The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-06
HARDING SAYS
CONSPIRACY IS
NOT FRATERNITY
President Glad Shriners Came
To Capital For 1923
Convention
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CUIlVcIlllUH
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larger congregations and the fra
ternities with the larger member
ship. Some local observer wondered
at these divergent inclinations in
two brothers and there was comment
about it. Here was fraternity being
played for selfish ends. We had
another fraternity rare in kind and
transitory in existence which dealt
with mems idiosyncracies and foibles
and imperfections. 1t was fra
ternal playground, which sometimes
witnessed rough play and performed
many surgery in character So the
lure of membership in the ancient
and honorable order of "haymakers"
was held out to the joining mer-
chants and they fell for 1t. The fee
was very modest and the treasurer
spent all the funds at each meeting
of the order, but the initiation was
imposing, revealing and never for
gotten.
Received Strange Degree.
When the two merchants came to
receive their degree. their first rev.
elation came to them while locked in
little six by eight antechamber be-
tween which and the lodge room
there was partition only eight feet
high with great open space above
through which could be heard all
that was said among the haymakers
in solemn session. The eligibility
and desirability of the candidates
were discussed for an hour and l
fear alas the candidates heard every
word. Their joining procliyity was
emphasized and 1 suspect objections
justified. In a bit of cheating which
must have been forgiven ere this,
the ministers of the two churches
were impersonated, though the i'm
personaters sometimes fell short of
clerical terms of speech. The Hay
makers" with rare facility, turned
tanners and did a wonderful Job of
it. Manifestations of restlessness in
the anteroom were ignored and after
the alleged pastors had retired to
their homes the degree was given
and given without stint. All went
we'll until the next day when the two
brothers started out to interview the
minister's who had spoken. 1t was
difficult for the innocent ministers
to understand but the two joiners
soon came to understand and the
lawmakers lost two members, the
town lost its new mercantile estab
lishment within week, and two
strangers who donned the cloak of
fraternity for commercial gain saw
themselves as others appraised them.
Just Fraternal Life.
There is an honest and righteous
and just fraternal life in America, 1t
embraces millions of our men and
women, and a hundred fraternal or
CARNATIONS extend their influence
into more than third of American
homes, and make ours a better re-
public for their influence.
Fraternity is inherent in men; 1t
Is manifest in the beasts of the
fields, and the birds in the air. 1t is
our obligation to make the most of
it for human betterment. 1t more
than enters our daily life and minis
tiers ten thousand daily charities and
fraternal reliefs. In the lodge room
there is moulded what becomes pub
lie opinion and contributes to the
moving forces of developing civiliza-
ton.
1T matters not what is said of hu-
man selfishness, it matters not what
seeming lack of sympathy and fell
lowship is sometimes encountered,
every man worth while has in him
the yearning to be worth while; to
do that which gives him titles to the
activities of human brotherhood. 1t
is the business of organized fratern-
alism to turn these natural traits
to highest helpfulness In every
and religious liberty. Justice and
equality are taught in lecture and
obligation. A respect for the rights
of others. The very essence of ira
ternity is stressed everywhere until
the rule of justice is the guaranty OF
righteous fraternal relationship.
II wished somehow we could have
fraternity among nations as 1t is
taught in America among men. I do
not mean to employ sign, grip and
password which afford an appealing
mystery to our relationship but the
insistent demand for just dealing the
respect of right of others and the
golden rule and the righteous fellow
relationship which every man knows
his God approves. Under such a
reign of Fraternity cruel human war
fare will never come again.
II like the highly purposed frater-
nifty because 1t is our assurance
against menacing organization. In
men band together for mischief. to
exert misguided zeal. to vent unreal
soning malice: to undermine our in
stitutions. This is not fraternity
this is conspiracy. This is not as
sociated uplift. 1t is organized de-
it is the discord of disloyalty and
a danger to the republic. But so
long as twenty millions of Americans
are teaching loyalty to the flag, the
cherishment of our inherited institu-
lions and due regard for constitu-
tional authority and the love of
liberty under the law. we may be
assured the future is secure.
o o O
Representative Democracy.
There Is no misunderstanding the
aims and purposes of our loftier
American fraternalism. For the
great brotherhood there Is the pat
riotic appraisal of the heritage Of