The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-04-27
ODD FELLOWS BIRTHDAY
NEARLY 100 NORFOLK LODGE
MEMBERS ATTEND CHURCH.
LISTEN TO REV. DR.. JENNINGS
yesterday Was the Eiehty.seVenth An
nlversary OF the Founding OF the
Order Of odd Fellows, and Nortolk''
Iodoe Observed the Day.

lOdQc OubNlNNN wv ~'S'
An audience that nllod the main
room and oycrnowcd into the lecture
room of the Methodist church were
out Yesterday To greet former pastor
and friend and to observe the Sun
anniversary of odd Fellowship.
The lodge by n unanimous vote had
invited Reverend Jesse w. jennings
ID. d., Of Kansas CITY, n former pas
tor of the local church to he present
and to speak to them on the Occasion
The address was made up laIse'S
of personal "reminiscences ana was
well received by the large audience
DIR. Jennings said that he was lnltlateu
into the order when he was II years
and % days old, or as soon as he was
eligible. His home lodge was Sonth
Dend. Indiana, and he had never re-
moved his membership. lie SAID at
the time of his initiation that he was
searching to see If there was some
thing better than the church, but
found that all the good that odd Eel
lowship had they had taken from the
teachings of the Bible and therefore
they we're indebted to the church.
The order was founded at about the
close of the 18th century and was
called the Ancient and Honorable Or
der of odd Fellows. Later on 1t was
called the Manchester Unity OF Odd
Fellows. Its purpose was to mutually
protect one another in the hour OF ad
yefsity and sickness. The order was
composed of toilers and when sickness
and death came they were not de-
pendent upon the cold charities of the
world but by their weekly dues they
had raised fund upon which they
could draw for relief. The doctor then
told of an experience that he suffered
when for many days he lay SICK anc
the lodge came in with watchers ant
financial aid to his relief, He sale
that no matter how hard the times
had been he had always paid his dues
for he wanted his daughter to have
the advantage of the orphanage funt
In case he died in his poverty. H'
said that he was n member OF the
same lodge as Schuyler ColfaX ant
had often heard him speak on the
floer He said that he heard Colfa'
tell of being invited to speak to com
pany of ministers who had under
consideration n resolution to reques
the withdrawal of any of their mum
ber who were members of secre
organization and that how after Co
fax had spoken to them of the primo
pies and spirit of some of the secre
societies the resolution was withdraw
and never heard of afterwards. III
said that he saw business man
motto: Live and Let Live" 1t di
not appeal to him for that was tn
motto of the priest and the Levite VIII
passed by the man wounded and fal
en- among thieves. He said that tn
motto of the Good Samaritan and {
the Odd Fellows was Live and Hel
Live" The principles taught by tn
organization were that II any man wa
overtaken by disaster the stron
should help him and give him ne
start in life. He spoke of the stricke
city of San Francisco that had bee
overtaken by disaster and how th'
the president of the United States wa
acting the part of the Good Samarita
and was telegraphing money to the
relief and how that the Holy Sabbat
was made still more holy by the n
merous trains that We're speedir
across the continent as fast as stea
could push them to carry food to Il
stricken people by the sea.
He spoke of the growth of the ord
and of the good that 1t was accor
plishing. Four hundred dollars &
hour was spent in benevolence nj
1145 new members were received {
every lodge night. He also mention'
the Daughters of Rebekah with a mel
bership of third of million.
There were nearly 100 Odd Felloy
and Daughters of Rebekah out to i
ten to the sermon.