The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-06-15
ODD FELLOWS HEAR
PRAISE OF ORDER
Continued from first page.

than is the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and the ladies' auxiliary branch,
the Rebekahs, then do not know where
they are, if we except the Christian
church.
"The memorial service, first inaugural
ed by the Grand Army of the Republic,
has taken deep and lasting hold ON the
hearts of all our people, and there are
few fraternal orders in the world to-
day who do not hold these annual me-
mortal services. They have deep sig
nifcance for us all, regardless OF race,
sect, or color. for nearly all, at one time
or another, have been called into the
valley of the shadow of DEATH and laid
loved ones form in its earthly resting
place.
Il win speak briefly of how it seems
to me the fraternal orders are but the
expression of what is in the heart of
humanity to-day. These fraternal bodies
are not rivals of the church and i can
not regard them as such. There is moth
ing in the organization of Odd Fellow
ship antagonistic to the church and re-
ligion. Odd Fellowship derives all its
teachings from the Bible, and chiefly
from the teachings of Christ. The
church, and these fraternal bodies, as
well, are seeking to lay hold of and to
express what Christ lived and taught.
There is nothing which dominates mod
ern life so much as the realization OF
helpfulness. This is what humanity
wants to-day. The social, fraternal and
religious movements of to-day are the
unconscious testimony that Christ is in
the world, in humanity, in modern So
ciety life.
"0dd Fellowship is bound together by
three links OF friendship, love and truth,
that are central and vital in Christian
ity. 1t is one OF the most powerful
forces in this country to-day for the
overcoming of the spirit of selfishness.
1t is founded upon that eternal prin
ciple which, recognizing man as con-
stituent OF one universal brotherhood,
teaches him that as he came from the
hands of common parent, he is bound
to cherish and protect his fellow man.
There is in every man something greater
than he has ever dreamed of. Men are
nobler than they know. 1t is my hon
est conviction that there is more good
than evil in the soul of every child of
God. The good may be buried deep-so
deep that it never appears on the sur
face. but it is there nevertheless, and
God sees it. Odd Fellowship, recogniz
ing the truth of this, realizes that it is
bound to cherish and protect his fellow
being.
Il sometimes think that the truest OF
heavenly messengers are the winged
words of comfort from a sincere manly
or womanly heart. And yet have you
never stood beyond the reach of human
sympathyl The friend and companion
dearer to you than life has taken jour
ney to the changeless shores, and the
blank which has come into your life is
so terrible that the most loving words
fall unheard or unheeded on your ears.
Alone in the hour of temptation, alone
in the hour of deep sorrow, alone in the
hour of death must we stand And yet
the whole truth is that burden bearing
is both mutual and individual. In some
cases we can help each other, and in
other cases we must stand alone.
To-day we can help each other. We
come together as Odd Fellows and Re
bekahs in kindly and mutual relation
ship How much of the sum of human
happiness in the world is indebted to
this one feeling sympathy What
field il opens for us to cultivate? 1t is
here that Odd Fellowship enters in and
we are glad that it is ours 20 prove that
the brotherhood of man is not an empty
phrase, but divine reality, made more
real by the sympathy of our hearts and
the sweet fellowship OF our lives"