The Columbus weekly dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1902-1905, 1903-05-07
ODD FELLOWSHIP's ANNIVERSARY.

had some part in producing this
great civilization which we en-
JOY. But when I began to medi-
tate upon the second question
what shall [ say task began
to grow; the darkness thickened
/ the few thoughts | had were like
summer dreams, before [ could
form them into speech they were
gone. Hence [ shall content my
self with discussing the princi-
plies of the order. In Baltimore,
April 26, 1919, eighty -four years
ago, Thomas Wildey and four
companions organized Washing
ton Lodge of Odd Fellows which
was Lodge No. l. A few feeble
efforts had been made before that
time to organize, but they were
unsuccessful. That lodge was
modelled after English Odd Eel
lowship which had been in exis-
tence seven years. The main
purpose of English Odd Fellow
ship was declared to be ''ToIren-
der assistance to every brother
in sickness and distress, to be
we'll attached to the Queen and
the government, and to be faith
tul to the order. p"
Ame rican Odd Fellowship
stands for the pu~est principles
Of friendship, loye and truth, and
it's mem bers are taught to be pa
triotic citizens, good neighbors
and true men. Ia the first place,
ODD FELLOWSHIP PROMOTES so
CIAL ORDER.
It recognizes the social nature
of man, hence friendship is the
patron saint of the order. 1t
believes in the cultivation Of the
social virtues, hence it unites
men together in a com mon OBJ
ject to attain a common end.
Knowing that number of men
pursuing an object together can
accomplish more than the same
mum Der moving on independent
lines, it seeks to form a brother
hood and thus gain the large ad-
vantage which comes from a
union of effort as against the in
evitable failure which follows in
dependent effort.
Bacon says it is heaven on
earth to haye a mans mind move
in charity, rest in providence and
turn upon the poles of truth.
Friendship becomes a bond of
union that binds man to man, and
a basis for all true brotherhood
because it knows no color, sect
on party.
The cultivation of friendship
may well employ the noblest
powers of man, for all civilized
men recognize that life without
friendship can have no true en-
joyment. Friendship promotes
those beatitqdes of the human
life which bring cOmplacency of
spirit and satisfaction of desire,
and which fill the life with the
benedictiOns of heaven. Friend
ship insinuates itself with ire
sistible charm into the hearts of
the great and small, the high and
low, the poor fellow who lives in
his lonely cabin on the wide
prairie or by the mountain side
can feel its warmth as well as the
man who resides in stately
mansion in the city great. We're
man as morose in nature and
acrimonious in spirit as Timon
of Athens. he could be an odious
misanthropist, and yet friend
ship pours its benign influences
upon him like the sunlight fallir G
upon frozen lands until the nat
ure would blossom into beauty
and fruit into usefulness. IF man
could be transported to some dis
tant solitude where every deli
cacy which his heart could desire
would be at his command, and
yet he be excluded from all hu-
man society, no falling footstep
to cheer him, no glad voice to
welcome him. no loving hand to
greet him. he would relinguish
such an offer and remain within
the reach of friendships golden
touch. Human nature is incapa-
bic Of lonely satisfaction. 1t