D
M
9.1". BLOA N,..Eldit or.
VOLUME 21.
Etietkitillig Narver.
SLOAN, EDITOR.
OF CE, CORNER STATE ST. AND PUBLIC
squ'ARE, ERIE.
• TER 11: - . 1 OF '1111: PAPER.
City f ul,crilera by tit i earner, at
th la.nl. or .IL till uttire, w ;19 anCe,
Li If t,t paid to nth ance',.or.l% itliin three mOntl
0:11 o dollar. ttll Ite charged.
ctr All communications nit 4 be post paid,
RATES OE, lADVERTISIN
lIIn
Uric tinware
do: do. six months,
I do!' do. three ntotalti,
pail:Acid ad, erinwittcuts, :Weems per equare,
ft.r the tir,.t in-critrat e; rents for each ,411,5 i
3 - 1 Yearly athertit.ets bat e tile grit deg° orcliati
01 no unto are allow ell to occupy mum than t{o
teffinuted ty their immcdude ba.viricm.
'4.1% crusdinctit.• trot !laving other dtrection2, u it
To Ind and charged accordingly.
GALEN B. KEENE,
I , etw.-yn the Revd liotiset and Itroen ; sllotel,
VNG d n' on Alurt. 'loupe. ttli
I';+•luouuble 'l'mlr.'
, WI/7a STAFFORD,
Ifook.elter and Stationeri r .lnd Mannficturer of nlnnt; Books and
Writing Ink, corner oftlie 14kintond and .9ixtli :•ttget.
J. 'DOUGLASS,
tA TTWIPIR: ASD Cyi NSW RAT J.+W—ulsci on Late Elft`Jr. Lhrc
doors uo Ith of tirmA lotel;Erie, l'a.
COMPAION CR.
nciul, in Dry C od. Hardwire. Crockery, dreeerie. and F0r
d..9.:11 :Ind 114 tic . I.lquorti; Manuf:ieturers of
Salcrani No. r , Reed Home, nod corner of French and Penn
• Street+, Erie, Pa.
MMME
Ationwv & Counseller at Lafr (UOice Nu. 2, Erie corner
01.11 mo & Lloyd ,trects.lo. N. Y.
Hanlo n ', alid commmr ri.ceire prompt nttemott
trEnroe,—.l. P. lit may, Ni NJ* ;11.,
J. B. NICKLIS,
EzreeD.T. runt general Agyncy awl Cumnlleolon•ln.n,lness, Frank
lit, Pa. •
Li.:FUS 11E11),
bentt.rt in 1:101.11,11. inu nud Aloerica3 Ilntdn are and Oitiery,
Afro,' , Inu an.l Steel Nu. 3 need
tare•
, W. J. I'. LI DDLI: &
.nOllll5, Carri-tee and Watzon Itatttle:, State Street,
tweet) germ') & I:rte. -
L. STRONG, M. ll
r. one hoot west tot - C. It, Wright's ,tore. up stairs.
), I)OCT. J. L. STEWART,
A. Ili t Se%entli near Sh,,safraq street. nes
,tth.nr a. on Sa.:ttah'a-t, ,I(Jar north Cl Set m ilt
C. SIEGEL,
Intoil..llC and Retail tle,iler iu t: raceme, I'rovisinn9, Wines,
l'orini and Firth,.4trate,
•upput-de the Farman.' Ilutrl, Eno.
JOAN AIcCANN,
Wn"LI.6 r and beider in faultily Cfucertes, Croekrry.
Glasmat. , . inns. Ni!a:, Lc.. No. '2. Elerldwr Block. Er:e,
Et, highest price pat.l fir
G(iALDINN.
Habit 711.11,er.--ritore, No. Reetl'e
the Bun:tell 111..),F,),r 4 t,:te r 4 treet. Erie.
J. W. WET:11011E,
ATTOR.NI.:I" AT L
1 Walker's Otliee, on :.'eventll eztreet, Ere, Pa
Ia:NRY CA DWELL,
lr rem en,Sold er, and Ilt,ul Dealer iu Dry Goetl4,
tllrts‘ are. Calla tint:, I lartlld ate, Iron. Steel. Nati-,
Spiht i, .t.w. Empire Se..ree State Street, floor' door_, I.elow
Wen a' Motel. Ent,. Pa.
Alo—Ana 11.. Vices, (tenon +..lxle Anat., rind A general
t,nrittient cal Saddle and 4* tfriage Trimming , .
S. 11':11.\ IN S3IITII.
ruin Nt,y AT LAN% and Itedice of the Peace. and Agent for
the Fey 1 stone Mutual Idle liedtrattee Conittany.-:Otlice 3 door
s, Cad of Wright. bode,Pa.
•
W. 11. INO‘I'L'I'ON.4-. SUN:
I)..t.ena in watci.e4. Ch,ck Looliintf, Chee.es. Piano Porte.;
1.81111 , 5. Iffilenilin 11'are, Jewelry. and a a a riety of other
A ri t ele,i, 111111dittp, four door 4 below Brown's Motel,
Stale Street, Ert. , , Pa.
Gk'..ORGE 11. CII'LER,
ATTOPNFT •T Law, thrarti, Eric Coonty, Pa. Collections and
other !Amite's ;mended to t.t. tilt proltipthett and dit.ontch.
1 WILSON LAI4I)
ATToRNEN •T I.tAi-=l)triet. Over C. B. Wright'h Stare, ll lOC Mill
ta) IN lallon. brpoQiii , 80. Court Itou-o. .
rell , c tit , •• andul tier ii tore, :lona! 1,111-utattentiled to witliprompt
1 .,
I .nee., ai d divatelt.
__ . . . - - - -
Ti s i "''
131t01% ; ,'4'5 . : 11() , . ~
i'mocr.RT I Trig E•ol.E.corno7,l :tatt• -tr. t roi l the Public square r
Ertr, 11:3”iern lVe• Writ a; t , otithern :.14 ,, ,t.r. oll , cr.
11 A. CIL ' '
Mi.,' ira•T r and Retail ealiT inn I irVeta,.. PrOVltdOnt., Witifni,
f.igtior-.1),::• , .., .ruts. tettoit Ate, But eurt,'ectoticrA, &c. &e..
Ctrai.itle,ll-Ic.. l'a.
'l'. 'W. MOOR • •
Psi; Eit in Grneere , , Pon "oon,, Wines.l,,loor4.Caioltes, rryit,
&c., No 0. Poor 1•eoplc•s Row. :Iwo , oret.Erue.
JOS I K ELLOGG.
Forwnrdin2 Collolll,loll 31ercli%titoll the Palle Dock, cast of
Fink.
'Goat, Salt. l'lnstPr and Whitt. Fi , h, conqthiltly for ealr
NVILLIAMS,
OMAN' And •Efebli):l4 111,11 , f I) Mils of Evrbanze
ccrutic,ox, Depo,lte, Gold al..] nit% er coin. &c, ece
()Ince,/ door:, wow Ilrov, n's Erifv,Pn.
-
BENJAMIN DENNISON, — -
OnVEY Cl , Venileii,()lllo—(ltiice on Superior real,
Yn .Itwairrt-Blurk. Peril' to rni , i Parker, Candanl.2r
Law School; lion. ltiNtanl Fletcher, 10:taO•ti„ llu-tau; lion
Samuel ii. l'orkiw=.llli %Valinn 1116 1 dri 11.
Kimball,Esq.,s:l Wall stiett, New Vork. Fur testimonials, re
fer tothiA other.
MARSII;II,L & VIN — CENT,
A Trorts Fi'lv er re tv—lntitte tip tre , ltt Tam tinny builtimg
north of tne Prothoot,tary , t office. Erie.
MURRAY \V ALLON,
ATTOTINIT •rn Cm•vev I fAoP ♦T L kw—f linCe over r. B. Wright'e
Ptote, enunnec otte door nest of State nrect, on the Dimund,
I. ROSENZWEIG & qo
SVIMI rs I E AN(; RI rAtt.l.4 Al.fllB . Fureiw and Dome. lie Dry
readc 4 inalte Clothing, itt)Collt and t,lllocv, &E., No. 1, Flem
ing flock. site street, ,
i. C. I. TIBBALS, •
lerAr Ire In rqY Coed- , Dry llroccries,.Cruchery, Hardware, &c.,
:Vt.,. D I. Chtat.ule,l:rle.
' J
.. .
H
e, JON EIABIEfItLY. •
vit E ,,,,, t .fiGrorcrit- , and PRA It.II)PS of all kikide, State street, three
.I%n. non: , of the Maitland, I:rie.
SNIITII JACKSON,
rl*Arrn in Dry Golif4, Grneerii . .i. r.fivare, Queens Ware,
Iron, Na,(.s &c., )21. eliezini-iile, , Erie, l'a..
wILLIAM RIBLET,
viiiiorsiol. and Undertaker, corner of Slate and
Set enth ...treers, Erie.
— ---
KELSO & LOO.AIIS,
crmvitt.t.Forwarding,Prodnee and Coninih•on "%retch:nag:dealer!,
in roar, and due ualt. Cunt, I'l.n.ter, Shingles, Ese2rtiblie duel:,
n , ' , l •I.le of the bridge, Erie.
Enn IN J. K . ELso. A , L ,
,IA I . Loomin
; .
IVALKER & . COOK,.
cr.:FR st. Forwarding. ../111111i , ..1011 :1111 Pro.luce Merelinnl,;See
ond Ware-hodse east(the Public Bridge, Erie: •
G LOOMIS & CO.
Illr,,ta-as In Watehro, Jen elry, Filter, German Silver. Plated and
Britannia are Ciinery, Military and Fancy Goode,:tilateznfiNt,,
nearly opposi le its Lagle 1 lotel, Eric,
CI. Eno 'a 10.
CA It' r Ell & 1111.0'111 V. it,
WnO" , .M.K and new' geilleri in Druv;.:lle.licinc, , ,
c-Atiffq, Glayq 6,Reed Hon.., rzie•
•
JOEL JOIIN SON,
pigmy, In TlroTogienl, Mr-eellrineong, Sunday and Chlssicat
echool Itooka, Etailonary, Are. Park - Row, Erie.
JAMES LYTLE,
•
FA°IIIA4A IA: Merchant Ta dm - . on the public *quart!, a raw door' ,
west of State street, Erie.
1). S. CLARK,
WIIOLEViLt: Ann arrAltrllealer in GrOecrio‘g. Provisions, ship
chandlery. Stone-wart; &C. Ng. 5, Bonnet! Block. Erie.
Denier in Law, Medienl. Scho6lMiscellaneous Books stationary,
icc: State st., four doorteheloW the Pullin; square.
Dlt. O. L. ELLIOrfT,
pcsiArrit Dentist; Office:lntl dwelling in tlte Itcehe Block, on the
Easkside of the Public Square, Erie. 'Teeth inserted on Gold
Plate, front one to nn entire sett. Carious teeth tilled with pure
told, and restored to health and usefulness. Teeth cleaned
with instruments and Detainee so as to leave thesis of a pellucid
clearness. All w narranted. '
•
S. DiCURSON, I,
ritysirlor ANPSegoe.ssi—ltiEee at his reShlepeeon seventh street,
opposite the Methodist Church, Erie.
JOHN H. IWILVON,
MioLisALI AMn RET , iII. dealer in Ortnt4. 31e)
Grocetterq &e. No. 5. Um! house, Eric,
ROBERT S. HUN FE
Dn . [Akin Hats, Caps aUA I . IIIS of all dcsicriplions. No. 10, Park
Row •Eric. Pa.
BUTTER. WANTED.—S OO firkins good Dairy Butter wanted
in eiebahge for Cash or Goods.
J. 11. FULLERTON.
•
1: 4 - AliGE Lao( Bounets,Just reC r eited per Express by
June I. .11! FULLERTON.
•
300 00 YAM.; Mk:VEER CALICOES at 3ets per yd
.1 and up by • J. If. FULLERTON.
SI,ATE4 a rod aAsorlititmtailiii: itardwariSiorr. -
V EVil 'REED:
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gilaL tote vu re,
mtuare.±, and to
I be inserted till
T. IT. Ars rt.;
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icjnea, Dye Stuinh
ADDRESS,
lie].: ; •ero A. Galraitli, tho
cation GI Odd Loe'2,o-. , .- 0 7,,rat-2xfpid, soy
4, 1U:-.). Tc.'3 . - act.t of Cioniont Lo 10.)
FILLnw CITIZUSB AN9 pito - omits:--loVo have as
sembled ourselves hero to-day for the purpose of uni
ting with Clement Lodge of Odd Velloweq In the
ceremonies incident to the opening and dedication
of their new place of meeting. As a part of the
days proceedings the pleasing task has devolved up
on me of presenting some' views explanatory,and in
defence of the institution of Odd Fellowship. I
claim your attention therefore for n few moments
while I endeavor to discharge that duty.
It is not .my purpose here to trace the history of
this - Institution; nor will I attempt tto explore the
time word records of the past for the precise date
of its first existence. Seine have claimed for it an
origin far back amidst the dimness and obscurities
of the middle ages, while others assert with more ap
pearance of probability that it hdd rte commence
ment in England about the middle of the last centu
ry. But these various speculations are of but little
comparative importance. It matters not whether
our order originated with the first-inhabitrints of the
earth, or whether it belongs to'thiagekwhich wo
live; whether its 'plan was first conceived in the
times of patriarchal simplicity, or in our own age of
electricity and steam. The age of an institution
can give ne assurance fur its goodness or worth.—
It may have received the approval d'f Emperors and
Kings and priests who have lived and diva centuries
ago, but these can add nothing•ti its usefulness. It'
Might be able to trace itB descent Step by stop from
the family of Noah and yet contain within its' pre
cincts the poisonous atmosphere of moral pollution
and death. No age nor mouldy antigait'y could
compensate for that 'moral purity and excellence
wiik':h - give our institution its sjandiiig =heliome
ter among men. The character of a sJciety is
judged as is that of a man, not by the year of his
birth, but by his conduct, his speech, his arts, his
usefulness to his fellow man. -
€2,ou
Although the timo when our institution began is
unimportant the reason why it began should be ad
verted to.
Odd Fellowship owe its creation to the temporal
wants and necessities of mankind. It was formed
to deal with the actual ills of life; to provide for real.
wants; to minister to realtarlefs; not to avert im
aginary evils or to experiment \-Anth fictitious mis
eries. Por the world is full of human woo and suf
fering. The great earth beautiful as it is and glow
ing witlithe charms which Nature has bestowed;
filled as it is from the overflowing hand of a kind
PrOvidence with a myriad objects for the delight of
the creature man, is still. the abode of sickness,
Want, misery and death. Man although ' " created
but a little lower than the angels" is stilt by nature
- •
subject to a thousaneilla which render him the sport
of accident and his life of but little more certain ten
ure than that of the frail ephemera whose brief ex
ittente is dented out in , the ray of the evening sun.
Disease and death waylay his path at every step.---:-
The gaunt spectre Want waits at his elbow and
with het alto dant evils threatens to overwhelm him
in dispair. lu an society does but litt ? le towards
relieving huat suffering. Based upon the princi
ple of selfish es it aggravates instead of 'relieving
the temporal le ils to which I have adverted, Dish
individual puts os Intel-10y his own personal aggran
disement, and 11 his interests and wishes centr. on
himself; and t oso whii l are bound to him by tea of
kindness., Ev ry man regards every otft z r man as
in some sense his competitor.end imite of battling
together. to overcome the evils whit sfirround theM,
men engage in deadly strife with ach other. In the
struggle for Wealth few succe d, while the gretit'or
number are left to bear th ills of ignorance and
poverty: An-all pervadi g selfishness locks up the
better feelings of map heart; ahult , his eyes and
ears to the sights acid sounds of destitution and suf
fering that evejywhere surround him, and paralyzes
the efforts of that natural sympathy, which, if r't).
tramuieled, would exercise itself in. acts of charity'.
! , The ;breaking of bread to the hungry;' the cup of'
cold water to the thirsty; watching by the sick bed)
comforting the afflicted; cherishing the strangeri
visiting the imprisoned; 'seeming the eufeebled;: , -.
how sadly are all these t Her duties neglected by it
cilarge portion of our rac ." Society does not suffi
ciently recognize the' obligation it is under to see to
it, !lit every one of its members is educated, and in
sorne degree at least, protected from actual Want.—
And While the Social - Stella of 'man in 'tiniest every
other respect.has moved on with the rapid stride of.
improvement, in this he; progress is merely percept
ible and the circle of an hundred years has made , but
little change. The press teems with printed thought.
The mighty ruin of steam has bridged the ocean,
and linked together distant states with bands of iron:
The fiercodightnings have been tamed and impress
ed into mans service, and along the trembling wires
dictate his wishes to those who wait, thousand of
miles away. In Science and.the Arts, improvement
and invention have outstripped the 'Wildest dreams
of conjecture, and man slam% stupified and bewil
dered before the achievements of this own immortal
intelligence.: 1 ,
minds_
But with all this, tho i and bodies of men are
neglected; society abso l rbed in its own ambitious
schemes, its conquests and its improvements heeds
not the cry of its feeble and oppressed members.—
jenorance and povortiy stalk hand in hand together
and with iron heel crush to earth millions of the
finely of man. The call for help goes up amid the
bustle of earths busy traffic unheard'and uncared for,
or if heard and cared for, receiving mere temporary
relief at the hand of chance benevdience without
hope or prospect of assistance in the future. And
this is not so much because men- are unwilling to
relieve the wants of these fellow men, when they
are brought into actuill-centact with them, for thanks
to the high and holy principles of, benevolenee c-nd
charity taught by the christian religions there tire
but few men in a christian , country who would turn
a deaf ear to the pleadings of a poor or afflicted
brother, but it results from the absence of a thorough ,
and eystemattic organization, a concentration of
money and men and effort having for its sole object
the alleviation of those temporal evils that so under
mine end prey upon mane energies, and health, and
life.
Associated concentrated effort is the great lever
of power in the affairs of life. Man, alone, cut off
and isolked from the isociety of other men ia.weak
SATURDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 28, 1850.
and powerless, a feeble atom on the earths surface.
But when the energies of a host are united_ to one
common purpose, man ceases to be insignifiCant- 4
the elements become the creatures of hi? will—he
makes the earth his slave, and ho moves on to the
accomplishment of his stupendous schemes with the
irresistible force of the whirlwind and the storm.
Look at government by waY• of illustration --
Twenty-three millions of people ate scattered over
a wide enent of territory, without any common de=
sign or concentration of effort to a common purpose;
no intelligent co-operation - sith each other in a
cause common to all and no onion of forces to any
object. Although here is a great numerical and
physical force it is nevertheless comparatively weak;
a mere ehaotic mass of pilule, completely powerless
for any great purpose. ~het these twenty-three
millions be united,l as tits nation is united under a
government common to ail; give to them an intelli
gent insight into the objects for Which !hit govern
ment is formed, narnely, tho protection of each one
in life, liberty and property, thus furnishing to each
a strong personal interest in the success and perpe
tuity of the commonwealth, and you have a fearful
concentration of power, to perform such achieve
ments as shall 'novo the admiration Of the universe.
Associated, combined and organized effort has al
ways, in the history of human progress, been attend.:
et/ with results the most brilliant and cheering, while
isolated, ,fragniontary action has ever been compara
tively powerless to achieve great triumphs.
Odd reilotvship has seized uppn this powerful ol
cnient of succe s s, and accomplish the gloriou r ob
jects of its mission, slie has combined the wis si dorn,
the power, the wealth, the arms and the heart of a
vast multitude of men! She has marshalled under
her great white banner a host of armies, and directs
the united efforts of hor vast forces in the common
cause of humanity. She has collected into focal
splendor the -s h attered rays of twilight and sends
them before her pathway in a blaze of moral illumi
nation. She has thrown into the great field of mor
al effort an army of two -hundred thousand men to
reinforce the hosts there doing battle for the cause
of human equality and human rights. -
Iu the minds of good men it has long been a ques
tion whether a social organization could '-bo estab
lished, which would give to each individual member,
assurance of protection from the attacks of those
evils, which, io the preient condition of Isociety so
fasten upon and worry and destroy thelhelpless, tbe
desolate and the pear. And upon this queitjo i n our
institution givoluanswer; not frees fancifulealcula-
Sons on paper; not from uneerialir and imaginary
data, but from the detnonstration of actual expel
rienco. •
After a ttial of thirty years in the Unitedtes,
the proud spectacle is presented of a boneliolent
as
eociation comprising two hundred tddiusand mem
bers, and having an annual roves re of two million
of dollars and these still increaedg with uuexamlped
rapidity. And her history elle us that from the
time of the opening of th first Lodge in BaltiMore,•
in the year 1819 to' tJt present period, the institu
tion has accomplis ed all its objects, and more; that
all she has atte pled to do she has done; that no
ono of its me bers has fallen a victim to want; that
all its wid ws have been protected from poverty, and
all its .rphans have been educated and their tempo
ral ants duly supplied. The practicability of such
a organization is thus established, and its entire
ability to carry op most successful scheme of
practical good; a although It may be on a email
scale as compared with the whole balance of man
kind, it nevertheless. shot* the existence of the
principle; that it May be extended indefinately; and•
that if it were universally adopted,' it would in all
probability, secureie every member of the human
family protection from actual want and perhaps oven
more than this.
Odd Fellowship take• isolated men, separated
from each other by a thousand differences, and binds
them together in the solemn obligations of the fra
ternal relation. It teaches them the duties of mutu
al aid, and of practical benevolence. The fund
f i ormed by the weekly contributions of its members is
always sufficient for all the wants 0f 4 6 destitute or
afflicted brother, and no ono of its members can be
thrown in any way upon the scanty charity of the
world. lie is under no sense of obligation or do
pentince, but applies for his weekly benefits tvith
es much self respect and independence as if ho wero
drawing money from a savings bank ivhore he had
doposited it.
- But the assurance principle in onr institution is
one ;,or its least meritorious features. It does not
stop with the mere 'peeuniary relief of its mem
bers; it follows' men to their homes and becomes a
ministering angel at I'M domestic hearth.
Sickness has pressed its heavy hand upon a broth
er; his arm has grown feeble under the grasp of
cr e,
disease and hp cot Itco' lon or bureuo his accustom
ed toil; ho languish° a bed of suffering; but ho
is not alone or unrii d. Around him have gathered
those who wilt to do all in their power for his re
lief, and who
,watch with paternal affection at his
pillow. They fan his fevered brow, and adminis
ter the soothing Cordial to his parched lip; and day
after day, and night aft er night, with unwearied, pa
tient
1 •
care and tender solicitude minister to his *ants.
And when death draws on•apace, his eye grows dim,
earth with its busy scenes is:fading tram his view,
and hie wife and little onus are weeping about his
couch, he is upheld and soothed in,the reflection
that they are not left to struggle helpless and aloha
in ,the great battle of life. And when the grim
monster has done his work, And the,soul has fled to
Him who gave it, -the widow and her fatherless
babes aro protected; kind friends soothe it afflic
tion, and perform the last sad office fur tMead.—
And from that time, forth that widow and those or
phan .children'are under the care and protection of
our institution. Feeble as they are, they belong to
a great body, and ho who would smite one of them
smites the body of which they rite members; and
all the strength of that body shall also up in their
defence. , - • •
'But it is mot so much my design on this occasion,
to eulogise-the institution of Odd Felfow . ship as to
answer some of the objections that have been urged
against it. The unetampled success which has
attended Pts ptogress, the unprecedented rapidity
with which it has groin from a smatl beginning, to
its present enormous proportions;' the enthusiasm
of its votaries, and the peculiar features of its or
ganization hive drawn upon us the attention of the
people, and excited the desire to know more of U6t
13#'"ONWAILD..A3
And while many are satisfied whir witnessing the'
good work whist/ our institution is silently accom
plishing, without enquiring farther, there are many
others who would investigate more - closely, and who
urge objections numerous, and sortie of them of ap
parent weight, These enquiries end objectionswo•
have no wish to'evade, but when opportunity pre T
gents itself, ariatver them frankly and fearlessly, in,
truth and sobdrness.
The.objections most frequently urged Is that out
histitutiou is l a secret society. The application of
this term to us is erroneous; it has reference strict
ly to an organization whose ends, aim and princi
ples are Secret, and whose place of meeting and ex
istence itself are known only to the initiated. Such
societies have sometimes been called into existence
by the exigencies of tho times, and after accept-
Plishing their purposes, have ceased to be. But an
association whose principles and objects aro openly
proclaimed to the world, cannot be a Secret-society
in the true sense of the term, although it may have
some matters connected with it whiclßie kept so-
Crete, Odd Fellowship proclaims her principles at
the corners of the streets, and emblazons them in
letters of living light on all her banners. Her
rules of action,—her constitution and the objects
she has in view are all published to the world. The
mode by which her members aro recog,nized by each
other is endivulged.,
And this is absolutely end indispensably fleets
sary to the perpetuity and success of the Order.=
It gives us identity; makes us a separate and dis
tinct body, and prevents our treasury from being at
the mercy, of every vagabond Naha might f choose to
claim fellowship with us, The treasury of `our-.o
der is kept supplied front the labour and toil of its
memb crs, they have contributed eoch his propor
Lion to swell its sum, In order that when their oe
cessity comes upon there, they can apply theyr(and
be relieved. This ie the very corner stone of the
;system on which our order is based, )15/the mein
hership were limited in point of number, so that
:each could be personally knownoie unusual mode
of recognition week' be necessiry. But we arc as
'the sands of the sea-slioso;)and from the forest clad
hills of Maine to the gollifrivers of California l from
'the everglades of Flot;ida to the wilds of Minnesota
we are every where scattered: Our tents are in '
every village,,ur camp in every City:. ,To keep
such a bo dy,t(nited by tho ties of a common interest,
there musyhe some efficient mode of protecting its
treasurers from plunder and depredation. And this
caned'bo so well effects% by a tangible token which
perchance might fall into improper hands, as by the
mode which no have adopted, a word or sign which
shall be known only to members, and which shalt
be evidence of the claim of a brother for relief,
whether ho be personally known to us or not.—
Theektire the secrets of our institution, and to pub
lish, them to' tho world would bo to scatter our
treasure, the accusbulation of years, to the four
winds, and to rend the foundation of our temples to
their centre." It would ,do the world no benefit;
'while to us It would he, fraught with the most ruin
ous results.
But ibis said, why are thedoors of your meetings
closed against the public! The answer to this is
obvious. It is here that the members are with im
pessive ceremonies instructed in the language of
the order. Odd Fellowship is in one sense a family
and it has no more secrecy than auy familyi in the
land. What family is there whose membels have
not locked up in their hearts secrets Of which the
world knows 'nothing and which it would,ho im
proper that they should know!
Two :Children of the same family are separated In
their early youth; after long years have elapsed,
and the foim and features of each have changed, fib
that recognition- in that way is impossible, they
meet. How do they prove to each their identity,
but by mut•ral questions' on those family matters
that can be known only td itstriertibersi And vib'd
you invade that family birtle, and take away the
veil from the hidden recesses of domestic confidence?
Would you ask us to take down the frail barrier
that separates us from the multitude, and let them
in to prey 'on that treasure which constitutes the"
hope of many i a -widow and her orphaned children;
that treasure' which 'the husband and father, dead
and gone to his rest, assisted in his lifetime by his
sweat and toil to accumulate!
fleCause we will not subject to the mt.o
Of 'linen§ eyes, our holy mysteries'
We ask but Common Justice. Po you turn
From the sweet rain that cheers )our thirsty teldsi
Or front the brave that fans yonridow
In s u p m ers sultry noontide! And yet, say,
Gan you In either trace the agents used
Hy their AIM ighty author? And, if we
thipread toy and gladness throughout nll - the lanai
If we It, sickness. with a brother's love.
Bend o'er the sutli•rer, and do all that man
Cat' do to ease his helpless ngony;
If, in Ids long Ihn-t home, with kindly hauls
We lay !dui ithwn tit red: then gently turn
- h
To those who mourn n husbands, fathers toes
And with a pure and holy rvimunhy,
Teach them to eee a Ileaveidy Father's hand
In their sad ilispensai ton—if we place
The widow and her little ones Mot e
The fear ofguawing poverty—lf we
Shout,' o'er an erring brother's frailties cant
The sell of charity, and by kind words
And kinder actions win a soul from guilt
And save a being formed by God's own hand
And in his Image, from the lowest depths i •
Of ,legredatlon; f hnll we bedec tied
Decamite our xecrets are not 01 Wit-CHM
Before the public eyet The holy pagti
Declares that "by the fruit ye know the trek,
And front that test we shrink nut."
It is objected by soma, that our institution being
what they calla secret society, is dangerous to the
interests of the go6rnment. In a despotie goverp
ment, where the people have not the liberty of
speech nor of the press, secret societies are Some
times made the means. of organizing systematic re
sistanaelo the tyrany and oppression of the rulers.
But here, where the people are theinselves the toy.
°reigns, where the utmost liberty of speech and of
the press is tolerated; where there are. no evils of
any magnitude which cannot bo corrected through
the ballot box; and where all have a voice in making
the laws under! which we live, what object could be
attained by a secret organization which could not
as well and better be accomplished by other and
more legitimate means? All societies formed for
the purpose of forwarding such objects as are
Orlin imputed to or, are exclusive and admit
etch as entertain views favorable to their partieu
lar designi• But We number in our ranks men of all
creeds and of every political tact under the sun.—
Men of all nations,;tougnea and professions hero
assembled` in amity together. Senators and rep
resentatives in the Congress of the United States;
members of the State Legislatures; officers in the
army and Navy, and persons holding official stations
in every department of mernmenti , clergymen,
lawyers and physicians' atizans, agriculturalists
and laborers, here meet. in equality and fraternity on
"Why titan!l we be condemned,
one common platform. Among the gallant spirits
whoachieved for themselves a glorious fame in the
war with Mexico, were many of our order; among
others, Walker the herole Texan ranger. And if
en- invading force were now landing on our shores
and the din and crash of arms beginning to ring
through our land, believe me, Odd Fellows would
,not be the last to rush to the defence of our com
mon country.
We aro told by other objectors, that our instals
lion interferes tvith the prerogative of the Christian
Church;-;.-that it is a part of its duty to watch over
the temporal interests of its members, and that the
poor and afflicted among them aro entitled to relief.
They tell us also that to sanction our organization,
is virtually to admit the l inefficiency of the church
to accomplish its oWects. Coming as this objec t ion
freqcentiy does, from the friends of humanity, and
from those whose lives and character entitle them
to our most profound respect, it deserves our / t!
tention.
We will admit for the alike of the a rgurnetlf, that
.„
everyreligious society istunply able, and always
ready to relieve its members in circumstances of
sickness or misfottune. , 43ut there is thia difficulty
in the way of any veo? ostensive relief being so
furnished. 'There Is in the mind of every man who
retains anY portion of hid natural pride, an uncon
querable aversion to any a'asistance which coiner to
him as a more charity. It is fur this reason that
there are many who could look upon any destitution
however prolonged or insupportable as being pref
erable to _living on the charity of the public, in a
puor house. The mind revolts from an existence
on the prinCiplo of pauperism and refuses to re
ceive that as a gift of charity which it would glad
or have as 41 right. And if, when the hand of sick
ness is heavy upon us, we find placed in our hand
a regular periodical stipend, which we can receive
without reluctance, because it is nothing more
than is stricly due to us, is it not unspeakably more
gratifying than to feel that we are dependant on
charity however cheerfully and liberally bestowed!
From the teachings of religion ‘ve,lt's . rn that It is
our duty to give alms, to feed the,hungry, clothe
he tusked and visit the widow And the fatherless in
their affliction: It is right for us to discharge these
duties whether we arc connected with a church or
not. And if it. right for us as individuals, why is
it.wrong for a number or persons to to-operath and
conbentrato their efforts for the purpose bf inau
,;ring greater efficiency. The sante objection we'd
exclude from their held of usefulness, temperance
societies and all the other benevolent associations
of the day.
• Our institution is strictly secular in its character,
and the fact that in its ranks aro to be found cler
gymen of every denomination, and whose principles
and deportment are beyond reproach, should go far
to free use from the accusation of doing,any thing
in Contravention of the Interests of Christianity
whose glorious truths and principles are renervated
by us alls,
Sometimes to are pointed to some frail and erring
brother who, despite the lessons be has received, bas
wandered from the paths of virtuo into those of folly
and crime, and the question Is asked, if your institu
tion be based on principles of pure morality, why do
ou continue such as be in membership! Weclaitn
.o infalibility for our members; nor do we expect
that its teachings will-always accomplish all that
we would desire in the elevation of character. But
until huManity Ceases to be sink!l and imperfect no
such i obje‘ction as this should bo Urged. As Well
might it be said that those devoted mon who have
been laboring for years in the cause of temperance,
should relax their efforts and leave the field of use
fulness because some poor wanderer has gone back
,to his former habits. Shoifid an uuworthy persou
gain admission into our society, it is our duty to ad
monish him of his misguided course, and not u n til
every means of reformation has failed, do wo resort
to the eitreMity of expulsion. Not utifrequently
has it happened 'that our institution has been the
means of restoring -to society and usefulness those
whom dissipation had' well nigh destroyed.
Selfishness is charged upon us; that our boners,-
once is limited to the boundaries of the order, and
that beyond those limits it has no sympathy. It is
true that, as en organization, our funds are devoted'
k the relielldt those only who are entitled to them.
It is only by adhering to a systematic and Just dis
tribution of ks means that our order retains its
strength. It ought itot to be expected that It Can
bear on its shoulders the Altean world of human suf r
feting. It is true that its benefits re confined gen
erally to its members; but ;f this be a valid obje.c-
on, then all the societies ihat have ever existed may
be condemned by the same rule, for the very idea of
a society implies this. ,Our Order is not blind to
the sights, nor deaf to the sounds of suffering in the
world without. It relieves first and justly`the suf
ferings of its own family and children, and then does
what it can for others. It does all the good it has
the ability to do. It goes to the extent of its resour
tes. Because wo cannot do every thing, shall wedo
nothing? Because wo tnnot relieve all distresies,
shall we he indifferent to those we might relieve?—
Three persons aro struggling for life in the strewn;
one is within our reach; we can save him, but the
the others we cannot reach without sacrificing, our
own life; shill wo fold oar hands and refuse to res•
cue the ono because cannot save .111 -
If it were strictly and literally true that Old Fel
lowship confines all its benefits to the initiated, it
would be no serious objection. But it is by no means
true; the records of our Lodges show that large I
groins are every year distributed to the needy outside
the pale of the order. Tho whole tendency of its
tenoning@ is to refine and elevate man's notions of
Hi duties to his fellow-men, The initiate from his
first step over the threshold of our temple', through
all the stages of his progress, is constantly reknded
of .the existence of the fraternal relation;, that all
men are brothers; that ho is not to live for himself
alone; that there is but ono country, the earth; and
trot one family, the human race. The highest and
purest motives of human action are impressed on his
mind. "Do unto others as ye would that they sho'ld
do unto you," and "Love -thy neighbor as thyself,"
are precepts ineultated tit every step. And is it
such things as these that will harden a man's heart,
pillzy his better nature, and so blunt his natural
sympathies that he Can look upon the palid lip of
pleading poverty unmoved? Is it from such lessons
thnt fie will go forth among the busy scenes of oaf
io to scoff at human 4riefa; to shut him band trpoin
S 1 50 A Tzian, in Advance.
NUMBER 20.
his gold and refuse bread to the starving, to turn a
deaf ear to the Wail of the bereaved . and the desolate,
From our fair friends coined anotner
ft is asked, if the institution of Odd Fellowship is •
what it professes to be, a mere beneficial minis. , &
tion, and having for its objet the relief of suffering
and want, why is it that women, whose kindly sym
pathies so eminently fit hor for the discharge ofauctt
duties, Is excluded from membership) This quea r y
Lion may seem, at first view, difficult of answer, but
there is nevertheless a good and sufficient reason
for even this objectionable featured
Man has ever, by the custom of society and the
nature of things, been alive in the out-door scenes
of life. With his whole soul, and all the energies
of his body and mind absorbed In the accumulation
of wealth, er in the mad schemes of ambition, his
sympathies arc all *rapped within the folds of an all
absorbing selfishness. His hopes, his efforts, and
his plans; all centre in hie own poison, and he for
gets the duties be owes to his fellormati. It is to
revive and rearlimate these syrnpathas,..end fraternal
regards of tnau's nature that Odd Fellowship has its
existence. The life of woman is passed among oth•
er scenes. She is not engaged is the restless strug
gle for supremacy that occupies man's attention,
but amid the delights of domestic tranquility shs,
passes her peaceful life, untroubled by the fluctua
tions in the business worldj with no political
schemes, or ambition for the glory of the warrior's
fame, her sympathies have all the 'activity for good
which nature planted there, and her heart is nos
hardened by 'those influences which averice, selfish
ness cud corroding care, have exercised on that of
mam film needs no training or organization of ef
fort to fit her for discharging her duties to her fel.
low-creatures: She accomplishes with equal sue.
'nese and eflicieney the Bathe objects without usoolc
ated effort, that we do with It.
Home there are's ho cavihst the inslgine,the eol•
ohts and the emblems, with which our institutto*
,as surrounded herself. And why should we pot
have our harmless decorations at well as otherst—o
Are we different, in this matter, from other woe's.
ted bodies of men? Are not our churches splendid
In their trappings of Purple and gold, their pulpit%
their altars, and their columns? The eye of Man
delights to gratify itself with gorgeous tints and
brilliant Colors, and Nature, with "bountiful inutile .
ministers to oUr sense of the beautiful.. She -deaf
herself with many colored • garments, and clothes
herself in beauty. tier fleecy snows descend and
cover the earth with an emblem of purity and truth:
She sets out her fordts in brilliant hue of groom
and in the autumn blend. it hire and there With
scarlet and gold. She spreads over the world the
great blue dorms of sky,' and_ sprinkles it with tau
myriad silver stars; and she' has taken all her col
ors and mingled them together in the mighty boss
of promise set among the mists and clouds of heat
'
en.
Our eniblerns have each their appropriate dory
of inculcating some lesson, or of reminding of some
great moral truth:' They constitute a . silent hotel
oquent and universal language which appeals with
powerful influence to the hearts and'affections dell
from the force of association, and from the philoso
phical truth,`beauty, and sublimity of their silent
teachings.
Time will not ,allow me to Defies these in dotalt,
Ind I advert - to one only. The last emblem of the
series is that sad picture which reminds - us of out
mortality; that wo must shortly leave all those busy
scenes of life's turmoil and strife. It says to each
of us;--1
"S.') l!v . e, that w hen thy summons tomtit to )ols
The Innumerable caravan, that moves
To the pale realms of shade, where each shall lat.
Isis chamber in the silent halls ofdenth,
'Thou go not, like the quarry slate at night,
ticourged to h 1 ilitogeon; but sustained and sweat
Ply an unfaltering trust, approhch thy earn
Like one ti ho wraps the drapery of his toucb
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.'
Laboring hopefully and cheerfully in our respee
tire aphores pf usefulness, let us each bear hii per
tion of the ireat work before us. Not sitting idly;
listening to the onward rushing tread of the millions
who urge past us in the metal of improvement, boa
toiling patiently, and with a hopeful spirit, look for
ward with the eye of Faith for the dawning @plea
ders of a more glorious era in the world's Watery..
To that time fureshadotved in thetomises of ffely
Writ, when men shall bo bound in one indissoluble
chain of 441 union, and the teeming millions*?
earth shall dwell together in Peace; when man shall
beat their tworde Into plowdbares mod their spears
into pruning hooks, and shell learn war no more.--6.
When the leopard shall Ile down with the lamb, and
the lion and the o* shall feed together, and the l little
child shall lead them. Looking fur that periods id
th 3 future which the poet describes as in the misti
•
"The snord, a share; the pruning hook, theipean
The animals as once in Eden, lived
In peace; the nod tlwelt with the tomtit, tho Iva
And leopar4 with the ox; with loots of lose;
The tiger and the scaly creeodile s
Together wet, at Gambia's palmy wait.. -I
Perched on the eagles wing, the bird of soot,
tinging, arose and visited the son;
And with the falcon tat the 'Trifle lrk,.
The little Child itottied from Ws mother imams
And stroked the crested ;hate, Ced tolled unhurt
Among his speckled waves—and wished him Immo; • lc ,
And sauntering school-bogs, slow returnieg pleyesi
At eve about the lions dett,anil wove
In.° his shaggy mane fantastic flowers.
To meet the husbandman,- early abroad
Hailed the deer, end waved his woody behl;
itud round its dewy steps, the hare„unscand.
Pported and cord familiar with his dog;
The flocks and herds, o'er bill end valley spread
Exulting, eroPpeil the ever budding herb;
The desert blorsomed and the barren sung.'
PCRELT Vsosrast.s.—"My dear air," said a vei
etsble doctor to his patron, whom on entering the
house ho was surprised to find a widower, "dial's/
wife suffer much in the lest struggle?"
"No, I rather guess not," said the bereaved !n
-bind, with epparent resignition:
"Thank heaven!" exclaimed the botanic, "for the
light which 'science imparts," throwing back his
head and turning his eyes towards the concave ho
tiion, and at the same time thrtiiting his hawd into
his breeches pockets; "this Is truly an age of dig
eoveriesi I knew she could not suffer; fur I had
given her the proper remedies to make her die easy;
I always do that for my patients. It is a discovery
of my is purely vegetable!"
. -
The "imp" of the New York bleteory irote if
the other morning, and was astonished to see a bed
bug sitting on the back of a chair near his bed,
polling pins from his jaeketond innoctintly picking
his teeth
11