The San Francisco call., 1904-09-18

Il
clasped Adams hand and set
her face manfuny with his
= toward exile. has woman been
the inseparable companion and com
rade TO man; strong and self
reliant IL herself. but achieving the
greatest and noblest that is in her only
when her work is supplemental TO
mans. Nan is the aggressor; but in
order for the greatest good to result TO
mankind through the relationship Of
men and women. his dominant. re-
sourcefuI enersy must receive the en-
courag cement Of her gentle sympathy
and heroic self-sacrifce.
II is these last named virtues are the
fundamental principles Of odd Fellow
ship and ii is strange that woman's
work as a necessary adjunct was not
recognized many years earlier than it
was. But all good things come slowly,
and then, as a consequence. are more
lasting. During the last fifty years
several SO called innovations have been
made. AID / am sure that the ladies
are not entirely alone in thinking that
the creation of the Rebekah and mill
tary branches have been the most val
liable addition in the way Of extending
the good work Of odd Fellowship.
II is 20 Schuyler Colfax that the Re
bekahs owe their being. for he really
was the founder and author Of the
beautiful degree by which w-omn were
brought into fellowship by the Order
OF odd Fellows. AS rly as 1851,
New York representative named Smith
presented the following resolution at
a session Of the Grand Lodge Of the
United States:
Resolved, That a special committee
OF three members be appointed 10 pre-
pare an appropriate honorary degree
with accompanying sign or signs and
passw ords, 10 be conferred upon the
wives q Scarlet Degree members who
are IN good standing in the order, and
that said committee report such degree
for consideration at the next commu-
nication OF the Grand Lodge"
This report was adopted in September.
1880, and three epresentatives-Col
fax Of Indiana, Martin Of Mississippi
and Steele Of Tennessee-were chosen
as a special committee, and so well did
they perform their duty that at the
session OF the Grand Lodge held In the
city OF Baltimore in September 1851,
they presented a complete ritual for the
new degree, which was promptly called
the oegre OF Rebekah. This report, by
the way, was adopted by the Grand
Lodge in secret session September 20,
1851
Those who understand anything Of
lodge services can easily comprehend
the immensity Of the task Of these three
men, and while Mr. Colfax's co-work-
ers doubtless did all they could TO as
Eist him in preparing this work, they
declare that both the language and the
construction OF the ritual belong TO
Colfax exclusively. and long since the
world has admitted that he certainly
had very fun recognition Of woman's
adapta bility in this line OF work, for
since 1851 they have been regarded as
an instrument that has achieved great
good
And let me tell you that Mr.. Colfax
did not have a path strewn with roses,
nor did he meet with assistance on all
sides. Instead, he fought every inch
OF ground. Men. as a rule, do not care
especially for changes or Innovations.
nor DO they particularly fancy sharing
their pet secrets with woman, so the
obstacles that confronted Rebekahisna
seemed, for time, almost insurmount-
able. But where there is a win there
is a way, and so it chanced that the
Rebekah degree OF odd Fellowship was
authorized on the 10Th day Of Septen-
Der, 1851
At that time this degree was merely
a complimentary one and an extremely
doubtful experiment at that, but to-
day IL stands as an absolute certainty
and great success. Yet to reach this
plane has taken years Of patient labor
and OF thoughtful sympathy. but II was
al well worth the while. for there is
scarcely quarter OF the globe that
has not felt the charity and kindness