The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-08-03
Brotherhood
Hood River, July 80, 1916.

Brotherhood. Brothers Butler and Car.
penter addressed this meeting, anG
their remarks we're well received anG
generously applauded. AS a further
mark of appreciation the audience gave
them rising vote of thanks.
Brotherhoods of one kind and another
have existed among men from prehis.
toric times. An attempt to trace these
back to their origin has ended at Mt
Meru. What are known as the "An'
cient Mysteries Chat is the most an
cient of which we have any knowledge)
have been traced thus far, but there
the trail is lost. Meru was a province
an oasis in the desert containing about
49, 900 square miles. 1t contained &
mountain and city of the same name
The city may be found on our modern
maps as Merv. and is south by east
from the Caspian Sea. 1t has railroad
connection and is place of considera
BILE importance today. 1t is though,
that after Noah's food, Meru was the
first place where men collected in suffi
cient numbers to make any notable i'm
provements that they built temple
on Mount Meru and there conferred the
"Ancient Mysteries.
These mysteries taught that the story
of the Golden Age" was not a my th
but reality; that man at the star
was perfect being physically. moral,
and intellectually; that God converseC
with him and angels associated with
him; that nature smiled on him anC
taught him. But there was a time
when man fell-he sinned. God, thu
angels and all nature was ashamed O!
him and hid their faces from him. Man
too, was ashamed-he bid his face. HI
lost confidence in himself and in his
fellow man. But as the fires were flick
ering and waning on the altars o.
purity. faithful few lit their torche.
at the dying embers to light the rae,
through the long night of barbarism,
that they felt sure was to follow. They
hoped. They had faith that som,
time the race would be redeemed; tina
man, regenerated and disenthrallet
from the life of his slavish passions
would once more approximate 9Th,
Golden Age" and own the ties tba
should bind him in universal consan
Ruinity with his fellow man. The,
knew that it would not do to trust al
men, hence they selected those whom
they felt they could trust and instruct
ed them in the principles of brotherl,
love and strove to save as much of goo'
as they could. and to transmit it f
posterity.
1.-The Ancient Mysteries were car
ried to Mesopotamia, Chaldea, Baby
lonia and other countries. Thy under
went the various and different change
incident to changed conditions and 10
cal!ties. The Egyptian Mysteries EN-
bodied the same general principles an,
with certain changes were transpiante
to Greece.
1t is not possible to trace them di
rectly from one of these places to tn
other. The general principle of then
all seems to be the same so lar as il
known. This general principle or cen
tral idea has obtained through the mul
tifariuos wanderings, changes, modifi
cations, dyings out and revivals from
the dawn of history to the presen
time. This central idea is the Father
hood of God, -" which includes the broth
erhood of man.
All of our lodges Of the present da,
Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pyth
las, etc., teach morality. They wa
upon vice in all its forms. They incul
cate brotherly love. They teach goot
citizenship. They each in their wa!
are laboring for the uplifting of man
kind to higher plane, for that whicl
| dv m hic folIou &,
draws him nearer to his God. They arr
working to hasten the time when al
men will be brothers. And they d'
not intend that the sisters shall be lef
out either, for they use the wore
brother" in the same sense that tn,
word imam" is used to designate thu
whole human race.
The Psalmist exclaims, "behold how
good and how pleasant it is for breth
'ren to dwell together in unity" Ant
behold how bad and how unpleasant j
is, as witnessed in Europe today, whel
brethren fall out, and chide and fight
and spill each others blood.
Brotherhood, Fraternity. What al
embracing terms are theses If every
one was doing his or her utmost to lif
mankind to higher moral plane, t
Justly more confidence, for fraternity
is founded on confidence, what a para
disc this world would become.
Did you ever stop to think that if al
men we're disposed to do what was
right, and had sufficient knowledge t.
know what was right, that we woul(
not need any man-made laws, jails
prisons or other costly machinery Of
government? We should need no sher
iff, or marshal, army. navy, or arma
ment.
But the time is not yet, and we mus
wait. But while we wait let us moi
cease to labor for this much desired
time. The Brotherhoods are all work
ing to hasten the day, and it is to be
hoped that the sentiment of Brother
hood will grow in geometrical ration
Let US quote a paragraph from Grosh s
Manual of Odd Fellowship:
'My brother, have faith in God
hope in immortality and charity to all
mankind. The greatest of these il
Charity, for our faith may be lost in
sight, hope ends in fruition. but Char.
ity extends beyond the grave through.
out the boundless realms of eternity.
The chief pillar of the temple which
we have reared is, therefore. Charity.
Remember then, that on this mainly
depends our superstructure and fail
not, faint not, in the practice :of this
Godlike virtue"
Jesus said, can things whatsoever
ye would that others should do unto
you do ye even SO unto them."
And Paul says, "Be ye kindly affect
ionate, one toward another"
These things. my brethren, were
spoken for all time. They ft just as
we'll today as 1000 years ago. After
Al years spent in the ranks of Broth
erhood would exclaim, Brotherhood
Yes. with both hands and with all our
hearts, let US be brothers and sisters.