. She was
! followed by Mr.. F. Fl. Opper, who sang
the Holy City" and by Miss Josie E.
Dorset, who played piano solo,
''Temolo" by Gottschalk.
! The address of the evening was deliv-
cred by Rev. DR.. w. C. Schaeffer, noble
| grand of Golden Rule Lodge. His theme
was Odd Fellowship as exemplfed
| through the insignia of the order, the
three golden links, Friendship, Love,
/ and Truth"
He appreciated, he said, the high honor
that had been conferred on him In asking
/ him to speak in the interest Of Odd Fellow
/ ship, before so magnificent and represen-
tative a gathering Of the best people Of the
/ city.
"Odd Fellowship is more than beautiful
ritual, and more than beautiful charges
delivered in the lodge room; had it been
nothing more than these it would have
| died long ago, for were these its claims 10
an existence 1t would be but sounding
brass and tinkling silver. No, Odd Fellow
ship is founded upon higher plane; it is
| founded upon the eternal principles of
! virtue and morality.
/ 1t is certainly a splendid showing for the
| order that 100000 is annually expended
| for the relief of the sick and the needy.
| but this is merely the outside, or spectac-
ular, work of the order, and is the result
! of motives more noble, more precious and
more blessed than can be reckoned. in mere
dollars and cents
| The speaker then took up in turn the
| three words of the motto of the order,
"Friendship, Love and Truth" Friend
! ship" he said, sis the antithesis of selfish
ness; 1t destroys all thought of self and
! is the greatest of the virtues inculcated
by Odd Fellowship. inasmuch as it in
| cludes both the others.
Love is SO pure and holy that assured
| " ID could not have been born on this earth,
| soiled with self1shness; for its birthplace
we must look to the everlasting gardens
| of God. And these two virtues are knit
together by Truth the three forming the
cardinal virtues OF Odd Fellowship
The speaker said that he was glad that
! on this occasion he would not have to say
as he did on the last anniversary that he
mourned the absence of his sister odd Eel
/ lows We have tonight with us our newly
! p{1 al Il1th alxah ia
well and 1 rejoice to see 1t, for as Long
| fellow has said:
"As the cord is to the bow. so is woman
to man,
Tho she bend him yet she obeys him. tho
she draw him yet she follows,
Useless each without the other"
DR.. Schaeffer impressed the fact that the
! tenets of Odd Fellowship were not for use
in the lodge room only. but should guide
and govern the daily life OF each member
| of the order.
"The women after all had been said are
the ones who can really tell whether the
men lived up TO their pledges and it would
| be a good plan some time to have an cX-
| perience meeting in which the wives of
| odd Fellows should give their experiences
and see If the men had kept the Pledges
| that they took when they rode the goat
| Messrs. F. II. Upper, William Schiller,
| George w. Beckett and C. d. McCardelI
| sang a duarette and Miss Mabel Cumbea
sang Craps Mr.. McCardell, who sang
next, "Alseep in the Deep" (Petrie), made
undoubtedly the hit of the evening. To a
most enthusiastic encore he gave as re-
| call piece Rocked in the Cradle of the
| Deep"
Miss Cumbea sang. by request, What
| Could the Poor Girl Do"
The audience rose to sing the closing ode
and were dismissed with a benediction by
DR.. schaeffer. The floor was then cleared
and the remainder of the evening spent
| in dancing.