The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1910-09-30
THE GENUS OF OUR INSTITUTION.
Hon. ]. w. Grant. Ex-D. G. NJ

QAnlZallOUS MOIluy lnO I'LL
The Grand United Order OF Odd
Fellows originated from the Cults
sociality and mutually. Its mission
Is TO inspire a stronger sense Oh
brotherhood among the RACES OF the
earth: to encourage the growth
of the social instinct, by bring
ing them into a closer union. with
the desire to help others, phil
anthropic spirits united their hearts
and hands and thus formed this Odd
Band; and from their labors this ana
other benevolent institutions nave
peopled the world, sc that
From land to sea,
From sea to land,
The signs of our affairs three
Are known and followed, ON every
hand.
That no lust man liveth for himself
alone is more fully recognized ana
nracticed to-day than ever before IN
the history of the ages. the rellslon
of doing good is becoming more anu
more powerful as the Son OF Llght
rises higher and higher over the VIII
darness of sin and sorrow, and these
are largely the fruits of the labors
of those philanthropic bands who,
while others slept, were tolllng up
ward in the night"
Not a few are there who malign Sc
cret societies because they do their
a~lms-deedsl in secret, according to the
Scriptures, and some have abused
item because they have bad mem
beers: but is there any human organi-
cation which is without its Judases
and Ananiases?
Our Order, and in fact all Negro
benevolent organizations, are SUBJECT
to peculiar situations as regard their
polity. Having been largely ellml-
mated from the political field, nearly
all of the Negro politicians have en-
tered our benev- lent organizations;
and there, for ways that are dark and
tricks which are vain, they have
proved the bane of these institutions.
From their presence therein have
sprung up the cliques, caucussing,
~canvassing for votes, greed of office
and graft.
Our fathers, the founders of the
Order in this country, never in
tended that these vile practices
should prevail within the pale of our
brotherhood. They made it the fun
damental law of the Order that office
seeking and ~voteAasking should be
visited with the most condign penal
tv. Wreck and ruin alone follow in
their wake.
Greed of Office has wrecked en-
pires, kingdoms, states and nations,
and caused bloody, devastating wars.
But in these days of greed and graft,
as every fellow expects at some time
to get there himself, it is difficult to
find the one who. will bell the cat"
It is a rare thing to elevate those
to office who will f~earlessly enforce
the laws and follow the usages and
ceremonies of the Order; those who,
loving justice and righteousness, will
aschew the evils of greed and graft!
1t is customary, in these days of self
seeking, for the grand bodies Of or
CARNATIONS 0 get ogether and spend
and vote away large sums of the
money gathered off the poor laborers
in the cotton fields, rice swamps, corn
fields, mines and bitches. Some OF
these members are so poor that it is
a struggle for them to keep up theil
lodge obligations.
If some of our high officials would
be more c~onsiderate of the rights o.
the membership and more economical
in the administration of affairs thu
burdens of the poor ones would b.
%lightened. But they continue to la,
on, lay on! and take, take to them
selves whatever is in sight!
DARK clouds of revolt are lowerini
oven the scene, the mutterings of dis
content are heard from many points
and if they are not needed u gram
old ship of F. L. T. may be caught i
the maelstrom of rebellion. Upo
this rock of offense many organize
tions have gone to wreck! State aft
err state has been infected by tn
spirit of revolt. In Alabama the Oh
der was only saved by the interveI
ton of the S. c.. M. Georgia ha
contentious, Louisiana has had ia,
JlOndl u|lHeIeuCeS, anu OIhVlS nav
been deeply affected. Other organ
cations have been likewise troubled
Happy is he who, realizing the sign
of the times, throws out the DANCE
signal, that he may save the grand oil
ship from wreck.
Insurance in our Order is needfl
and right, and when properly col
Quoted and %safeguarded becomes
source of strength to the Order, and
help and financial blessing to a need
neonle But when insurance is mad