Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1906-05-10
ODD Fellowship.
ITS PURPOSES: ITS PROG
RESS: ITS ULTIMATE
ACHIEVEMEN

Splendid Address of Past Crane
Sire A. s. Pinkerton of Massa.
chusetts Before the Stat.
Grand Lodge of North Caro-
lima at the Dedication of thu
Home of the Order for Theil
Aged and Infirm Last Wednes
day in This City.
Through the very efficient stenO
graphic work Of Misses Mary Emma
Giddens and Eleanor Munroe, of thi.
city, the ARGUS is able to give to i'll
readers to-day the splendid address
of Past Grand Sire A. s. PlnkertoD
of Massachusetts, delivered before
the State Grand Lodge of Old Eel.
lows at the dedication of their home
for the Aged and Infirm of their Or
der on the grounds Of their hand.
some orphanage here last Wednesday
afternoon.
Mr.. Pinkerton spoke as follows:
Friends and Brothers: 1 want in
the first place to acknowledge my in
debtedness to the Jurisdiction of
North Carolina for the privilege of
once more standing in the midst of the
Brotherhood here, taking part in their
exercises. I want also to put myself
in accord with this gathering. In
Hamlet's introduction, you know, he
wanted to know what it was that
clambered so at his coming. / am
not come here for the purpose of de-
livering any Grafton, but to have a
plain, straightforward talk with Odd
Fellows and brothers who are engaged
in the same work of a common coun-
try. And as l have listened to the
ceremony and realized that the great
body of this gathering has not been
furnished with cushion bottomed
seats, 1 remember the circumstances
that met me in my own city a short
time ago, at which the Bishop was
delivering an address. They waited
for him two or three hours while ev-
erything got cold, and when he came
he preached two hours from the text,
Feed my lambs" He then called upon
different members of the Conference
to express their opinions of the text.
After another hour had been passed
discussing that subject, he called upon
a country deacon from way-back in the
woods. He said nothing about spirit
lambs wanted their food prompt, hot
and a little at the time. l propose
to adopt that plan here to-day.
Fifteen years ago gentleman in
your city, not a member of our Order,
gave to the members of the Order of
Odd Fellows in our Jurisdiction ten
acres of land for the site of the Odd
Fellows Home. In the deed convey
ing that property to our Grand Lodge
are these words, MAY God in his in
finite mercy smile upon the institution
thus founded by fraternal love and
grant that the widespread influence
may stimulate and tend to promote
and advance civilization" In that
phrase lies the expression of this Or
der, what it means in the building OF
institutions such as we have met here
to dedicate.
When fifteen years ago our Home
was dedicated, there came to the city
in which I live to lay the cornerstone
of that building, now the home of more
than seventy-five or eighty aged and
helpless men and women, a son OF
Carolina, whose eloquence and grace
full manner tended to strengthen and
benefit OF the Order, and to illuminate
the pages of fraternal history. And so l
deem it no small honor to have the
privilege of standing in this presence
and taking my part in these exercises,
even if my clumsy tongue cannot
clothe my thoughts with the silvered
speech that flowed from your Past
Grand Sire on that occasion.
I take it that Carolina has a most
wonderful and interesting history.
Her sons have borne their part in
military and civic life, and rich have
been the fruits reaped from the tillage
of the soil. But take it also that the
great fraternal orders like this have
contributed to the uDbuilding of stal.
Wart America.
When it was my fortune to visit
your Grand Lodge seven or eight
years ago, you were then discussing
your Children's Home, and I remember
with what commendable spirit and
what hearty response every PROPOSE
ton was met. I was glad to-day and
last evening to look into the happy
faces of the inmates of that home and
realize that childhood has a protecting
arm thrown around it, so that in man
hood and womanhood they may do the
same for the children of the Ordel
which nurtures them now.
( And SO, in the spring-time of the
year, amid the budding of the foliage
We come here to dedicate to fraterni
" and manhood this new Temple o.
Brotherhood, whose roof shall be {
shelter for the destitute and whose
doors shall always be open, and the
dag a symbol of the Sermon on thu
Mount,
( When more than eighty years age
James ,Wildey first spoke the word 0
7 Odd Fellowship, five men answered
his call. AS we stand here tonight
more than a million acknowledge witt
reverence and honor the white fa
of our faith, and from the lodge room
of our. Order go forth many carryin
into the world what they have learne
from fraternities such as this.
Odd Fellowship stands for huma
progress, born of the great desire c
nd n