New Britain herald., 1915-06-21
DEAD ARE IGNORED
 BY LOCAL LODGES
Memorial Services Conducted and
 Graves Are Decorated

Graves of departed members were decorated with flowers yesterday by the Odd Fellows, the Red Men, New Britain council, o. U. A. M., St Elmo
 lodge, K. of and the Patriotic Or
 der of Sons of America and last even ing in the First Congregational church the Odd Fellows held their annual memorial exercises which were at tended by the various I o. o. F.
 branches in this city, Phoenix lodge,
 Lexington lodge, Andre lodge, Gers
 taecker lodge and Stella and Unity
 Rebekah lodges as we'll as brother
 and sister members from Plantsville,
 Plainyille and Bristol. The exercises
 were of a solemn nature and were
 impressively carried out
 During the day special committees from each of the aforementioned lodges visited the cemetery and
 placed Wreatha,e flowers or potted plants on the little green mounds of earth which mark the fast resting place of deceased members. The Odd Eellems pfsced potted plants on about ITO of their graves in accord ance with their universal custom The Mechanics had 119 graves to dec- crate and the Red Men and Knights of Pythias also had a large number on their mortuary roll as did the F. o. S. of A.
 This annual custom of the lodges is beautifully impressive one and in many cases the graves of some of the dead which are decorated would never have sprig of flower to des- ignate that the deceased was not aI- ;< fn, their surviving fraternal brothers, as have either passed on or moved to other cities.
 The auditorium of the First church was we'll filled last evening when the I. o. o. F. memorial exercises opened. The Odd Fellows marched in body from their hall and entered the church together, seats being reserved ina the center of the auditorium for them. Following the organ prelude, Rev. Henry w. Maier, pastor of the church, delivered short, but sincere address of welcome and President A. M. Peterson, F. G., responded, voicing 1 the appreciation of his brother Odd Fellows for the courtesy. A hymn, :. Blest Be the Tie That Binds was sung by the congregation after which A. N. Carlson, P, G., gave the annual 1 memorial prayer which was followed | by q quartet selection, T Cannot AL ways Trace the Way rendered by the l Summit quartet from the Hartford lodge bearing that name.
 The man chosen this year to deliver the memorial address was an orator of the first rank, Hon. Joseph T.. Belcher of Rando1f, Mass. MT. BeI- cher is a nlenTberf of the Nassacf1u- setts state legislature and in the Odd Fellows he is past grand represen- tative and a past noble grand in his state. MT. Belcher took as his theme one which is most fitting i'll view of what Odd Fellowship stands for. It was The Fatherhood of l Good and the Brotherhood of Man. The speaker dwelt with the several various phases of human life and brought out the concrete principle of the order which he. represented.
 Robert w. Adams, grand master of the Connecticut Grand lodge, also spoke and before Rev. MT. Maier de- liyered the closing benedietion the quartet sang Lead Kindly Light and the assembly sang the memorial hymn dedicated to the local Odd Fel- lows. Charles Hunter, a member of the local I. o. O. F., sang a tenor solo, The Heavenly Way"
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