Year: 1867

we all meet upon = common level, the
sole and only underlying principle Of
our faith IL United Rrothcrho0d-the
laws which govern us all are founded on
the principles of Friendship Love and
Truth. The Jew and Gentle meet to-
gether In our lodge room, no difference
and no distinction between them, for
| both can meet with loving hearts and
friendly hands, where the sole tenets Of
| faith are Friendship Love and Truth,
| The Southerner and the Northernsr,
the Democrat and the Republican, tho
rich and the poor man, the mechanic
and his employer. the German and
the American, every grade, class and
condition of humanity-each and all are
welcomed to the embrace Of Odd Fellow.
snip, each and all are entitled to the
same consideration within the pale Of
the lodge room, each and all linked and
united together in the bonds Of Frater-
nal Brotherhood, the only requirement
being that they believe In God and will
abide by-in their intercourse with
their brothers the sublime principles
OF trieneship, Love and Truth.


And now what Is meant by this mot
to Of our Order? And what is there In
this great Order that has enabled It to
Withstand the shock of political dissen-
sion and sectional strife? We answer
that it Is the great principles which
undcrlie and are represented by the
words we have quoted. Too many re-
gard Odd Fellowship as an insurance
society, society of men who combine
together to insure each other against the
consequences of sickness and death.
Not SO. To be sure benevolence Is \
leading characteristic Of our Order.
The first great duty Of an Odd Fellow
as laid down by our laws is to "visit the
sick, relieve the distressed, bury the
dead and educate the orphan.n But
this is not all. He who being an Odd
Fellow thinks this the sum and SUBJ
stance of his duties is greatly mistaken.
These are but the formal duties of the
Order, they constitute only the body OF
Odd Fellowship It's soul, its spirit is
embodied In the great principles OF
Friendship, Love and Truth lift were
otherwise would the Order hare lasted
as long as 1t has? Would it be to-day
25O, 600 strong?


You may imagine an insurance com
pany of the kind l have mentioned.
Suppose that twenty-five to fifty men
associate themselves together contribu-
ting from their earnings a certain sum
each, monthly, which is to be divided
among such of their number a. may be
sick, or to be applied to the relief of the
widows and orphans of any Of their
number who may die, and suppose they
meet together regularly for the transac-
ton of the necessary business relating
to their Order. Such society Is what
many not members of the Order, take
Odd Fellowship TO be. How long
would such society as this last? Per-
haps year, perhaps ten-but certainly
not long, probably not longer than a
few months, one member and another
| would become dissatisfied, or their funds
would give out, or their director or Off
GERS would cease to give satisfaction and
the project would end in dissolution.
No! Odd Fellowship is something be-
sides benevolent and relief association
ADD to this kind OF society, n perfect
system of government, lodge room
where all can meet, a home to all its
members, where every word spoken is
as secret and as sacred as if it had re-
mained In the heart ofthe speaker. Add
to this the immense power for good to
all which there is in the strong system
lied union Of "many in one:' add to
this the many advantages privileges
aud secrets which we are not now at
liberty to discuss we have some
faint idea of the body, the great formal
system of Odd Fellowship, but even
this by itself alone would soon die. The
great secret of the success of Odd Fellow
ship Is the nobility of the soul which
animates it aud gives it life, the "grand
| principles which are calculated to make
men social and humane" the principles
of Universal and Fraternal Brotherhood
carried out in Friendship, Love and
Truth. And we propose here to give
our idea of what these principles cx-
press and mean.


1st Then: The Friendship of an Odd
Fellow is not the friendship Of the
world ut large, it does not mean noe
of the head and the grasp of the hand
it does not mean friendly call and
kindly word. 1t means "denial Of sci,
for the benefit Of friend"


The world is made up of selfshness
selfish motives govern men in theil
business relation, in their social relation.
and even in their political relations
The great busy world presents to th'
calm and philosophic observer, standing
aloof from its strife, the scene of a gran6
arena upon which men are struggling
and striving to gain the advantage, eacl
one reaching for something anothe
has, each one striving in homely phras,
Ito feather his own nest" The Colder
rule "do unto others as you would tina
they should do to you" is almost who'll,
discarded, and the selfish rule substitu
ted in its place is, Grab all you can, keel
all you can and let the weak 90 down.


The almighty dollar" is tho toucl
stone of worth and the pursuit of th'
world at large. Instead OF working 70
the good and welfare of others every on,
seems anxious only for his own aggran
dizement, whoever else is lowercd-hi
own wealth, whoever else becomes poo
his comfort, whoever else suffers-hi
own power and strength, whoever els,
is made weak. Call to mind for mo
ment the scenes which are being enact
ed within your sight and observation
day by day in the busy world around
you, tell me if this is not so?


The true Odd Fellow should stand ou
from this. He should exhibit to the
world a character for unselfishness. L
is from this character which he is sup
posed to possess, that he derives hi.
name. Why are we called Odd Fellows.
Not because we wear certain regalia
not because we give our substance to the
poor and care for the sick among us
not because we meet together week by
week in our lodge rooms in secret con.
clave, and know each other when we
are inside even though we before have
been strangers. No it is because we
nrOfeaS tn no yOvnrnad hy a friandshir n