The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1901-01-19

head, Ia the focus of the human race
tne pioneers and conductors and ruler
OF every emigration from that region
tne Inventors OF writing. OF building
0 Mettallurgy, the teachers of tb,
prlmeval religions, Priests Of God. and
rulers OF men, and that Melchisidek
was ever such an one. Whether W.
can lay any just claim TO lineal desceu,
rom the Cabiri must be a questiou ! n
With Intelligence OF each individual
Odd Fellow.
An historical fact OF more than pass-
ing interest Is That during the early
centuries two systems of society existed
side by side; one was the Masoaic under
the patronage Of the Grown whose
members were builders OF the Catbe-
drals OF Europe and Great Britain. and
they were the only lawful workmen.
This Is true as far as it goes, but history
tells US hat there was another class
OF ~laborers, who eventually broke down
the monopoly, and thus paved The a
for the purely speculative society OF
modern days. The question naturally
arises, what became of the otberYn
The student Of history must answer.
All records are lost and the historian
can do little but speculate.
We see history repeating itself in
union ana non-union labor organizations
to-day.
Passing from Egypt, the land Of &C.
cult science, the seal of learning. the
home Isis and Osiris pause with US at
the British isles. In the middle ages
our historian tells US that there were
no mysteries OF Cabiri here. Isis and
Osiris are absent. Because the record
Is lost here, is no proof that these peo-
pie were not acquainted with the occult
OF the east. Easily accessible by water
to nearby shores from which the learn
Ing OF the Nile could reach, 1t would
be strange indeed to suppose them
Ignorant OF eastern my steries.
1t Is just at this period in the history
Of our order that we are absolutely sure
that Odd Fellowship, or its great
underlying principles, are to be found.
In the Guilds Of great Britain of the
middle ages were to be found not alone
the germ benefit principles Of our Order
OF to-day, but there was also a similar
ity In the names Of the officers OF these
Guilds and our officers who preside in
the Lodge to-day.
Directly from these Guilds came the
Manchester Unity, and from the Man.
chester Unity the Odd Fellows society.
Now, 1t only remains for US to know
something OF the origin of these Guilds
10 order to throw more light on the
ancient origin Of our Order. The FIRST
Guilds Of these people, OF which we
have any authentic record date from
1875. The Guild of the "Holy Cross''
OF Stratford upon the Avon, claimed la
1889 to have existed from time anterior
to the memory OF man, and that of the
Kalenderc of Bristol, 1918. to date from
before the conquest.
Now, Isubmit the proposition to this
intelligent audience and to this
Brotherhood, that II these Guilds are
as ancient as their records claim, and
we have no reason to doubt their au-
tiquity and that we are directly descen-
ded from them, Is 1t not reasonable to
suppose that the members OF these
Guilds must. in the very natu re OF the
case. have been acquainted with the
mysteries of the East?
One OF the most significant facts
connected with the curly history Of
the Order, and one Of the strongest
arguments, in this connection is to be
found in a book called the ''Siphri,"
taken from the Talmud of the Sanhe-
drin. 1t was compiled at Jerusalem by
Hillel the Second, soon after the de.
struction OF the Holy City. The SUBJ
stance OF the extract from the book Is
that jacob had twelve sons, and when
he saw strife and d~issension among
them, he went and got twelve sticks,
and having bound them together he
gave the bundle to each of his sons in.
turn and requested that the bundle be
broken, Failure was the result. Jacob
then united the bundle, and gave each
son a stick, which they we're able to
break with ease. He then taught them
the lesson-''in unity there is
strength" | am aware that this lesson
is given in ancient history, but Jacob
is not on record as the teacher. |
claim, therefore, that this l. the
original and true source, and the
records sustain me. The full signifies
ance Of this story becomes apparent,
when | tell you that a bundle of sticks
Is one OF the emblems OF our Order,
and in every lodge room such a bundle
Is to he found.
Before taking up the history OF the
Order in this country, 1 desire to take
advantage of this occasion 10 repudiate
as visionary and as vagaries the legend
that our Order was established by the
Roman soldiers Ia the camp during the
reign of Nero in the year 49," and
the legend that the present name was
given by Titus Caesar 10 the year "79''
to those Of his followers from the
sipgularity OF their notions and from
knowing each other by night and by
day, and from their fidelity to him and
his country. II is said that he not only
gave to them the name OF Odd Fellows
but a. the same time presented them
with a Dispensation engraved on a plate
OF gold, bearing different emblems,
such as the sun, moon, stars, the lamb
and the lion, the dove aud other en-
blems of mortality.
The evidence to sustain these views
Is too fanciful, and we do not believe
that a single pure principle of our
Order could have originated In that
licentious and debauched age of Roman
Soldiery. The first lodge after drop
ping tho name of the Manchester Unity
and taking our present one was oryani.
zed atGlobe Tavern, Eogland. March.
18th, 1748. Prior to this time we oper,
ated under the Guilds and Manchester
Unity as have stated before.