The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-05-04
TELLS or GIFTS TO POOR
Odd Fellows Distribute Millions in
Aid-Warns Them No Order, Sys-
TEN or Church Should
Eclipse Humanity.

Inc large duu16HC0 OIL OQu FELLOWS
| and their families who were the guests
of the Park Avenue Methodist Episco-
pal church Sunday night listened to a
sermon preached from the text, CA
friend loveth at all times and brother
is born for adversely" by the Rev.
Peter f. Stair.
"The principals and ideals of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows"
said Mr.. Stair, Gas expressed in the
three great words friendship, love and
truth, are involved in the text.
"These three words, linked together
in your well known insignia, are in
separable. There can be no real friend
ship without love and truth.
"You have gone to the scriptures
for much of the symbolism of your
work. In this you have done well.
A friend loveth at all times.
"The friendship of Jonathan and
David has inspired the expression of
your fraternity in it's broad charities.
Friendship cannot be confined. It's ma
Whence came the name 'Odd' Eel
lows? When the fraternity was organ
lied in England some two hundred
years ago a caste system prevailed
which divided society into classes with
various grades Of aristoracy. The dem
ocratic spirit of this new order was so
unusual that it's members were dubbed
"odd," peculiar, different. Kenosha
needs 'odd fellows of that pattern.
men and women who will be fellows
to their neighbors, showing a kindly
neighborly interest in folk.O
At this point Mr. Stair made compli-
mentary reference to a recent editorial
in the Evening News under the caption.
Am l My Brothers. Keeperq'1 He
lauded highly the sentiment expressed
IN this and recommended all present to
read it.
Is it true," the speaker asked
that these fraternal orders Of which
there are so many today, have made
people more exclusive, rather than more
democratic?
What is the lesson in the parallels
OF the Good Samaritan? The story
condemns the priest and the Levite
who passed by on the other side and
had no sympathy for the unfortunate
man who fell among thieves. The
priest and the Levite were good mem
bers of the system to which thew be.
longed. They observed all the forms
and ceremonies. They knew the ritual
by heart. They had taken all the de-.
grees and paid their dues religiouslv,
But that very system had blinded their
eyes so that they could not see the I'M
fortunate in distress.
The system, the order, had become
so magnifed for itself that humanity
was eclipsed and the. spirit of inbn-
manlty was the result in the hearts of
its members. Humanity is larger than
any system, be it political, Industrial
social or religious. Call it a LODGE. .
union, party or a church, and anv-
thing which exalts the system above
men and sacrifices the humanitarian
spirit for the sake of the system is con.
! demned.
"You have obeyed faithfully your
commission to visit the sick, relieve
the distressed, bury the dead and edu-
cate the orphan; you have grown in
numbers from five in 1919 when vour
first lodge was organized in America.
to over two million members TO-DAY
You are expanding in relief work over
six million dollars annually and the
sum total of your relief expenditures
| since 1880 has been more than one bpn-
dred and seventy million dollars