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V|fl||liA||«Qjnigiw||l.Jig' THE ORDER BY THE
••S*^i|^q^«,^|t.ig,||rrEMBER 25, 1897
•^» a^* «^» •^^ •^^ *'^* ' •• •
iS- «"» <j!v» a^* ,
5HING COMPANY
^^ "^e-rso oti N€.i^T r. -p
Copyright, 1897, By lee CLAFLIN HASCALL.
All rights reserved.
SOLD ONLY BY SUgSqmPTION.
• • • •
• • • f
• • ••
•• •
Norbjooti 3Pma
J. S. Ciuhing ft Co. - Berwick A Smith Norwood Mut. U.S. A'
THE
OFFICIAL HISTORY
OF
ODD FELLOWSHIP
Ci^e d^ree-'linfe jfratemitt
OR
THE ANTIQUITIES, CREATIVE PERIOD, AND
GOLDEN AGE OF FRIENDSHIP,
LOVE, AND TRUTH
ILLUSTRATED
WRITTEN BY A BOARD OF EDITORS
Dbclared the Official History of the Order bt the Soyersiqit
Grakd Lodge, September 25, 1897
BOSTON, MASS., U.S.A,
THE FRATERNITY PUBLISHING COMPANY
1898
VA5 .S85
183837
coptright, 1897, Bt lee CLAFUN HASCALL.
AH righU reserved.
SOLD ONLY BT SUBSCRIPTION.
Kodnooli 9Tnw
J. 8. Cuihlng ft Co. — Berwick It Smith Norwood Mais. U.S.A.
Sir ,
BOARD OF EDITORS.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.
HENRY LEONABD STILLSON, Past Grand Master, Past Grand BepreBdatative
of Vermont I Bennington.
ASSOCIATE EDITORS.
Fred Cablxtoit, Grand Sire of the Sover- eign Grand Lodge, Austin, Tex.
Alvbed S. Pikksrton, Deputy Grand Sire of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, Worcester, Mass.
J. Fkahk Grant, Grand Secretary of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, Baltimore, Md.
Rkv. John W. Vbnablb, Grand Chaplain of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, Hopkins- ville, Ky.
Jambs B. Nicholson, Past Grand Sire of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, Philadelphia, Penn.
Jakbs p. Sandbbs, Past Grand Sire of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, Yonkers, N.Y.
Chablbs M. Busbbe, Past Grand Sire of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, Raleigh, N.G.
Db. Gl. T. Campbell, Past Grand Sire of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, London, Prov- ince of Ontario, Canada.
John W. Stbbbinb, Past Grand Sire of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, Rochester, N.Y.
John Mbdolb, Past Grand Master of New York, New York City.
Russell G. Dtbb, Past Ghrand Master of Maine, Portland.
Hbnbt 0. Hbdobs, Past Grand Master of Ohio, Mansfield.
A. L. YooBHis, Past Grand Master of Kan- sas, Topeka.
Chablbs N. Fox, Past Grand Master of California, San Francisco.
Hebman Block, Special Deputy Grand Sire for Europe, Finneberg-in-Holstein, Ger- many.
Gen. John Cobson Smith, Grand Scribe of Illinois, Chicago.
Gbn. John H. Albin, Past Grand Master of New Hampshire, Concord.
John M. Bbodrick, Past Grand Master of Ohio, Marysville.
Rev. Frank W. Evans, Past Grand Master of Iowa, Des Moines.
Rev. Alfbed J. Hough, Poet Laureate, Grand Lodge of Vermont, White River Jc.
John C. Smith, Grand Secretary of Austral- asia, Melbourne, Victoria.
William Rbid, Grand Secretary of New Zealand, Dunedin.
Mbs. Abbib Lynch, Past President, Re- bekah Assembly of Pennsylvania, Alle- gheny.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS.
Alabama.
B. P. Whttmak, Grand Secretary, Hunts- vUle.
E. L. Cahall, Past Grand Scribe, Mobile.
Arizona. N. A. MoBFOBD, Past Grand Master, Phoenix.
Arkansas.
J. B. Fbibdhbim, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Camden.
Mbs. Juua A. Potteb, Past Secretary, Re- bekah Assembly, Morrillton.
British Columbia.
Fbbdebick Davet, Grand Secretary, Vic- toria.
J. B. Ballanttnb, Grand Scribe, New Westminster.
California.
Geo. T. Ssaw, Grand Secretary, San Fran- cisco.
William H. Babnes, Grand Scribe, San ' Francisco.
Mbs. Mabt E. Donqho, Secretary, Rebekah Assembly, San Francisco.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS.
Hon. Chablks A. Sumnbb, Past Grand of Templar Lodge, No. 17, San Francisco.
Colorado.
Dr. J. M. NoBMAN, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Denver.
Col. Gbobgb M. Huskinb, Department Commander, Patriarchs Militant, Denver.
Mbs. Minnib M. Pibbson, President, Be- bekah Assembly, Colorado Springs.
Connecticut.
Fbbdbbick Botsfobd, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, New Haven.
JoHir Blair, Grand Master, 1897-98, Water- buiy.
Mbs. Hannah S. Harybt, Secretary, Be- bekah Assembly, Bridgeport.
Chablbs B. Wars, President, ** Fairview" Home, New London.
Delaware.
Edwik Hibst, Grand Scribe, Wilmington.
District of Columbia.
William R. Hunt, Grand Secretary, Wash- ington.
William F. Allan, Past Grand Ifaster, Washington.
John H. Sbiffbbt, Grand Treasurer, Wash- ington.
Florida,
N. C. Pbttit, Grand Representative, Waldo.
E. O. Locks, Past Grand Master, Key West.
Thomas C. Watson, Grand Representative, Pensaoola.
A. J. Russbll, Past Grand Master, first President of the National Odd Fellows' Home and Sanitarium, Gainesville.^
W. H. Chancy, Past Grand Master, Talla- hassee.
E. B. Van Dbman, Past Grand Master, Jack- sonville.
Georgia.
Jno. G. Dritz, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Macon.
Idaho.
A. K. Stbunenberg, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Caldwell.
Mbs. Minnie Pbiest Dunton, Secretary, Rebekah Assembly, Idaho City.
Illinois.
James R. Millbb, Grand Secretary, Spring- field.
Db. Samttbl Willabd, Past Grand Scribe, Chicago.
Nathaniel C. Nason, Past Grand Secretary, Shelbyville.
Mrs. Lola L. Rickabd, Secretary, Rebekah Assembly, Olney.
Mbs. L. L. Morbison, Saperintendent and Matron of Home, Lincoln.
Indiana.
B. F. Fobtbb, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Indianapolis.^
^ Deoeaaed.
Rev. Thomas G. Bbhabbell, Past Grand
Patriarch, New Albany.
Mbs. Maby A. Poths, President, Rebekah Assembly, Terre Haute.
J. B. Kenneb, President of Home, Hunting- ton.
Indian Territory.
C. W. Hatvibld, Grand Secretary, Wagoner.
Iowa.
William Musson, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Des Moines.'
Miss S. Elizabeth Matheney, Secretary, Rebekah Assembly, Keokuk.
Kansas.
G. W. Main, Past Grand Secretary, Topeka.
Ed. T. Rebs, Grand Scribe, Leavenworth.
Mb8. Lybia Shbppabd, Secretary, Rebekah Assembly, Wichita.
Kentucky.
R. G. Elliott, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Louisville.
Mbs. a. T. Million, Secretary, Rebekah Assembly, Richmond.
Louisiana.
F. Gbiebhabbb, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, New Orleans.
Lower (Maritime) Profnnces of British America.
J. C. P. Frazee, Grand Secretary and Past Grand Scribe, Halifax.
MaiTie.
Joshua Davis, Grand Secretary, Portland.
Miss Gbace £. Walton, Secretary, Re- bekah Assembly, Belfast.
Manitoba. R. H. Shanks, Grand Secretary, Winnipeg.
D. E. McKiNNON, Grand Scribe, Winnipeg.
Maryland.
Jno. M. Jones, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Baltimore.
Massachusetts.
John U. Perkins, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Boston.
J. B. Ckawfobd, Past Grand Master, Boston.
Mbs. Sarah A. Barry, Secretary, Rebekah Assembly, Charlestown.
W. E. Ford, President of Home, Worces- ter.
G. B. F. Maxwell, Past Grand, Medford. O. C. Underwood, North Adams.
Michigan.
Edwin H. Whitney, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Lansing.
George L. Davis, Past Grand Master, Lansing.
> Died October 19, 1896, uEt. 76.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTOBS.
ICrs. J. A. L. PRB8TOR, Past Secretary, Be- bekah Assembly, Elsie.
Minnesota.
A. L. Bolton, Grand Secretary, St. Paul.
8. E. Ferrbb, Grand Scribe, Minneapolis.
Mrs. Eunice Mblvillb, Secretary, Be- bekah Assembly, Minneapolis.
Mississippi.
Monrob McGlurg, Past Grand Master, Greenwood.
I. D. BLUMENTHAii, Grand Scribe, Holly Springs.
Missouri,
Rev. J. B. Jewbll, Past Grand Master, Springfield.
E. M Sloan, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, St. Louis.
LoiLENs Delikb, Superintendent, Odd Fel- lows' Home, Liberty.
Montana,
A. J. WiirrB, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Butte.
Nebraska.
L P. Gaob, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Fremont.
Mrs. Cora A. Bbbls, President, Bebekah Assembly, Norfolk.
Nevada.
L. GnooBNHBiM, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Virginia City.
New Hampshire.
Ret. Joseph Kidder, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Blanchester.
New Jersey.
Lbwis Parker, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Trenton.
Mrs. Maky I. Pullen, Secretary, Bebekah Assembly, Arlington.
William H. Biddle, Secretary of Bidgely Home Association, Atlantic City.
New York.
John G. Dbubbrt, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, New York City.
Miss Aones E. Booebs, President, 1897, Be- bekah Assembly, Newburg.
Gkorgb \V. Dilks, Grand Bepresentative, New York City.
Frank E. Pouch, President, Long Island Home, Brooklyn.
Harrt Walker, Grand High Priest, Vice- President, Long Island Home, Brooklyn.
Charles H. Mosbs, Home Association, Brooklyn.
John C. Cahoon, Secretary, Sherman Park Home, New York City.
Frank Machaubr, Secretary, German Odd Fellows* Home, New York City.
Charlbs Higkbt, President, Odd Fellows' Home, Lockport.
North Carolina,
B. H. Woodbll, Grand Secretary, Baleigh.
George L. Tonnoffski, Past Grand Scribe, Raleigh.
BiCHARD J. Jones, Past Grand Master, Wilmington.
North Dakota.
Don. McDonald, Grand Secretary, Qnmd Forks.
Mrs. Mart Merriell, Past President, Be- bekah Assembly, Hope.
Ohio.
C. H. Ltman, Grand Messenger of the Sov- ereign Grand Lodge, Grand Secretary, Columbus.
F. C. Garrbtt, Grand Scribe, Dayton.
Mrs. Ehsu. M. Bell, Secretary, Bebekah Assembly, Columbus.
Oklahoma,
J. M. Creamer, Past Grand Secretary,
Oklahoma City.
J. B. May, Grand Secretary, El Beno.
H. L. Strough, Grand BepresentatiYe, Marietta (Indian Territory).
Ontario.
J. B. King, Grand Secretary, Toronto.
M. D. Dawson, Grand Scribe, London.
Mrs. Maggie Waddell, Secretary, Be- bekah Assembly, St. Thomas.
Oregon.
A. G. Walling, Deputy Grand Master, Port- land.i
E. E.. Sharon, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe, Portland.
Mrs. Winnie Graham, Secretary, Bebekah Assembly, Boseburg.
Pennsylvania.
Christian X. Fisher, Assistant Grand Secretary, Philadelphia.
Mrs. Mary N. Joslyn, Secretary, Bebekah Assembly, Philadelphia.
Elias Johnson, President, Odd Fellows' Home of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
George C. Thompson, Secretary, Orphans' Home, Philadelphia.
John A. Myler, President, Home for Widows and Orphans, Ben Avon.
William Pentz, Secretary, Odd Fellows' Home, Meadville.
Qitebee.
Thomas J. Pottbr, Grand Secretary, Mon- treal.
Rhode Island.
William H. T. Moslby, Grand Secretary
and Grand Scribe,- Providence. Mrs. Rebecca H. Chacb, Vice-President,
Rebekah Assembly, Providence.
^ DeeeMed. His contribution wm his last work.
>&'
£•••19 lnvTD L. SutDiKi, P«n Grand PktTiucIi, " "*■ Montpeller.
tB8. Loc»s L. BoTCi, SecTsUTy, Betnkkh
AMembl;, Barre.
BMBT Clakk, Past Qraod Muter, Rut-
E. Watson, Put Dlitrict Deputy Gniad H«st«r, Bennington.
I Wathington.
\ sF. A. Shaw, Grand Secretary and Qntnd
Sccfbe, Walla WaUa.
kmtr Nabh, Past Grand Scribe, Tacoma.
M. Nbllib M. Knoff, Secretary, Rebekah
AsMDibly, SeatUe.
. ^ Weil Virginia.
^ -- ^ _ -3i*i.ui A. BiLLiHOSLBA, OroDd BecMtary,
;2'f?.*^-2»-i--fejI- A- Uthmah, Grand Scribe, Wheeling.'
IgMBB. Hattik Ronet, Secretary, Bebekab ■s--'.>- .^. ....>-...> -^' Assembly, ColUera.
igniixaj Jj''CHAEi> Hob, Grand Secretary, Milwaukee. ■«>■ ig. ij^ •^>^^:^3- O. HoLMSs, Grand Scribe, Baraboo. _ iS?iI*l,*. .»•.•. -*Sl«a. Sarah E. Hutchimhon, Secretary, ilLiR>iir"^^£- ■»•<»■■»>-£- Rebekah Assembly, Menomoole,
"' "1..H..S..W..a..B- ^ Wyoming.
'?ad>£Sib^fi^na(f&->|§3xicie MiLLBB, Grand Secretary and Grand
'*••*••*••*••
. Scribe, Laramie.
■.^^
»:
3:
Metrication.
To THE Memory of the " Fathers ** of American Odd Fellowship,
who have now gone to enjoy the full fruition of the " Fatherhood
of God and the Brotherhood of Man/' the fundamental tenet
of our better lives, which sought recognition at their
hands in the organization of
Cf^e iFnSe^ntlyent ^rtret of d^ JrlUitD8»-*-
TO THE LIVING BRETHREN
pledged to carry forward this great work for
humanity, and hand it down unimpaired
to their successors, that the
THREE-LINK FRATERNITY
may continue to bless mankind, -~
tSTijis Folume is H^tticjiU'ti.
Z.' t* tmwSpA'OT THt craud secRETAftr
secRETAftr.
(^Mifjlf Nov. 23, 1897.
l#§^S!#fti'l*«?.SiS4ifi» nUishmg Company. Bosm, M^s. *■■•""•"■ "^ "^ M •• -W. •• iS . «?. «IS . «• .
lpJLn|Ji^-^lljaicM^^09th your request I hereby certify that, at the
l|j^|is^fr<S^'£i§lil>ringfteld. Illinois. September 20-25. 1897. ""jp/Hui&tMfgUfSlT^tee on Official History, made the following
• ™ •*■ S *^ ■^•S"*^S^'2'*§^^''^&''S^ Nl3" referred the request of Brother Lee C. Hascall.
'lb ■■ - - "it • '^.aS^P^tiSSita^.^ort that
■ wl • '^"^''^55!^'^^^*®;'^= volume referred to us. entitled 'The History
»• 'M'^^w'^^^fi'^J^^y^'"'^ """ " *" prepared by twenty-four eminent
^%rSS'S^'%<^SMl^AStf11aborating with one hundred and forty-nine addi-
' ifgk*yVt^^!^C:V^9:S^etary of each Grand Lodge under the jurisdiction
•• _ jK^K JS^mKj^S ^gfy Grand Encampment. Ihe Secretaries and other
4 ^^>9KKiltl«lHn&i^g^E> brothers , who placed at Ihe disposal of the board
4 ^ ' !^^?'^v^'w^^^9V^^^'" '■""^^'^ '^° general editorship of Henry Leonard
j^Z^ ^ f •■ ' ^W^H^K^K^^^E^C*'"''^ °' '^° Grand jurisdiction of the State of
5*''l'''9 ^ £ *^^ ^cSe^Si^^^C*^^'^'^ before engaged in the preparation of a frater-
^Aii4 * dB * I *> A ^p^^^^^i^f^^wl3^^> lo be the most complele and authoritative history
•, ^ * £• » *'« ''^hvS'^W^^^^call be granted, and that this book be declared
*rZ^Z' *' * * ^ "*"*• ■2'il^5«"""J' submitted,
^^a^psSt-cSCussell, J. T. Hornlbrook. George W, Dllks, *^>§t^£«%el, J. 5. Hoagland."
B m • • a .♦..♦,,*.'V.''^*.'i>.
^ ^tiC^^i|^:^C§£^^^:Eaturday, September 25th.
'^^^^^^^^^kMf^W^^'^''' ^^- '^'^^^- '^-^^' '^'^^' '^'^^-
PREFACE.
The preparation of this History of Odd Fellowship has been a work of no small magnitude. Rising from obscurity and the humblest beginnings, the founders of the Order builded better than they knew. Little did they think as they mingled with men, fulfilling their mission of love, that their deeds were to be known to later generations, and that their history was to become a part of the history of the country.
Having in view only the relief of immediate want and distress, and the dissemi- nation among themselves of those principles of Friendship, Love, and Truth, which knitted heart closer to heart ; moving themselves in the humbler walks of life, it is not surprising that they should have given less heed to placing on record the daily history which they themselves were creating, than to the daily aud hourly exemplification of the principles of their beloved Order.
Commendable in them as this may seem, it renders the task of the historian doubly arduous. The casual reader might infer that the materials for the history of a society which has just celebrated its seventy-eighth anniversary would be easy to acquire ; but the truth is that, owing to the meagre records kept in early years even in this country, many items of interest have now passed beyond recall ; the greater part of those that remain must be preserved in tangible form, or they, too, will pass into oblivion. The necessity, then, for a volume like the present is obvious.
With a view of enlarging its usefulness, adding to its interest, and, indeed, ren- dering it invaluable to those who cherish a love for Odd Fellowship and the noble principles for which it stands, the publishers decided to widen the original scope of the work, and to summon to their aid the best talent available in the Order.
A glance at the list of Editors and Additional Contributors will show how faithfully this plan has been consummated. The completed volume gives a care- ful and comprehensive history of the origin, laws, customs, traditions, and acts of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. To secure this result meant not only profound research, but numberless interviews and correspondence with those whose varied experience, personally, in the Order, and intimate acquaintance with those of earlier knowledge, enabled them to trace events of rare interest in one continuous chain. The most brilliant and scholarly writers which the Order possessed were secured, and no labor, effort, or money has been spared to produce a perfect book*
To add to its value a large number of engravings have been made at great cost. Many of these were drawn expressly for this volume by the finest artists in the country. Others are the reproductions of historic scenes, and of interesting places dear to the heart of every true Odd Fellow; while still others are emblematic representations of rare beauty and suggestiveness.
9
10 PREFACE.
With sach an extensive and varied body of contributors, covering all the juris- dictions, and including the finest minds in the Order, it was natural that the Editor-in-Chief should be confronted with an embarrassment of riches. If all the matter contributed had been used, the result would have been a work of several volumes. It was by the most rigid censorship and the most painstaking care that the work could be kept within the compass of a single volume.
It was the desire of the publishers to present only the cream of history, and the editors have collaborated with that end in view. The result is here presented in a single octavo volume of nine hundred pages, superbly printed, elegantly illustrated, and richly bound, — a model of what can be accomplished when a refined taste is combined with a lavish expenditure of money.
It is no disparagement to other fraternal orders to assert that the history of Odd Fellowship is fraught with more elements of popular interest than that of any contemporaneous order. Others may be more ancient ; but, when the origin of Odd Fellowship is reviewed, from its early struggles for recognition, — through poverty and bigoted opposition in its contest for the higher destiny of the race, — to the time of the final triumph of its glorious principles among men, these events possess a picturesqueness and vividness of interest at once fascinating and endur- ingly instructive.
A careful reading of the Autographic Introduction and of the Eulogium will convince any one that, whatever else may be said of the various subjects presented, their treatment here is authoritative.
The choice of editors and contributors was not a selection at haphazard. It was after a long and patient consideration, with the approval of the Grand Sire, and frank suggestions from the most experienced and valuable members of the Order throughout the world of Odd Fellowship, that the decision was made. Their official position, intelligence, ability, scholarly attainments, and standing before the country and the world were among the elements which determined their preference.
Facts and incidents are given never before published, revealing the motives which actuated the men and moulded the legislation of former days. The steps that led to the adoption of the various distinguishing features in the Order, are traced with thoroughness ; and, while the conclusions may not always be accepted, and may provoke discussion, the writers are amply able to defend them.
So comprehensive is the plan of the whole book, and so thoroughly has the work been accomplished, that it is doubtful if any similar history will be attempted during this generation. The possessor of this volume has at his command the best thoughts of the best writers in the Order, and a mass of facts brilliantly related and of absorbing interest.
During the two years of its preparation the material has been carefully sifted, and every error, so far as known, eliminated.
The publishers confidently present it to the vast army of Odd Fellows not only as a monument of conscientious scholarship, but as a treasury of the best thoughts, the wisest acts, and the highest aspirations of the Order. They feel, also, that they may claim, with due modesty, to have presented a book which, for .superb typog- raphy, wealth of illustration, and elegance of binding, has rarely been equalled.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION.
PAOK AUTOCOtAPHICi BY PAST GBAND SiSB SaNDERS 19
PART I.
An iNQUntT INTO THB " Bbginnings of Things" (Introdactory to the Perfected Organizations of Later Times) . Complete in one Division 26
DIVISION I.
Thb Parallels of Antiquity.
The Ancient Mysteries considered in Relation to the Origin and Customs of Modem Civic-Societies ; the Original Habitat of the Race ; Impressions traced in the Folk- lore of Peoples and Countries ; the Early Associations in Britain and in Continental Europe ; Social and Craft Guilds ; Clubs and Lodges of Odd Fellows. Complete in three chapters 25
PART II. Thb Obioin, thb Cbbatiye Pbbiod, and thb Ooldbn Agb of Odd Fbllowship,
CONSIDBBBD IN RbGARD TO THB GOYBBNINQ BODIBS OF THB ObDBB. Complete
in one Division 43
DIVISION n.
Thb Sovbreign Grand Lodob.
The Beginning and Growth of the Independent Order, on Both Sides of the Atlantic Ocean ; and of the American Order, now represented in the Sovereign Grand Lodge, belting the Globe. Complete in four sections (with an Introduction) 43
I. The Manchester Unity during its Connection with the American Order. Complete
in four chapters 45
n. History of the Sovereign Grand Lodge : the Formative Periods. Complete in four
chapters 66
HI. History of the Sovereign Grand Lodge (continued) : the Golden Age of Odd Fel- lowship. Complete in eight chapters 103
IV. The Story of '65, or the History of the Grand Lodge of the United States (now the
Sovereign Grand Lodge) , during the War. Complete in six chapters 180
11
12 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PART III.
PAOB
The Grand Lodges of the United States of Ahbbica (ik Three Meridians), AND Other Countries, considered in Relation to the Golden Aoe of Odd Fellowship. Complete in seyen Diyisions 211
DIVISION m. First Meridian.
I. The Pioneer Lodges: the Grand Lodges of Maryland, New York, Massachusetts,
and Pennsylvania. Complete in four chapters (with an Introduction) 213
n. The Grand Lodges of New England : Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut (excepting Massachusetts) ; the Grand Jurisdictions of the South Atlantic Slope: New Jersey, Delaware, Former Virginia and Present Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida (excepting Maryland and Pennsylyania). Complete in two chapters. 294
DIVISION IV. Second Meridian.
I. The Eastern Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes: the Grand Lodges of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Missis- sippi, and Louisiana. Complete in one chapter 332
II. The Western Mississippi Valley: the Grand Lodges of Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Dakota and South Dakota, North Dakota, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma. Complete in one chapter 354
DIVISION V.
Third Meridian.
The Pacific Coast and Rocky Mountains, from British Columbia to Mexico : the Grand Lodges of California, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Montana, Wyo- ming, Utah,' Arizona, New Mexico (including Alaska). Complete in one chapter Cwith an Historical Introduction) 379
DIVISION VI.
British North America.
Introduction of American Odd Fellowship into the British Possessions of North Amer- ica ; the Grand Lodge of Canada ; the Grand Lodge of British North America ; the Grand Lodges in Ontario, the Maritime Provinces (including Lodges in Newfound- land), Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Lodges in the Northwest Territories of Canada ; together with a Discussion of the Principles underlying the Independent Sovereignties created by the Sovereign Grand Lodge ; the Change in Name of the Supreme Legislature of the Order; the Encampment, Patriarchs Militant, and Bebekah Branches in the Dominion of Canada. Complete in seven chapters 419
DIVISION vn.
Odd Fellowship in Europe.
Introduction of the American Order into Ck)ntinental Europe ; Diplomatic Negotiations; the Quasi-Independent Sovereignties; Compact of 1884; the Order in the German
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 13
PAGE
Empire, with its District Grand Lodges of Silesia-Posen, Brandenburg, Schleswig- Holstein-Hamborg, Hannover, and Wiirtemberg ; the Ritual and Customs peculiar to Europe; Festival Lodges; Odd Fellows' Day; the Grand Lodges of Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden ; Kingdom of the Netherlands ; the Order in France and Italy ; Promise of Other Countries. Complete in eight chapters 476
DIVISION vra.
Grand Lodgbs of the Southbbm Sun.
Introduction of Odd Fellowship into the Island Continent ; the Chain of Succession ; First Grand Lodges of the Ancient Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Affiliation with the American Order ; the Independent Grand Lodge of Australasia, with its Chartered Grand Lodges of Victoria, New Zealand, South Australia, New South Wales, and Tasmania; together with a Special Sketch of Odd Fellowship in New Zealand. Complete in two chapters 514
DIVISION IX.
Islands of thb Sba, and Othbr Countbibs.
Odd Fellowship In the West Indies, South America, Hawaiian Islands, Japan, Mexico, and Other Countries ; Subordinate Lodges under the Immediate Jurisdiction of the Sovereign Grand Lodge; Environment militating against the Spread of the Order among Peoples of Mixed Blood. Complete in one chapter 533
PART IV.
The Hioheb Bbanches of Odd Fellowship, the Patbiarghal Order, the Uni- FORHBD Degree and Patriarchs Militant, and the Degree of Rebbkah. Complete in three Divisions 543
DIVISION X.
The Encampment Branch.
The Evolution of Odd Fellowship ; the Encampment Ritual, Sequence of the Degrees, and the Traditions of the Work ; Historical R^um€ of the " Mergement Efforts " ; the Organization of Subordinate and Grand Encampments by Jurisdictions ; Subor- dinate Encampments under the Immediate Jurisdiction of the Sovereign Grand Lodge ; and of the Quasi-Independent Grand Lodges. Complete in two sections. . . . 543
I. Origin of the Encampment Degrees ; Reputed and Probable Authors ; the Lessons taught ; the Evolution of the Ritual and Subsequent Revisions ; Organization of Subordinate and Grand Encampments ; Representation in the Grand Lodge of the United States (now the Sovereign Grand Lodge) ; " Mergement ** Movement v. Chartered and Vested Rights ; Pennsylvania's Unanswerable Protest ; the Present Order of the Degrees of Odd Fellowship considered. Complete in two chapters. 546 n. The Patriarchal Order in Alabama, Alberta, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, Califomia, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, England, Florida, Georgia, German Empire, Idaho, Illinois, Indian Territory, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maritime Provinces, Mary-
14 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAOI
land, MassachiuettSi Mexico, Miohi^n, Minnesota, MissiBsippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon (Province of Canada, inclad- ing Ontario I., Quebec, and Lower [or Biaritime] Provinces of British North Amer- ica), Ontario n., Pennsylvania, Quebec, Bhode Island, Sandwich Islands, South Carolina, South Dakota, Sweden, Switzerland, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Complete in one chapter (with an Apostrophe to Truth) 571
DIVISION XI.
ThB MiLlTART AbM.
Rise of the Display Element in Odd Fellowship; Funeral Regalia and Public Proces- sions; Uniformed Encampments and Street Uniforms; Military Organization de- manded, and Efforts made to secure it ; Uniformed Degree Camps established ; the Patriarchs Militant ; History of the Degree and Legislation ; Decorations of Chivalry ; Grand Procession in Boston; Codes of 1893-96; Personal Comments. Complete in two chapters 667
DIVISION xn.
* Thb Rbbbkah Dbobbb.
Ancient Secret Societies ; Woman's Relation to the Race ; Woman's Capacity for the Work of the Order ; the Influence of Woman on the Members of Subordinate Lodges ; the Origin of the Degree ; Constructive Legislation, amid Much Opposition and Dis- couragement; Rebekah Associations; Rebekah Lodges created; Enlarged Powers and Enlarged Membership; Improved Ritual, and ** Independent Branch" ; Rebekah State Assemblies ; the National Conventions ; Perfected Government, and Universal Sign ; the " Beautified Form," originating in Various Ways, and spreading from State to State, from East to West and North to South, like Waves on the Sea of Prog^ss. Complete in two chapters (with an Historical Introduction) 707
PART V.
Thb Ritual ov Odd Fbllowbhip, Biogbapht of Mbmbbbs of PRsttKiNBirr Rank, Jcrispbudbncb of thb Obdbr, and thb Litb&atukb of thb Thrbb-Ldtk Fba- TBRNXTT. Complete in three Divisions 737
DIVISION xm.
RrrUAI., AND BlOOBAPHT.
The First Ritual and its Subsequent Enlargement by Additional Degrees ; Chronological Order of Qrowth, and the American Revisions of the Ceremonies of Odd Fellowship, together with the Historical Events demanding these Changes ; the American Ritual of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and its Translation into Other languages ; Biography of some of the Brothers whose Characters seem to have been indelibly stamped on Odd Fellowship. Complete in two sections 737
I An Early Lodge-Room and its Accompanying " Work " ; Description of a ** Making," and Lodge Customs ; an Examination of the possible Origin and Evolution of the Degrees of Odd Fellowship ; Legal Status, and the Governing Power of Environ- ment ; American Degrees and Subsequent Revisions ; the American and Foreign Rituids. Complete in three chapters 738
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 15
PAQB
n. Thomas Wildey, " Father " and Founder of American Odd Fellowship ; John Paw- son Entwisle, Scholarly Creator of Degrees and Form of Goyernment ; James L. Ridgely, Master-Bailder of Odd Fellowship as now known ; James B. Nicholson, Orator Preeminent of the Order and its Statesman; Isaac McKendree Yeitch, Conciliator of the Brotherhood at the Close of the Ciyil War ; James P. Sanders, Defender of Law and Order, and Cerberus of the Treasury; Luther J. Glenn, Lawmaker apd Typical Odd Fellow; Schuyler Colfax, Author of the Degree of Rebekah uniting Women in the Bonds of an Universal Sisterhood. Complete in three chapters (with an Introduction and '* Supplemental Biography **) 761
DIVISION XIV.
The Jubisprudbncb of Odd Fbllowbhif.
The Nature and Scope of Jurisprudence, and the Basis upon which it should rest ; Defini- tion as applied to the Order ; wherein the Jurisprudence of Odd Fellowship differs from that of Gtovemments, and of most Voluntary Organizations ; the Manchester Unity, and its Government as developed, together with its Experience in Britain's Courts ; American Odd Fellowship, Formation into Grand Lodges and Grand Lodge of the United States ; the Golden Age of the American Independent Order of Odd Fellows, with its Comprehensive and Preeminent System of Jurisprudence ; Expan- sive and Flexible within Certain Lines, Unyielding and Inflexible in Essentials; Spread of the American Order in Forei^ Lands ^ the System of Jurisprudence, as developed for the Correction of Errors and Bedress of Wrongs ; Change of Name to Sovereign Grand Lodge. Complete in seven chapters 786
DIVISION XV.
The Lztbbaturb of Odd Fellowship.
* The Best Monument to Nature's True Nobleman ; the Cultus of bearing the Com and
Wine of Blessing ; the Fraternity taught is not Antagonistic to the Christian Church ; Testimony of the " Fathers " as to what Odd Fellowship is ; the Press in Evidence ; Belief in God ; the Crown of the " Three Graces " ; the Various Authorities as to the Origin of the Order ; Results of Seventy-five Years' Labor ; Impregnable in its Posi- tion on the Question of Temperance ; the ** Saloon Amendment " ; the Order's E^r- nal Duration predicted ; Odd Fellowship, its Tenets, its Virtues, its Benefactions ; the Growth of the Order its Best Eulogium ; the Future we face with Courage and Con- fidence ; a Symposium of the Best Thought of the most Gift«d Odd Fellows. Com- plete in four chapters 813
PART VI.
HOMBS ESTABLISHBD IN THB VARIOUS GrAND JURISDICTIONS, AND THB EULOOIUH
OF THB Golden Agb of Odd Fellowship. Complete in two Divisions 847
DIVISION XVX.
Organized Beneficence.
The Distinguishing Characteristic of the Order (the Payment of Substantial Weekly and Funeral Benefits), crystallized and supplemented in the Organized Beneficence of Homes, maintained by Grand Lodges and Rebekah State Assemblies ; the proposed Foundation of Similar Institutions throughout the World of Odd Fellowship. Com- plete in one chapter 847
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fl>G9^ttk?lilfM'SnSA>|Dinpletein8iichapten 851
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LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS.
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Odd Fellowship illustratbd : ** We command yoa to yisit the sick ; Believe the
distressed." {Frontispiece) 1
Thomas Wildst, Founder of American Odd Fellowship 754
Tis MiDNiOHT's Holt Hour, and Silbnce bboods o'br all the Eabth 162
The Covenant between Jonathan and Davh) : I. Samuel, zx., 19-23 25
In the Pbesbnce of the Kino 218
Danger attends the Traveller, amh) the Judean Mountains 492
The Good Samaritan : St. Luke, x., 25-37 536
The True Odd Fellow is an Expounder of Truth 122
hospitalitt to the stranger 546
The Trial of Abraham's Faith 58
" The Brotherhood of Man " 514
Ljfe's rough and Dang'rons way is trod. Death's narrow Bridge is nohly won, The bright Pavilion of our Grod
Gleams in the distant horizon ! {Adapted) 396
The Oak of Abraham 694
Rebbkah at the Well 714
First American Odd Fellows' Hall, Market Square, Boston, Massachusetts 274
Birthplace of American Odd Fellowship : The *' Seven Stars," Baltimore,
Maryland, 1819 212
Odd Fellows' Temple, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Comer-stone laid July 18, 1893 ;
Dedicated May 21, 1895 292
Odd Fellows' Hall, Lodge No. 1, Jacksonville, Florida 330
Odd Fellows' Temple, Cincinnati, Ohio 332
Odd Fellows' Temple, San Francisco, California 388
Odd Fellows' Temple, St. Louis, Missouri 356
Hall of Gap Creek Lodge, No. 72, Carter County, Tennessee 346
Charter from the Duke of York Lodge, Preston 216
"Charter of the Grand Lodge of the United States, confirming the one
granted hy the Duke of York Lodge, Preston." — Wildey^s request 74
17
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19
20 INTBODUC ION,
* * •
' * * ' * -^
INTRODUCTION. 21
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*
22 INTRODUCTION.
t
AN APPRECIATIVE ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
In the preparation of " The History of Odd Fellowship, The Three- Link Fraternity," inclusive, also, of "The Literature of the Order,'' there have been at hand for the use of the Editor-in-chief and his collaborators, not only the means generally accessible, but many specially prepared manuscripts, invaluable files of papers, and complete sets of the Proceed- ings of Grand bodies not heretofore placed at the disposal of the historians of the Order. From these sources much fresh matter has been available, many events of doubt have been settled, and this magnificent work, — speaking of it in its entirety, — has been made possible.
This experience is unusual ; and, notwithstanding the credit given by the editors in various places throughout the volume, it has been thought best to designate a few of the more valuable preparatory phases that have marked the progress of the enterprise.
On the 14th of May, 1895, the Grand Encampment of Vermont, fol- lowed the next day by the Grand Lodge of that state, passed formal resolutions indorsing the plan of this history of Odd Fellowship, and commended the Editor-in-chief to be "Worthy the confidence of all with whom he may become associated, and to the fraternity at large '';... "and whose past labors, in the field of Odd Fellowship, have been a credit to himself, and an honor to our jurisdiction."
On the 8th of August, 1895, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts passed the following : —
" BMolvedf That H. L. StUlson, Past Qrand Master, of Vermont, who is now writing a history of Odd FeUowship, be allowed the use -of the manuscript history of the Order in Massachusetts, prepared for this Grand Lodge by William Ellison, Past Grand Sire, and that the Grand Secretary be authorized to exercise his discretion as to the manner in which such use shaU be made."
The action taken by the Order in Vermont and Massachusetts was the more appreciated because it emanated from the states in which the chief promoters, — as historian and publisher, — have long been " at home " in Odd Fellowship. In addition to the material thus placed at our disposal, Past Grand Master J. B. Crawford, who introduced the Massachusetts resolution, made valuable additions to the datOy from his private collec- tion and library.
On the 12th of August, 1896, Grand Master Thomas Woodyatt reported
to the Grand Lodge of Ontario, that he had, during the recess, granted
Past Grand Sire Campbell permission to make use of certain portions of
the r&umd of history " which he had prepared for the Grand Lodge in
1879," and the act of the Grand Master was unanimously approved.
During the years 1895-96, twenty-five brothers, and eight sisters of
23
24 THE TBBEE-LINK FRATERNITY.
Eebekah^ prepared for us quite extensive inanuscript narratives of their respective jurisdictions. Nearly all of these are of a nature to render them worthy of publication as local histories, and two or three have already been printed. Without the labors and researches of these loyal and gifted members, it would have been impossible to have published some parts of this work, in its present form. The Order at large owes to each a debt of gratitude, and the following is the roll of honor : —
N. A. Morford, Grand Representative of Arizona ; William H. Barnes, Grand Scribe of California; Frederick Botsford, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe of Connecticut; William P. Allan, Past Grand Master, and John H. Sei£fert, Grand Treasurer, Grand Encampment, of the District of Columbia; Grand Representative N. C. Pettit, and his assistants, Grand Rep- resentative Thomas C. Watson, and Past Grand Masters B. O. Locke, W. H. Chancy, E. B. Van Deman, of Florida; A. K. Steunenberg, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe of Idaho; Doctor Samuel Willard, Past Grand Scribe, and Nathaniel C. Nason, Past Grand Secretary, of Illinois ; William Musson, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe of Iowa ; R. G. Elliott, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe of Kentucky ; A. L. Bolton, Grand Secretary of Minnesota ; Mon- roe McClurg, Grand Representative, and I. D. Blumenthal, Grand Scribe, of Mississippi ; the Reverend J. B. Jewell, Past Grand Master of Missouri ; A. J. White, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe of Montana; B. H. Woodell, Grand Secretary of North Carolina; Don. McDonald, Grand Secretary of North Dakota; the late A. G. Walling, Deputy Grand Master of Oregon ; Doctor J. R. Harwell, Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe of Tennessee ; Thomas V. Tumey, Grand Master, also, Grand Scribe of Virginia ; L. O. Holmes, Grand Scribe, and Richard Ho<), Grand Secretary, of Wisconsin ; Harry Nash, Past Grand Scribe of Washington.
Officers of Rebekah State Assemblies: Miss Agnes £. Rogers, Vice-President, New York ; Mrs. Sarah A. Barry, Secretary, Massachusetts ; Miss Grace £. Walton, Secretary, Maine ; Mrs. Rebecca H. Chace, Secretary, Rhode Island ; Mrs. Minnie Priest Dunton, Secre. tary, Idaho ; Mrs. Cora A. Reels, President, Nebraska ; Mrs. Sarah £. Hutchinson, Secretary, Wisconsin ; Mrs. Maggie Waddell, Secretary, Ontario.
In this connection credit is due to Grand Secretary Grant and Past Grand Secretary Ross, of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, for their prompt response to many calls made upon their time and patience.
To all these and many others, equally eminent in the Order, our thanks are due and are hereby tendered. To Past Grand Sire Nicholson, especially, are we under obligations, for the use of the great Odd Fellows' library, of Pennsylvania, and for advice freely and frankly given.
1;^^ o?t:wu^la!wJZy '^^^ "^^
^■¥''-S»'-8»'-iS- -g- -g- -s- -if- .g. -g. ^.
Part I.
AN INQUIRY INTO THE '^ BEGINNINGS OF THINGS;* INTRO*
DUCTORY TO THE PERFECTED ORGANI-
ZA TIONS OF LA TER TIMES.
DIVISION L
THE PARALLELS OF ANTIQUITY.
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES, CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO THE ORIGIN AND CUSTOMS OF MODERN CIVIC-SOCIETIES ; THE ORIGINAL HABITAT OF THE RACE ; IMPRESSIONS TRACED IN THE FOLK- LORE OF PEOPLES AND COUNTRIES ; THE EARLY ASSOCIATIONS IN BRITAIN AND IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE; SOCIAL AND CRAFT GUILDS; CLUBS AND LODGES OF ODD FELLOWS.
COMPILBB BY THE EdITOB-IN-ChIEF.
INTRODUCTION.
METHODS OF TREATMENT: ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
An eminent student of archaeology, after years of study and a syste- matic research of several months to find dcUa for a special article, wrote these words: "What is new is not true, and what is true is not new! " This was his deliberate conviction, and for the purposes of the preparation of his sketch of the " Ancient Mysteries " he obtained access to a number of the great libraries of the world, including that of our national capital. The reader of the following pages should understand at the outset, that whatever appears therein cannot possibly be told exclu- sive of the domain of many another author. The question raised as to the credibility of a statement is one of authority, rather than that of what
25
26 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
would be called " news '' in modern phrase, and while our authorities may not have been those the reader would have selected, yet they are received with confidence by a large and respectable circle of antiquaries.
Acknowledgment. — We have utilized the ordinary avenues of informa- tion relative to the subjects treated, but we deem it proper to courteously give credit, by name, to the Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076, London, England; "Har-Moad," by the Rev. O. D. Miller, D.D. (a review of); to William James Hughan, in "The History of Free- masonry and Concordant Orders " ; " English Guilds, " by Toulmin Smith, F.R.S. of Northern Antiquaries (Copenhagen), edited from original manuscripts of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; the published works of Doctor Otto Henne Am Rhyn, State Archivist of Switzerland; and others, including "The History of the Secret Principle," by James L. Eidgely ; addresses by the Eev. A. B. Chapin, and other early defenders of Odd Fellowship in this country.
Methods of Treatment. — There are two ways of treating a subject of this character : one, and the most common, is to attempt to trace a line- age from the mysteries of the ancient world and its civilizations to modern civic societies; the other, to note some of the usages and characteristics that reappear in human intercourse after a lapse of, perhaps, centuries ; so that, for example, the Odd Fellow of to-day, in his lodge, may repeat in his experience the performance of the ancient Egyptian in many interest- ing particulars. We prefer the latter mode as the more logical and affording the greater prospect of success.
In Odd Fellowship at the present day, as in former times, there exists a not inconsequential class of brethren who would appeal to antiquity, if possible, with the self-conscious pride of ancestry that permeates the members of a family of noble lineage. We are not disposed to minimize this trait of human nature; at the same time it must be admitted that the American people, as a whole, are iconoclastic and are becoming more and more inclined to live in the pride of the present age. The grandeur of the achievements of the nineteenth century surpasses that of any former period of which we have written knowledge, and this fosters a well-defined pride in the present.
The object of this article, as prefatory to the written history of Odd Fellowship in Part II. and others that follow in the body of this work, is not to attempt to establish a connection between the modern Order of Odd Fellows and the ancient societies, whether the subjects are the ancient mysteries, the medieval guilds, or the social clubs of the eighteenth cen- tury ; but to recognize the fact that people are interested in the " begin- nings of things." While it may not be possible to retrace history through tradition to any reliable source, yet we can see no good reason why such a research is not perfectly proper; and are not of those who
* " THE BEGINNINGS OF THINGS.'' 27
would join issue with Past Grand Sire Sanders, Deputy Grand Sire Pinkerton, and other brethren eminent in the councils of our Order, when they assert that Odd Fellowship is a nineteenth century production. In other words, whatever its source, whatever its early formation, the insti- tution, as we know it to-day, was not moulded in the dim centuries of the past, but in the present, which is the golden age of the world, as we believe.
In classifying a few of the "Parallels of Antiquity," that appear to approximate closely to several of the usages and lines of Odd Fellowship, it is not our intention to dwell wholly in the realm of tradition. What- ever of facts may be stated will be susceptible of proof, but the conclu- sions are our own; and these are given for what they are worth to the candid reader.
With these introductory remarks we take up the main part of our subject.
CHAPTER I.
PRIMARY CIVILIZATIONS AND SOCIETIES.
Primeval Groups. — A celebrated American divine, who spent twelve years in the study of the Oriental and modem languages, so as to be able to successfully prosecute his researches in the East, upholds the following theses : Civilization is not an evolution from barbarism, but the earliest .civilizations can be classified as types resembling colonies from a central birthplace. This he maintains holds good with the Accadian and the Babylonian civilizations, which were Cushite ; with the Egyptian, which was Hamite ; with the Chinese, Phoenician, Assyrian, and Semitic, equally so with the Iranian or Aryan, or any other of the ancient civilizations known to us. He shows that with all these nations^ the direction from whence they came, or from where they immigrated into the countries they occupied historically, may be gathered by one means or another; and that all these lines converge into one well-defined geographical region, viz. : the Har-Moad, of Isaiah; the Eden, of Genesis; the. Ararat, of the Del- uge; the Meru, of the Hindus; the Abordj, of the Persians; the Khar- sak-Kurra, of the Cuneiform texts ; the Asgard, of the Scandinavians; the Olympus and Ida, of the classics ; the Five Summits, of the Chinese ; the Solar mountains, of the Egyptians ; and the Paradise, of the Bible. With the symbolism which the learned author invests his theory, and proceeds to prove therefrom his subject, we have nothing to do, but the reader will note that this is almost an exact statement of the histories of the secret societies of the past twenty centuries, and preceding ages, as they have descended to us, perpetuated (in theory at least) in the leading fratemi-
28 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
ties of the nineteenth century, some of them reappearing during our own lives and recollection. That the original habitat of the human race was symbolically reproduced in all the wanderings of the peoples named in the above classification, and became geographically the symbol or type of the countriciS in which we find them, is the conclusion of our author. That this theory is true of the Ancient Mysteries is an equally well-founded assumption, and an interesting subject of investigation. The folk-lore that permeates all languages, and to which Grand Chaplain Venable refers (in this work), in connection with the Aryans, is an example.
Primitive Theorem. — That the reader may better understand the foun- dation of the argument we quote again from the theory of our first-men- tioned authority: He contends that the chief feature of the "original habitat " of the ancient peoples was the imagery of a mountain rising to and piercing the skies ; a terraced mountain, and each stage dedicated to one of seven stars; that these stars in later days became identical with the stars of Ursa Major which continually revolve around the pole; that God was conceived as residing at the celestial pole, or top of the symbolic mountain ; and that, therefore, to this particular paradise corresponded a celestial paradise, one established space in the heavens; that all countries were supposed to be similar in formation to this particular earth and sky; that the Tower of Babel, the Pyramids, etc., were built in conscious imita- tion of this conception; that the departed dwelt on the slopes of this mountain; the " Mount of Assembly " (which thus became not only the mount of the living and the dwelling of God and the gates of heaven, but also the abode of the dead) ; the latter, however, in consequent times, by antithesis, was transferred to the lower regions, — the opposite of the heavenly home.
The Field of Inquiry. — To reach the above conclusions, a very long and exhaustive research became necessary. To give its scope the author's words are quoted : —
" The particular field of antiquarian studies to which, in the main, my inquiries have been directed, comprehends the entire prehistoric period, especially in Asia, including the primitive traditions of mankind and the origin of the ancient civilizations. One of the principal objects which I have had in view has been to ascertain the real character, and to trace the actual origin, of those ideas that formed the theoretical basis of the religious, politi- cal, and social institutions of the ancient world ; but a still more definite aim in this direc- tion has been to discover the primitive stratum of conceptions and doctrines, which may be regarded as fundamental to the religious of the Bible, constituting historically the germ of their development. * Another prominent object has been to determine the locality, geo- graphically, from which these traditionary ideas, inherited alike by nations widely sepa- rated, had been at first derived ; the localities, in fact, from which the different races had departed toward the countries occupied by them since the opening of the historical period."
From these premises by a very close reasoning, based upon a multi- tude of details, the learned author elucidates his theory; but with the Gabiri only, have we an interest in this article. He contends that they
" THE BEGINNINGS OF THINGS.'' 29
built the first historical structure following the deluge, — the Tower of Babel, — and thereon symbolized their religion and the Har-Moad itself ; that Nimrod was the first historical Cabirus ; that the members of this organization were the earliest practisers of mysteries, in order to preserve a knowledge of the true God, amid an age of progressive idolatry ; and that all other mysteries, Egyptian, Greek, Phoenician, etc., were derived from these.
The well-informed Mason will at once draw the parallel between this independent inquiry of a scholar who was probably not a member of the fraternity; or, at least, one who does not betray any knowledge of the galaxy of manuscripts called the " Old Charges of British Freemasons," and the general trend of those interesting documents. Like them the '' beginnings of things " is here f ocussed in the deluge, Noah and his descendants, and the subsequent early history of the world.
But in pursuance of our subject it is not the intention to fortify the Masonic student in the old theory of the descent of that institution from the Ancient Mysteries, by quoting correspondences between these conclu- sions and the " Old Constitutions." It is of far greater interest to note some of the resemblances to the ideas of the " Mount of Assembly," that appear where one is least prepared to ^nd them. Our authority, after noting the surprising uniformity of ]^nmitive doctrines, inherited by nations widely separated, and which cannot be explained on the principle of the ordinary transmission of ideas, from age to age, especially in the absence of written documents, scrupulously preserved, says : —
" To illustrate : recall the Chinese legend of the tortoise, having the images of the seven stars (Ursa Major) , of the eight celestial regions, and of the five summits on its shell ; a triple reference to the sacred Mount of Paradise, which admits of no other interpre- tation ; but from China we now go to Rome, where we find in the location of the axis of the Pantheon another reference to the seven stars, and to the eighth celestial region, considered as the seat of the gods, especially of Jupiter ; a singular proof of the exactness with which the primeval traditions had been preserved by these two nationalities, so distantly removed ^
from each other. It seems to me impossible that such accuracy should be maintained '^
through ages even, and by different races, except by the vigilant care of a class of person- ages, regularly organized, and specially charged to preserve the ancient doctrines in their purity. . . . The seats of the Cabirian worship were the most ancient of any, both in Egypt and Babylonia. It is hardly to be doubted, I think, that members of the same mystic order '^^
laid the foundations of the Chinese Empire. When the old civilization centring in Mount Mem was broken down, it is evident that they conducted the great migrations, diverging from the original focus of population, into the different quarters of the world."
The ** Mysteries " considered. — The parallels of the mysteries with the above classification and conclusions are of interest. As an example, of the nations of antiquity Egypt stood first. That kingdom was at its meridian of power and glory within one hundred years following the death of Abraham. At that period it had reached an eminence in many of the arts and sciences which no nation or race has ever surpassed. Among this people we find an
^
%
30 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
institution called " mysteries '' which made known its secrets only to the in- itiated^ — r that the mode of initiation was solemn and impressive, we are well assured, — and that advantages, too, were connected with a knowledge of these secrets is axiomatic. What those benefits were it is now impos- sible for us to determine. Besides the Egyptian mysteries there were secret associations dispersed throughout all Europe and a large portion of Asia, — characterized by similar ceremonies and professing like principles. Our means of knowledge of these societies are meagre, but enough is known to identify them as one in origin and objects. These .are designated as the mysteries of Cabiri, — a name that is itself a mystery . When learned men differ upon an occult subject like this, who shall decide?
Of the Eleusinian mysteries more is known. These were named after the city of Eleusis, where they were celebrated, and are said to have been introduced into Greece from Egypt, by King Erechtheus, who first initiated the Athenians into that ancient association, — a part of the mys- teries of Cabiri, — several centuries prior to the Christian era. Following the course of the ages these associations, or their successors, or imitators, may have descended to our day, as some antiquaries have been led to believe, but it is our opinion that each in turn took its rise as occasion suggested, gained its zenith of power, sank into oblivion; only to be rehabilitated (like the Olympian games of 1896, for instance), in another form, — principles surviving, but the form passing away. Even the names are lost and any attempted chronology is the baldest fiction.
Ceremonies of Initiation. — We are more concerned, however, in such accounts of the ancient modes of initiation as have survived; but it must be borne in mind that the " ceremony and signs " being the portion of the mysteries which were not to be revealed, in any approximate account it is the probable from deductionj rather than the real initiation, that is thus described. The Eleusinian mysteries were divided into the "lesser" aiid the "greater," — the former being a state of preparation for the latter. Every native Greek, unless he had been convicted of a crime, might become a partaker of these mysteries after an ordeal of penance and puri- fication. This was enforced by abstinence of the body, by sacrifices and prayers, and by ceremonial washings. When the candidate had served his probation he might be initiated into the "greater" or more sublime of the mysteries. He was preceded, at his entrance, by a herald proclaim- ing: "Hence, far hence, be the impious, the profane, and thou whose souls are polluted with guilt." Those not initiates, who should presume to remain in the assembly after this proclamation, were put to death. The mode of initiation seems to have been mainly as follows : The can- didate, crowned with myrtle, — the emblem and token of the purification of the lesser mysteries, — was introduced by night into a temple, which became instantly enveloped in darkness. Upon entrance he was reminded
tt
TBE BEGINNINGS OF THINGS:' 81
of the just benefits about to be conferred by a participation in these rites, and of the purity of heart necessary for a proper reception of them. Ablutions in water came next, in token of his spiritual regeneration, and that as the body was thus cleansed so should each one approach the mys- teries with a mind divested of all defilement. The lesson, — then read to the neophyte by a priest, — is supposed, by one of our authorities, to have been, in substance, a veirsion of the theory of religion; and.it may hav6 been symbolized by the "terraced mountain," above described ; but before the " legend of the golden age " could be rehearsed, the candidate was required to undergo fearful trials. Certain questions were pro- pounded from a book, and the truth of his recorded replies were enjoined under the highest penalties and sanctions. Then followed spectacles cal- culated to awaken the strongest emotions of the beholder. Funeral forms passed by, personifying death and all the ills to which flesh is heir. The gloom and horrors of the dreary abode of the guilty, — accompanied by horrible groans, amid which might be heard the exhortation : " Learn by our example to reverence the gods, to be just and grateful," — were depicted with great effect. Accompanying these were sudden flashes of fire, the low rumble of thunder, the copious shower, journeys where dan- gers lurked, descent of precipices, passing bridges suspended over rushing torrents, — all rendered terrific by spectres and phantoms meeting the eye on every side. From this realm of trial the transition was to fields Elysian, illumined by a serene and glorious light, from which harmonious voices chanted the most entrancing odes.
Such were the characteristics of all the Cabirian mysteries. They began in gloom, and ended in light; in sorrow, and the fruition was joy. There are many versions of these ceremonies. One authority, referring to Persia, Hindoostan, and the East, asserts that "corruption and repro- duction " were characteristics. That it was necessary for man to die and his body to see corruption before he could become immortal by a resurrection. Christ said to his disciples : " Verily, verily, I say imto you, except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit " ; and this, and similar sayings of the Great Teacher, have been likened to the observation of nature by the ancients, which taught them that the seed must die or suffer fermentation in the earth before the plant could be produced. From these parallels of the gospels with the mysteries, modem rationalists have been led to argue that Christianity is a successor of the mysteries, and one of the religions.
Following the rites of initiation, in all the expositions, a lecture was given, parallel to that first mentioned, in which instmction conceming the objects of the worship was delineated; a lecture much too difficult for the common and uneducated comprehension ; indeed, this was true of all the ancient rites and mysteries.
82 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITT.
The Golden Age. — " They taught that the golden age was not a myth. The old doctrine of a subsequent decadence and a sad degeneracy from an original state of happiness, embodied, undoubtedly, a great but lamentable truth. Our modern philosophies of history, which begin with man as a savage, eyidently need a new introduction. Those writers who would derive the origin, of religion and civilization from a condition of savageism should go back of Mount Mem to do it, and not content themselves with citing the customs of bar- barous tribes. The ancient mysteries taught that primeval man was not a savage. Accord- ing to their cult he was born of the Heaven-Father and the Earth-mother. He was the beautiful, pure image of both. Sweet Nature caressed him on her generous lap ; she would tell him her secrets without asking, for she fondly trusted that he would not betray her. Heaven itself conversed with him; and the constellations taught him the music of the spheres. There was nothing he did not love, and there was nothing that did not love him. All things whispered to him of what they were and why they existed. The sun and moon were his companions, almost a brother and a sister. To the primeval man Nature was con- scious; and her consciousness was a part of his own. Eternal Mind was present to him, in all that he beheld, in all that he felt. The golden gates of the senses were constantly thronged with tender sympathies, with loving messages from the great world about him. Such was creation's first-born child, with whom the Holy One came down to dwell.
** But there came an hour when man fell! Nature was ashamed and drew the veil over her face. Man, too, was ashamed. . . . Thus the light of that beautiful civilization flick- ered for awhile, like the candle in its socket, and then went out.
"But before the flames had died on the primitive altars, Afaitl^ulband had kindled their torches, that they might conduct the race through the long night, and finally renew the fires in other times and in other climes."
Origrin of the Cabiri. — This is Doctor Miller's beautiful apostrophe to the '^ beginnings of things." He claims that the Cabiri were identical with a race of king-priests, a fraternity of learned men, the ''Wise Men of the East," who acquired their knowledge at the fountain-head, in the focus of the human race, the pioneers and conductors and rulers of every immigration from that region; the inventors of writing, of building, of metallurgy, the teachers of the primeval religions, priests of God and rulers of men, and that Melchisidek was even such an one.
Parallel with Odd Fellowship considered. — It has always seemed singular to the writer, that men of learning and eminence in the state, as well as in Odd Fellowship, should have gone before the American people in the early days of the Order, basing its claims for recognition upon antiquity, — it was a paradox not easily explained. As will be noted the modern orders have nothing in common with the basic principle of the Ancient Mys- teries,— ours least of all, — and the resemblance in the ceremonies are purely accidental, although interesting in their correspondences. This part of our inquiry is naturally divided into two parts, — a sketch of the mysteries of the Orient and Occident, which have been considered in this chapter, and the methods and organization of subsequent institutions that we shall have occasion soon to describe.
Is Lineal Succession Possible ? — In this connection a remark suggests itself in relation to the theory that any society should have been the lineal successor of the Ancient Mysteries. We have seen how the root-principle of the various nationalities differed in its representation, in the history of
THE EARLY ENGLISH GUILDS. 38
the world, and this is suggested by the classification. As the ages passed corruptions assumed the leadership; the decline of systems imprinted their images upon the survivors ; even Christianity comes to us clothed in many forms that were of Pagan or other origin, and could the civic-society hope to escape? James L. Ridgely did not believe that any legitimate descen- dant exists in our day. His argument was this : The societies that survive in this century bear marks of a
" System too practical in theory and universal in teaching to have sprung from an origi- nal that had no landmarks, but took new forms and governments in every country where it found domicil."
CHAPTER II.
ENGLISH GUILDS WITH BENEFIT SYSTEMS.
Turning from the East to the West. — From Egypt, the mistress of learning, land of mystery, many of whose long-buried secrets modern researches have brought to our knowledge ; from Greece, whose philoso- phers mastered the mysteries, which in after-times made their country the seat of learning and of song; from the shadowy East reaching back to the beginning; from Imperial Eome, where a polished and classic litera- ture shed its refining influences upon a condition of society called civili- zation; from all these fascinating and interesting mysteries of the Orient and the Occident we turn again toward the West. But before crossing the Atlantic we pause at the British Isles, the '^ mother country " of the English-speaking peoples. Here, in the middle ages, we do not find the mysteries of Gabiri; nor the taskmasters of Israel's people; the high priests who worshipped at the altars of Isis and Osiris, are absent; the sorcerers who contended with Aaron, and the men who pursued Moses into the Red sea, had no dwelling-place on these shores; the people who wit- nessed Joseph's regal splendor and power,, and who saw the Patriarch Jacob, never lived in this goodly land; the masters in the holy temples who instructed the Greeks, and made possible the light of their wonderful civilization and splendor, never dreamed of the beneficent associations of Britain, — the antetype of Odd Fellowship and the antithesis of the genius of the old world and the ancient societies.
English Guilds. — We have already alluded to the old guilds of Eng- land. These reach back to the middle ages, although organizations and clubs multiplied without precedent during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Britain. Referring to these facts, J. M. Ludlow, an English writer, said: —
84 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
** I believe that the more we investigate the subject, the more we shall become con- vinced that all pretensions of the nineteenth century to have discovered either the practice or principle of free association are the mere fruits of its own ignorance ; that if we have in some ways improved the practice, found new applications of the principle, we have in several other respects fallen short of our ancestors ; that, above all, various fancied novel- ties of association in our days are not novelties at all ; that of a truth trades' unions and friendly societies, in particular, are virtually older by centuries than the most hoary-headed of their members, their friends, or their enemies assert."
Manuscript Records. — This author bases his remarks upon the records of more than one hundred early guilds in England, the manuscripts relat- ing to which, — of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, — edited by Professor Smith, we gave credit in our "introduction," and upon which this chapter is based. Far behind the later associations in the " mother country " a gigantic shadow seems to cross the field, — that of an organiza- tion of the people, by the people, and for the people, subject to no laws imposed by princes, and existing in spite of kings and princes. One hun- dred years ago a writer would have been considered mildly insane had he asserted that this was the " beginnings of things " of the free government under which we are rejoicing in America to-day. Who can deny this proposition? These free-guilds pervaded every European country, and comprehended within themselves virtual republics ; democracies, in sev- eral instances, forming the basis of municipalities ; institutions binding men together with fraternal bands, which, in some cases, have descended to almost within the memory of living men. There have lately been dis- covered, by the Early English Text Society, a number of valuable manu- scripts, that have been translated from archaic English to our modern language. These prove that a large number of guilds existed during the middle ages. The names given to these organizations were as numerous as their number, from the "guild of the Lord's Prayer" at York, the bell-ringers of the various cathedrals and churches in England, to the great guilds in towns ; which, virtually, became the corporations of those municipalities in subsequent years. Only a small selection of manu- scripts was first published, but the record reads : twelve guilds in Nor- wich, twelve in Lynn, nine from Bishop's Lynn, two from Oxford, six in Lincoln, etc. ; and it is clear that the fourteenth century (although the dates are not always forthcoming), and especially the latter part of it, must have been a period in which the spirit of fraternal association was very active among the English people.
Dates and Names. — The first of these guilds, to which are attached any of the laws, dates from 1375, the fourth from 1360, the fifth from 1384, the sixth from 1385, etc. The " guild of the Holy Cross " of Strat- ford-upon-Avon claimed, in 1389, to have existed from time anterior to the memory of man ; that of the " Kalenders of Bristol," seventy-one years before (1318), to date from before the Conquest. Toward the close of the
THE EARLY ENGLISH GUILDS. 86
fourteenth century, a distinction between the " social '' and " trade guilds " is apparent. The former were termed simply " guilds and brotherhoods " ; and the latter are described as *' mysteries and crafts." It will be seen from this that if it was possible for any two leading modern societies, like the Odd Fellows and the Masons, to trace their lineage to the four- teenth century, they would find in the division line of that day nearly a parallel to their present status. Of this feature we shall speak again in this article. These researches have shown a further fact, relative to these guilds and brotherhoods, — also as to the liberties, privileges, statutes, ordinances, usages, and customs, — that the two classes possessed no legal standing, save the practical one which would result from the craft guilds' having a common trade-interest while the others had none.
One authority asserts that the craft guilds were regarded with less sus- picion than the others from the fact that the government required less details of particulars to be returned; while it is quite as positively stated that what wbuld in our day be called Friendly Societies in England, and Orders of Odd Fellows, and the like, in America, were required to report with more exactness. It is no part of our purpose to trace the Masonic Fraternity down the years to the present time. That duty has been done, and the results fully set forth to the world, in " The History of Free- masonry and Concordant Orders,"^ to which reference has been made; but having gone to the same sources, that is, to the fountain-head of many Masonic articles, we will leave that phase of the question, and confine the present inquiry strictly to such matters of interest as may be applica- ble to the traditionary origin of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Description of a Social Guild. — Using the modernized words of the first return (a.d. 1389), made to the government of the " fraternitee " or "bretherede" of "St. James at Garlekhith," London, the record says: —
" It was begun by ' good men,' on St. James's Day, 1375, ' for amendment of their lives and of their souls, and to nourish more love between the brethren and sisters of the brother- hood,' aU of whom bad to ' swear on the book ' to ' perform the points nndemeath written at their i>ower.' Eyery member most be of good repute and condition, pay 6s. Sd. entrance fee, 2s. in the year, either yearly or quarterly, and Is. Sd. toward the yearly feast. War- dens were to be chosen from the wisest of the brotherhood, under penalty of 403. if they refused to act. They were to collect dues and account for them yearly, on the morrow of the feast, take the oaths of new members, and arbitrate between the brethren and sisters in their disputes. There was to be a livery-suit; and, besides the yearly feasts, quarterly meetings, * to speak touching the profit and rule of the foresaid brotherhood,' which aU brethren were to attend under penalty of a pound of wax, — the usual form of such penal- ties. On the death of a brother, or sister, all were to join in the burial service, under the like penalty. If any member of the brotherhood, after having ' dwelt ' in it seven years, and fulfilled aU duties, should * fall in such mischief that he hath nought,' either through * eld or mischief of feebleness,' to help himself, he was to have Is. 2d. weekly from the common box until he were ' recovered of his mischief.' The brethren and sisters were not to
^ Pablishod by The Fraternity Publishing Company, Boston and New York ; Henry Leonard Stlllson, Editor-in-CUef; WllUam Jamea Hughan, Enropean Editor; pp. 1-904.
86 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
quarrel ; .but if they did, as before mentioned, their quarrel was laid before the wardens; if either party in dispute proved disobedient to the award then made, he was to be put out of the brotherhood, and the other party to have ' his account by the law,' and be helped by the brotherhood 'ageins the rebelle and unbozhum.* On the other hand, if any member of seven years' standing, and not in default as aforesaid, was * imprisoned falsely by enemy, or by false conspiracy,' and had * nought to find him with,' he was to have Is. 2d. weekly during his imprisonment."
The Germ of the Benefit Society of To-day. — With the learned professor, the writer thinks that the reader cannot mistake in this the germ of modem Odd Fellowship, or the friendly societies of England, under a strong devotional aspect. Here was relief in sickness, the provision for old age and for burial; the accumulation of funds for relief from false imprisonment, which, no doubt, was a necessary characteristic of any fraternal society of that time. There are many examples recorded to show that relief in distress, when incurred "without guilt-often," — in the express form of an insurance of work, — was a constant object of the guilds in question. It is quite evident, however, from the provisions in the by-laws of many of the contemporaneous guilds, that under certain conditions, the members of the brotherhood were to receive benefits; and, also, "loans out of the common box," on the "pledge or assurity," which shows that the impecuniosity might not have been "deserved." If this provision had come down to us, what a fountain of wealth our lodges would have furnished for the tramps, who might have become members of. the Order. The mantle of charity, however, should be spread over this provision of the ancients, because in the same terms the by-laws provided for old age and poverty. It is further stipulated that if the distressed member be " young enough to work," and " hath nought of his own to help him with," the brethren shall assist "each man with a portion,'' — the equivalent of a modern donation benefit. The members of the ancient guilds, it would appear, were a source of great anxiety to the treasurer (strong box), because the loans were not often promptly met at maturity. They had a further regulation: if the brother could not "repay within one year," he might keep the loan for a second and a third; and if, at the end of the third year, he was still unable to pay, because of inability to earn more than an honest living, then the money " shall be wholly released to him," — a charitable "statute of limitation" which debtors would be very apt to plead. The guild of the "Blessed Virgin Mary of Kingston- upon-HuU " (1357) explicitly provided life maintenance for those of its members "who may be infirm, bowed, blind, dumb, deaf, maimed, or sick," and 7d. a week benefits for others not able to gain a livelihood. The "guild of Corpus Christi," of the same place, one year later (1358), had a similar provision for financial obligations " releasable after three years, to brothers or sisters, to enable them to follow their callings," the amount being fixed at 208, for the loans, and 14d. for the weekly benefits.
EIGBTEENTH CENTUBT SOCIETIES. 87
It is evident that many of the guilds paying these weekly sums were attached to churches during the centuries named. The main object seems to have been self-help; besides the burial of deceased brethren and sisters, and sbi allowance to pay for '^ Masses for their souls.''
It would appear from these facts that the claim often made by Odd Fellows, that the Order is a help-meet of the church,* — an assertion often denied by that organization, — was a reality of the guilds at that early day; and that a system of stcUed relief was a part of the charitable work of the church of Christ, during the period in which these returns were made to the government of Great Britain, is proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The amount of money paid to relieve distress by these guilds, during the four- teenth and fifteenth centuries, shows conclusively that great good was done by them; and in this respect they were certainly the forerunners of the groups of friendly societies which, — under a government of free and en- lightened principles, on the soil of an English-speaking people, rich in the triumphs of benevolent impulses, — have finally culminated in the power- ful Manchester Unity and the great American Order of Odd Fellowship, each with its millions of income, and millions of expenditure for relief. A comparison between the work of the early English guilds and the cult of any of the systems of the Ancient Mysteries, proves conclusively that, both in the genius and in the practice of the distinctive principle which we denominate /ratem%, the former bears the nearest parallel to the Order in which we all take so much pride.
CHAPTER III.
EIGHTEENTH CENTUBY CLUBS AND LODGES.
Associations. — As has been stated by Past Grand Master Medole, in his article on the Manchester Unity Odd Fellows, in this work, clubs, guilds, and associations of various kinds were numerous during the last century in England. Such societies, also, existed on the continent. These organizations differed very little from similar bodies of the present day. The point made by everybody is, that the Order of Odd Fellows has not been proved to be a lineai descendant from any of them, and this we concede vnth a reservation : We might as well deny that the civiliza- tion of the nineteenth century is not a lineal descendant of the ancient <('
1 The gnUd of the " BleMed Vlr^n Mary of Chesterfield " (1918) had rules that Its members must ^
swear "to uphold the rights of the Ghorch," to "take care for the rights of the lord of the place," and t
" to guard all their Ubertles, within town and without town, and to give trusty help thereto whenever it may be needed." Every brother " in every strait and trouble" was to "have the help of his brethren toward defending himself, in due course of law, against any adversary whomsoever " ; and damages, or loss Uiereby tiieurred, were to be made good to him by the brethren, assisted by the alderman. .
38 TBS THBEE-LINK FRATERNITT.
civilizations of our Chapter I., focussed in the Christian era, as to deny that associations for charitable and benevolent purposes have not hereto- fore existed that w^re somewhat parallel to our Order as we now know it. Even the laws by which we are governed are similar to those of the ailcient guilds, — shown, also, by the articles on ritual and jurisprudence, — and many of our customs and most of our ceremonies are a duplicate of what have "gone before."
Speculations. — Another phase of this subject presents itself. The learned men of the Masonic Fraternity have, for many years, written at great length upon the antiquities or early societies from which that organi- zation is claimed by some to have descended. During the formative period of Odd Fellowship in America the "fathers " pursued a like investigation, and some of them put forth as preposterous claims for the Odd Fellows as ever adorned the pages of alleged histories of Freemasonry. Both societies are better informed to-day, and yet it is as much of an historic fact, as anything that can be established at this date, that during the centuries past two systems of societies existed side by side, as stated in the preceding chapter; and that one of these was the Masonic institution, flourishing under the patronage of the crown, there is little doubt. Its members were the builders of the cathedrals of Europe and Great Britain; that they were the ordy lawful workmen is, also, clearly established. What became of the others? An eminent historian of England^ asserts that there was an organization of workmen (builders), who, in spite of bitter opposition and lack of prestige, without the " Old Charges " arid advantages of the obligated brotherhood, " contrived to hold their own, and eventually broke down the riionopoly, thus paving the way for the purely speculative society of modem days.'' The reader will perceive that in the conflict between "organized" and "non-union" labor to-day, history repeats itself. It is no part of our purpose to compare our Order in its probable, or possible, early stages with that of the Masonic Fra- ternity; it is the farthest removed from our intention to precipitate any argument upon this subject, but the fact is apparent that two great classes of people (organized for social, protective, and benevolent pur- poses), existed in Great Britain, and in other parts of Europe during preceding centuries, just as Odd Fellowship and Freemasonry have dwelt together in the nineteenth.
More Manuscript Testimony. — Among the manuscripts that have lately been published by the Quatiior Coronati Lodge, is the " Constitution Book of the Antient and Noble Order of Bucks." The text is written on one side of forty-four unnumbered leaves, — measuring nine inches by seven inches, — and from the peculiarity of some of the letters the transcriber is led to think it is a copy of a much older manuscript. Each page is
» William James Hughan In " The History of Freemasonry and Concordant Orders," p. 19, eleeq.
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SOCIETIES. 39
neatly ruled around with a double line of red ink, as are, also, the para- graphs throughout; the main text is black, and certain words and sen- tences are in a little larger writing in blue-green ink. For example, the first word or letters in every paragraph, the headlines of the sentences, the mottoes, the words "grand," "register," and "answer" in the cate- chism, the numbers of the rules, " Nimrod " and the names generally, are of larger size and written in blue ink. All the punctuation is in red ink, as also the square brackets.
The publication of these manuscript constitutions is accompanied by an exhaustive review by Harry Ky lands, F.S.A., a member of that circle of antiquaries. From the review of the manuscript we are told that this society or club was once a very formidable rival of Freemasonry ; and, at one time, fears were entertained that it would supplant the other institution. Of course Mr. Rylands wrote from the standpoint of a Mason, being a member of that fraternity, but even his article shows conclusively what we have assumed, that rival orders existed, and the manuscript constitu- tions are in evidence that this " Order of Bucks " may have been descen- dants of the "another body of operatives," to which Mr. Hughan makes reference. While the writer does not contend that from this order came the early Odd Fellows, the facts, as stated, are given and the reader may draw his own conclusions.
Organization of the *'Antient" Order. — The presiding officer was called " Most Noble Grand " ; at one time the next two in line were a " Senior Vice Grand " and a " Junior Vice Grand." Subsequently, or before (not clearly shown), a " Deputy Nbble Grand " was the second officer, and when this became the rule there were two of these " Deputies." In William Riley's register of societies, published in 1773, the " Most Noble Order of Bucks " ranks next to the Freemasons. There was a Grand Lodge organization, ultimately, but at the first this order appears to have lacked the compact association which then, and since, characterized the Masonic Fraternity.
There are other manuscript constitutions extant, but they are auxiliary to, or connected with, the family called the " Old Charges of British Free- masons " and none known to us show the parallels with Odd Fellowship, that appear to be inherent in the one under consideration. The Order of Bucks was political as well as social. On Monday, June 4, 1759, they celebrated the birthday of George III., in grand style. They, also, were given to charitable work, — one lodge contributing the sum of £70, — "toward clothing pur brave troops abroad, and the relief of the widows and orphans of those who fell nobly in their country's and liberty's cause, " — a large amount for that day. The date of this donation was February 8, 1760. From what we have been able to learn the club or clubs from which this order sprang had existed many years, that sometime prior to 1756 the lodge system was adopted, and the semi-centennial was celebrated in 1773,
■ FEATEMSITY.
'AS*t^'i66i'B»1l^MjoicBodthe formation of their order from ■^.^^...^.i ^- _;„- ^1 ,e year leeway, call- club society that has Freemasonry ; (b) the title generis; (c) the rather than the G-rand presiding officer of the governing a "Grand" or Grand Master, Bucks " (past grands), or their --_„,__^.— ..—-■»->- "United Order" succeeded the ._ ^^^*Ms0Bi^|yi9.|2y Committee reported to it through ^uniS^^.ia^^^gj^i^^heard, determined, and redressed" ' "■ " — I — — — ""jfi objects of the order were declared l^rship," lodge -meetings being held weekly, — when the warden collected the dues, — in club- rooms or taverns, where "can- dor, sociability, freeness, and honesty are celebrated as the accomplishments of frater- nity," although the context proves these rites to have been bacchanalian; (g) "Mmrod" is mentioned aa the founder istitutions, and was a noted officer itious colors, that of the Most Noble and Freedom," representing the ;ble symbol of civil society; (t) the fauthority; (j) unanimity was taught len ribbons; (&) fines were imposed Siity of officers, at the hour appointed, ik in the evening, " and unezcused leers, for four nights worked a for- :principal emblems, — and the only iks' heads, with antlers presumedly
close of the last century, although later date. In 1802 there '^Jrder," the name "Buck" having jensive literature, and during fifty of jtbership. Led Odd Fellow need not be told the
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SOCIETIES. 41
parallels of resemblance; but for others we draw the lines: (a) Leaving to our brethren of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge the settlement of the his- torical point of controversy as to whether the " United Order " was the real successor (through the "Noble Order") of the celebrated Buck club of the days of George II., we note that the only surviving organizations are those possessing manuscript constitutions (the Old Charges of British Freemasons, and that fraternity being the greatest living example), — none others were perpetuated, — what became, then, of this order, with its written code, its claim to have been founded by Nimrod (" who built the Tower of Babel "), and did it have successors? (b) the title of " Most Noble Grand '' is still used in our installation ceremonies (was the common title in the records of Adam Lodge, of Boston, in 1828-32), and " Noble Grand '' is sui generis as the presiding officer of a lodge in Odd Fellowship; (o) both the English and American orders were at first regulated by commit- tees ("Quarterly," "Annual," or "Grand"), indeed, the whole machinery of the organization was at first identical with the Bucks, and tlie Man- chester Unity still adheres to that system; (d) the representation of lodges by past grands is, also, similar; (e) among the first English organizations of Odd Fellows was an "Antient" and a "United Order" ; (/) the conviviality of the early brethren would read in story very much like this eighteenth century order; (g) "Nimrod" was an officer in some of the first American encampments even, and both that worthy and his history figured in the earliest rituals; (h) the regalia possesses distinctive colors; (t) the first ritual of the Odd Fellows provided that the "officers be up-standing and covered, brothers be up-standing and uncovered," at the opening and closing of a lodge ; (j) no other modem society, of which we have knowledge, uses the "bundle of sticks " as an emblem; (Jc) fines were at one time universal in Odd Fellowship, all the old codes of by- laws have an elaborate system for all occasions, and an office may be declared vacant after three unexcused absences; (I) bring the antlers of the three bucks' heads together at the top, erase the heads as too cumbersome, and the three-links, — the emblem sui generis of the Odd Fellows, — appears in embryo. The parallels are susceptible of much farther extension.
One Common Bond. — The membership of the eighteenth century clubs consisted of select companies of congenial people, who met for social purposes, as has been stated. They assembled at various places, at tav- erns, and in rooms where wo7*kmen, or those of similar trades, were accus- tomed to gather. The pulpit thundered its anathemas, and the nobility held aloof. The Masons solved the problem by admitting to " specula- tive " (honorary) membership those not of the craft, which in time led to "operative" and "speculative" departments, and, with many "Old Charges " (or constitutions) have continued to the present, — the two kinds of Freemasonry having long since become united. What became of the
'^L^^isJji^^jrff FRATEBNITT. .-:••.• SI', tr^'m
» pearl fi ^jonstitutiona? We do not pretend to ** itive.
the forty years succeeding 1780, a
fi to have decayed and disappeared; Great Britain, and wa^ transplanted ^ew York, Baltimore, Boston, and li^jj^ut, official titles, correspondences in ly the frt^ments that have been pre- inference to suppose that the later ;, or a close imitation, of the extinct
incident is recorded that lends color nee may be valid. When George IV. le authority, he found himself ushered iay at a ball ; others, that it was into In the discussion of the review the members of the Quatuor Coronati the entrance by the Prince into an the story as follows: —
' Feathers,' Groavenor street, Weit. A lodge |>the private cliunber of which George, Prince ot rQyn«rliig friend. The Bociety wai, at that I, which no UDioilJated eye may behold, and The only nay to repair the sacrilege was to |*i]^ellowa,' a title they certaialy deserved as richly nere quickly conferred, and the Prince wm History oj Signboardt, p. 131.
light be led to inquire why a Bucks' tcame fused as one and the same, in ily no traditional cotmection between
Part II.
THE ORIGIN, THE CREATIVE PERIOD, AND THE GOLDEN AGE
OF ODD FELLOWSHIP, CONSIDERED IN REGARD TO
THE GOVERNING BODIES OF THE ORDER.
DIVISION 11.
THE SOVEREiaN GRAND LODaE,
THE BEGINNING AND GROWTH OF THE INDEPENDENT ORDER, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ; AND OF THE AMERICAN ORDER, NOW REPRESENTED IN THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE, BELTING THE GLOBE.
INTRODUCTION.
THE RATIONALE OF THE CLASSIFICATION.
The general scope of this paxt of the History of Odd Fellowship com- prehends a careful inquiry into the value of the evidence, and a review of the origin and growth of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. On this point, Kidgely, sometimes called the ^^ Master-builder/' of the Amer- ican Order, wrote, in 1845 : —
" However humble the origin of Odd Fellowship, and, I may add, however ill-adapted in its inception to the great end for which it now so saccessfully exerts its unremitting efforts, we take no reproaches in openly proclaiming the truth. We do not claim that its capabil- ities for goody its value to man, and its usefulness to society at large are commensurate with its origin in England, or America. You are not ignorant, nor is the world ignorant of the fact, that Odd Fellows were, originaUy, convivial men, and as such, were the subject of reproach in both hemispheres, for many years. Nor is it to be wondered that public opinion firmly and successfully opposed the progress of the Order in its early day. It must in candor be admitted that much of the prejudice to which it was then subjected, was not whoUy unmerited. It could not be expected that an enlightened community would regard favorably the professions of an order of men, which, — while it claimed, by its influence and
43
44 THE THREE' LINK FRATERNITY.
principles, the office of elevating the standard of human character, — afforded but little evidence of the truthfulness of such profession, in the practice, which was known to consti- tute its leading element. However beautiful its theory, men were indisposed to confide in its fitness as an agent of good, when they regarded its example as wanting in a proper def- erence to a healthy public mind. Honor, enduring honor, is due to the spirit, which, in appreciation of the adverse tone of public sentiment and its just condemnation, imparted that regenerating influence, which, — acting like the vivifying dews of heaven upon the drooping plant, — first gave health and vigor to its principles."
The story, thus outlined, is told in detail in the following pages, sup- plemented by the history of the Order, when, — the thraldom of early associations thrown aside, — Odd Fellowship arose to its high privilege, and honestly gained its present world-wide reputation for fraternal and benefi- cent activities. To write the history of such an organization is a difficult imdertaking, — not so much because of its obscure and convivial origin, its formative period, encompassed with opposition and harassed by contu- mely, as the absence of those elements, found in almost everything else, that command interest in the narrative. The secular historian has many factors in his favor not possessed by the society scribe. He can call to his assistance the exploits of the field, and the eloquence of the forum. The activities of the busy, bustling world contribute to his stock of infor- mation. The literature of the ages are at his command. The sentiment of patriotism may attract the sympathy of thousands to his words, and give prominence to what would, otherwise, be an unattractive statement of facts. But the Fraternity historian has few of these accessories within his reach. He delves in a field the antithesis of this, — and yet, who shall say that the labors of the one are not the correlative of the other ? Who shall dare to declare that the attainments of the writers of the subse- quent pages are not as important, in their influence, as the labors of the secular historian ? They write of a fraternal, beneficial society, at the first composed of humble laborers. The state is not friendly ; religion frowns upon it ; and the press, that mighty engine of modem thought, is an enemy. Of the early records, even in the American Order, little remains ; and of literature, such only as it has itself gathered. How, then, can history, like this, be written ? The reader must draw his reply from what has come down to us, and in this he will be assisted by many facts, that appear here for the first time in standard history.
The unostentatious methods employed by the Order in later times, " doing good as good ought always to be performed," without the blare of trumpets, and the accessories of processions headed by comet bands, militates against the record of many things that would, undoubtedly, be of interest to the public as well as to Odd Fellows ; but the story, told with a controlling desire for truth, and in a fearless manner, is given to the world in all the ampUtude that space will admit.
The Editob-in-Chief.
SECTION I.
THE MANCHESTER UNITY DURING ITS CONNECTION WITH THE
AMERICAN ORDER.
Bt John Medole, Past Chrand Master,
CHAPTER I.
THE ORIGIN OF ODD FELLOWSHIP.
Introductory. — No system devised for the improvement of the social condition of mankind has ever been organized, and introduced to the world, that has not encountered some determined hostility, often having to contend with stern and violent opposition, and this, generally, from the learned and higher grades of society. Galileo, when he demonstrated that the sun was the centre of many revolving worlds, was branded as an infidel. Harvey, who discovered the circulation of the blood, was denounced as an impostor. Inoculation was condemned as anti-Christian, and its introduction declared to be in direct contravention of the laws of nature. Even Christianity was not exempt from prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance. Man seems to be inclined to condemn what he does not understand. Notwithstanding the boasted intelligence and refinement of the age, uncharitable constructions are often placed upon what are either imperfectly understood, or not known at all.
The Manchester Unity and all other Friendly societies have experi- enced the shafts of enmity, hatred, and malice. Both the pulpit and the press, in the past, hurled their anathemas and opprobrious epithets at the institution, and heaped upon it no stinted measure of obloquy and calumny. Many of these societies, however, have outlived the baneful influence of this opposition.
The Order's Bes:inning. — The origin of the Order of Odd Fellows is implicated in much doubt, and surrounded with considerable obscurity. As a Friendly society, whatever existence it may have had in the last century was not of sufficient interest to claim any favorable public notice of its operations. In the present century it has assumed a more important character, leading to much inquiry and speculation as to its origin and early
reputation. As no original records are known to have been kept, its early
45
46 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
history is mere conjecture, at best. All we really know of it, in this connection, is limited to the last decade of the eighteenth and the first two decades of the present century.
James Spry, in his " History of Odd Fellowship," said : —
" When I was first admitted a member, in the year 1840, a very old man, by the name of Morris, informed me that he had been a member twenty-five years ; that his father and grandfather belonged to a lodge of Ancient Odd Fellows, which met at a house in Tooley street, Bermondsey, under dispensation bearing date of 1760. Since I commenced writing my book I have been favored with a sight of a portion of the laws of a lodge, written in ancient character on vellum, and a leaf, apparently the draft .of the rough minutes of the night's proceedings, of Aristarchus Lodge, No. 9, of the O. of O. F's., meeting at Globe Tavern, March 12, 17-18, — Gordon Styles, Noble Master."
The Roman Camp Legend. — In order to discredit the story that the Order was first established by the Roman soldiers, in camp during the reign of Nero, the emperor, in the year 55, who were then called Fellow- citizens, and to dissipate the fallacy that Titus Caesar gave them the name of Odd Fellows in the year 79, the compiler will here give the English version of the origin of this misrepresentation.
In October, 1835, Representative Ridgely of Maryland submitted, at the session of the Grand Lodge of the United States, the following ; —
" Resolved y That the committee on correspondence, of this Grand Lodge, be directed to address a congratulatory letter to our brethren in Great Britain upon the state of the Order in that country, .. . . and solicit from them a detailed historical account of the origin, rise, and progress of the Order."
Past Provincial Grand Master Bums, in 1846, furnished the only information we have upon this subject. He said : —
" In 1835 the members of the Order in America were anxious to learn the true origin of their common society, and, in order to inform themselves correctly upon the subject, they wrote to Manchester, the seat of the executive government. Their letters, along with several printed papers, were laid before the Grand Annual Movable Committee, at Rochdale, in 1838, and the following was adopted by that body ; —
*' ' That the correspondence from America be answered by the Grand Master and Board of Directors.'
*' In accordance with this resolution the following brief historical sketch was trans- mitted to our trans- Atlantic brethren, which, in all conscience, was certainly sufficient to flatter the vanity of our American brethren as to the antiquity of their favorite child of adoption ; and, to say the least, the Order must have been a pretty full-grown boy at eighteen hundred years of age."
The preliminaries of the Grand Master and Board of Directors' letter being omitted, the following is a copy of their history of the Order of Odd Fellows : —
" In accordance with your wishes, we will endeavor, as far as we are acquainted, to give you a brief sketch of the origin of Odd Fellowship; also of that portion called the Manchester Unity. We are not in possession of any manuscripts, in the archives of the Order, that will enable us to give you a detailed account; we have, therefore, obtained our information in a concise form from past officers of the Order who were among the originators of it in Manchester.
J
ITS ORIGIN^ AND THE MANCHESTER UNITY. 47
** The origin of the Order is of antique date. It was first established by the Roman soldiers, in camp, after the Order ot the Israelites daring the reign of (the immaculate) Nero, the Roman emperor, in the year of grace 55, at which time they were called Fellow- citizens. The name Odd Fellows was given to this order of men, in the year 79, by Titus CsBsar, from the singularity of their notions, and from their knowing each other by night as well as by day ; and, for their fidelity to him as well as to their country, he not only gave them the name of Odd Fellows, but, at the same time, as a pledge of his friendship, presented them with a dispensation, engraved on a plate of gold, having the foUowing emblems : the Royal Arch of Titus, the Ark of the Covenant, the Golden Candlesticks, and Table weighing a great talent ; the Sun for the Noble Grand, the Moon and Stars for the Vice Grand, the Lamb for the Secretary, the Lion for the Guardian, the Dove for the Warden, and the Emblems of Mortality for the Grand Master.
'* It is very probable that the first Odd Fellovrs made their appearance in North Wales about that time, as an invasion was made by one of Titus Caesar's generals (Agricola) , of North Whales, and shortly afterward of the Island of Mona, now called Anglesea. The first account we have of the Order spreading itself in other countries is in the fifth century, when it was established in the Spanish dominions, under the Roman dispensation ; in the sixth century, by Henry of Portugal ; in the twelfth century it was established in France ; and afterward in England by John D. Neville, attended by five knights from France, who established a Grand Lodge of Honor in England, which Order remained until the eighteenth century, in the reign of George III., when a part of them formed themselves into a Union, and a portion of them remain until this day. On this account the lodges which remain are very numerous throughout the world, and call themselves the Loyal Ancient Order of Odd Fellows, being a portion of the original body.
" So much, then, for the brief sketch of the Order transmitted to our American brethren. I have never learned how they have been satisfied with the result of our historical labors ; one thing may be observed, — if they have any respect for antiquity, they must necessarily appreciate what we have gleaned for them.'*
That this story is a myth is apparent upon its face. How sensible and educated men could be led away from the truth by such vague, idle, and nonsensical speculations is greatly to be wondered and, for the repu- tation of the Order, deeply deplored. It does not stand in need of such imaginary details of lively-fancied brains, of over-zealous, but well-meaning brethren, who, in the warmth of their enthusiasm, have allowed their absurd fancies to steal a march on their better judgment, for the sake of connecting their particular theories, or objects, with times long since passed away.
Clubs and Ancient Guilds. — Clubs are not modern institutions. They have existed in all ages, and among many nations. Historians tell us that in the ancient days of Greece the men of Athens combined for social intercourse. In both Greece and Rome political clubs were common, and the aristocrats and democrats of that period advanced their views much as they do at this distant day. In Rome the earliest clubs were the trade- * guilds, founded by Numa Eompilius in 720 b.c, similar to the guilds of the craftsmen, which played so important a part in the history of the middle ages. At one time there were not less than eighty of these guilds in Rome, and they were not confined exclusively to the metropolis. The societies formed throughout the Roman Empire, for the practice of re- ligious rites, unknown to the states, were not dissimilar to the Masonic
48 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
society of the present day, except that our Masonic institution does not violate the laws of any principality, commonwealth, or municipality.
Even the slaves in Kome formed clubs of their own, which somewhat resembled the trades-unions of later times. While military clubs were prohibited, they were tolerated among officers of regiments in the foreign service. The rules of a club, in a regiment on duty in Africa, have been discovered among the remains of a Roman camp, showing that the annual dues were about $1.25 of our money.
Women's clubs are not of recent origin. The Roman matrons had many such gatherings, some for religious, others for social purposes. The most celebrated of these was the " Senate of Matrons," connected with which was a debating society, wherein momentous questions concerning themselves were discussed.
The first definite information concerning an English club is given by Thomas Occleve, the poet, who, with Chaucer, belonged to a club called " La Court de Bone Compagnie." In the reign of Queen Elizabeth these clubs became very numerous, and some of them exceedingly famous, owing to the great men who belonged to them.
Among the ancient Saxons "guilds" were inaugurated, growing out of the relations and necessities of commerce, trade, and manufactures. Each member contributed to a common fund, out of which were given donations for the temporary relief of needy members. Eventually every trade had its separate guild, and other organizations, of a like character and object, became popular in European cities and towns. They were really trades-unions or cooperative societies, and have been traced as far back as the tenth century. In the last century most of those, in England, degenerated into free-and-easy clubs, social and convivial in their charac- ter. Subsequently workingmen's beneficial societies were formed, out of which were inaugurated the Odd Fellows' or Friendly society. In the early part of the present century, the Order was organized into a permanent institution; in England confined, almost exclusively, to the operative classes, and was both beneficial and convivial.
The Ague's Controlling Principle. — Every age has had its central idea, its controlling principle. From history we learn that the age of Greece was the age of letters and arts. The general intellectual development of the people exhibited a progressive advancement of life from its lowest types, as they existed in the normal condition of society, up to higher forms of education and civilization. The middle ages were characterized by re- ligious enthusiasm, uncontrolled by science, and unrestrained by knowl- edge founded upon reason and experience. Then came an age of military despotism, when tyrants exercised absolute or unlimited and uncontrolled power.
The idea of the present age is fraternity, — to associate and hold fel-
\
ITS ORIGIS, AND THE MANCHESTER UNITY. 49
lowship as brothers, — a brotherhood that fosters love of country, and of family, benevolence toward the needy, sympathy for the distressed, and brotherly love for those in affliction. The present age has borrowed but little from the models of ancient times, has overleaped all barriers to the supremacy of the principles of universal freedom, the sovereignty of the people, and the inevitable growth of the idea of brotherhood, as implied in pure friendship, fraternal love, and divine truth. Humanity and char- ity have largely participated in the advance of civilization and the triumph of Christianity. As inseparable from the growth of these, and as aux- iliary to that greater efficiency for good, has the spirit of association and cooperative organization been invoked, with a view to enlarged usefulness and more effective practical results.
The Orders of Odd Fellows. — The Manchester Unity was only one of the many Orders of Odd Fellows that existed in England at the beginning of the present century. Each was independent of all others. Among these may be named : the Imperial Odd Fellows, Nottingham ; Ancient Noble Odd Fellows, Bolton ; Grand United Odd Fellows, Sheffield ; Economical Odd Fellows, Leeds ; National Odd Fellows, Salf ord ; London Unity Odd Fellows; and others in more obscure localities. These held no official or fraternal relations with one another, except that each lodge accorded allegiance to the "mother lodge," recognizing its supervising influence, under the authority of the dispensation it had granted.
The causes that necessitated the formation of these several unities, led to the disintegration of others, and prevented the union of some, occurred between 1790 and 1796, and were attributed to the action of the government. The principles of deism, at that time, swayed and ruled the minds of thousands of people in France, eventually brought about a revolution that overturned the forms of religion and monarchy, in the name of " Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity," and established the worship of reason. England, in order to prevent the introduction of like princi- ples among her people, many of whom were not averse to them, and on several occasions had manifested their approval of the transactions of the National Assembly of France, had taken the precaution to have enacted, by Parliament, measures for the suppression of all seditious gatherings, and to interdict the unlawful administering of oaths by secret societies. The penalties of the laws thus enacted, were, through the agency of the local authorities, constables, spies, and informers, visited with unusual severity on the people.
The Odd Fellows' societies, lest their purposes should be suspected, and their teachings of fraternity misconstrued, decided to suspend public operations and discontinue correspondence with their respective Grand Lodges.
London Union Odd Fellows. — This isolated condition of the lodges con-
60 THE THREE-LINK FRATEBNITT.
tinned until 1803, when the society of London Union Odd Fellows was organized by some of the city lodges, in London, and set up its assump- tion to be the Grand Lodge of England, with sovereign authority in Odd Fellowship, in the domain of the United Kingdom ; and became at once tyrannical and oppressiye, in the exercise of its power over the lodges. Those in the provinces, through the cupidity, tyranny, and irresponsible character of the managers in London, were dissatisfied with the executive authority, and frequently remonstrated, but without any beneficial effect
Grand Lodge of England. — The Grand Lodge of England, from the posi* tion it occupied, determined to force the whole Order to submit to its control, and was partially successful, when, in 1809, a Brother Bolton, member of a lodge of the Ancient Order of Odd Fellows, in London, became a resident of Manchester. In conjunction with some friends, he obtained a dispensation from the Grand Lodge, in London, for Victory Lodge, in Manchester, and it proclaimed itself independent of the Grand Lodge of England. This was the first declared opposition to the usurped authority and power of that Grand body.
The Mutual Relief System. — In 1810 Robert Nay lor, with others, held convivial club meetings at the Bope-makers ' Arms, Chapel street, Salf ord, near Manchester. They framed a code of rules for self-government, and also adopted an absurd and ridiculous ceremony for the admission of applicants. Several members of Prince Begent Lodge, of Odd Fellows, were prevailed upon to join them, and formed a benefit club at the Bobin Hood, in Church street, Manchester, in October, 1810. This union resulted in the spontaneous organization, by self-institution, of Lord Abercrombie Lodge, on the principle of mutual relief to its members, change in the customary financial system, and a somewhat improved initiatory cere- mony. With these new features the lodge increased rapidly in members and finances. Victory, and other lodges, immediately adopted a similar system and work, and were rewarded for the changes.
In 1811 the new lodge, not slow in observing the effect of its improve- ments, as adopted by the other lodges, conceived the idea that it was entitled to a supremacy over those lodges, proclaimed itself as the ^^ Lord Abercrombie Grand Lodge of Independent Odd Fellows,'' and announced its authority over the lodges working according to the system it had inaugurated. This movement gave rise to hostility on the part of other lodges, and disputes retarded their growth. They willingly acknowledged the " Abercrombie " as the " mother lodge," but claimed an equal partici- pation in the authority to govern.
Funeral Fund. — This unsatisfactory state of affairs existed until 1812, when the lodges, located in and around Manchester, where the old Order had made considerable progress in the past three years, declared their independence, and elected a managing committee to superintend the new
rra origin^ and the manchesteb unity. 61
system. The alarm of imioyation was now sounded throughout the Order, and many obstacles were interposed to impede the advancement of the renovated society. The changes in the admission ceremony; the intro- duction of appropriate paraphernalia; the provision for the funeral fund system ; every effort tending to restrain the ancient usages in the lodge- room, were viewed with suspicion, if not absolutely regarded as oppressive. All lodges were held in taverns, or public houses, for the benefit of the landlords and any interference with their privileges, and business, met with violent opposition from that class of people, who had become con- firmed in the belief that, while these lodges were organized for the amusement of their members, the primary object of their institution was for the profit of the lodge host, who was, invariably, the landlord.
However, the new conditions continued to gain strength, and every new difficulty seemed to impart fresh energy to the members, to contend, not only with the opposition of the old society, but the unfriendliness of the pulpit and the press. The Order was denounced from the former as demoralizing in its influence. It was held up to the people as the abode of every vice that should be shunned, and its members were branded as apostates, both to religion and morality, and its teachings declared to be nothing short of infidelity ; while the press hurled its fulminations against the Order, and boldly proclaimed that it had a tendency to lead the mem- bers into the most degraded condition of intemperance, and that the society taught principles subversive of all law and good government.
The Social Status. — Under such circumstances it was not to be expected that persons of standing and respectability would apply for admission to a society apparently so low in the moral and social scale ; and, conse- quently, the growth and prosperity of the institution were in a great measure paralyzed. The Independent Order was confined almost solely to Manchester and its vicinity, and hence very little interest was felt con- cerning it elsewhere. The members saw and admitted the necessity of such action as would save the society from early disruption, and ultimate relapse into its former habits and customs. After consultation and discussion, it was deemed advisable to call a convention of the lodges to consider the existing state of the Order, and determine what was best to be done.
The Iffanchester Unity organised. — In 1813 a convention of the past and present officers of all the lodges in interest, in Manchester and the outlying districts, was held. Those represented were : Lord Abercrombie Grand Lodge, No. 1, Salford; Wellington, No. 2, Manchester; Clarence, No. 3, Salford ; Victory, No. 4, Manchester ; Victoria, No. 5, Ashton-under- Line ; and Combermere Lodge, No. 6, Stockport. After due consideration an agreement to form an organization of the lodges, under the title of " The Manchester Unity of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows," was adopted. The convention was strongly in favor of uniformity in the work ;
52 THE THBEE-LINK FRATERNITT.
of general laws for the Order ; of enlarging its benevolent and charitable features; of efforts for raising the reputation of the institution in the public estimation, by improving the habits and customs of the members.
Government. — January 21, 1814, a formal organization was accom- plished, and measures were taken to secure the co5peration of all in a complete structure. A Grand Committee, or District Grand Lodge, was provided, and at once convened. A form of government was adopted. James Christie was elected Grand Master, and Benjamin Howarth Deputy Grand Master.
This may be considered the first practical movement made in Man- chester toward the formation of a permanent and reliable organization, from which the Unity sprang, and eventually became a leading factor among the Friendly societies in England at that time. While it may not have been intended to extend its operations, power, and authority beyond the limit of Manchester and the adjoining districts, it opened many lodges, and spread the principles of Odd Fellowship throughout Lancashire, which expanded its domain, and led to the opening of several lodges under its sanction.
Grand Officers. — In 1815 John Lloyd was elected Grand Master, and served four consecutive years, and Benjamin Howarth was retained as Deputy Grand Master. At this annual session of the Grand Committee it was decided to district the jurisdiction into provincial districts, with a Provincial District Grand Master appointed for each. It was also determined to number the lodges in numerical order in each district.
The rapid growth of the Order rendered the appointment of a corre- sponding secretary necessary at the annual session, in 1816, and Thomas Hignett was selected, who served during the ensuing five years. The funeral fund system, adopted at this session, was the first useful result of the Order as a Unity ; and lodges distant from Manchester were per- mitted to participate in its benefits, on payment of the entrance fee. Through the medium of this fund great good was accomplished, and help- ful aid dispensed. As a general principle, however, the lodges exercised authority and control over their respective funds, without interference from any ruling body.
Lodge Degrees adopted. — Not the least important business of this ses- sion was the question of adopting degrees into the Order. The subject was referred to a committee, who prepared and reported to the Grand Officers the White, Eoyal Blue, and Scarlet degi*ees, with appropriate lectures, which were committed to the Order in July. In December, 1817, the Grand Committee adopted a past grand's charge.^
> Xote bp the JEditor-in^ Chi^. — ThlB charge was quite a different ftflUr tcom that known to Ameri- can Odd Fellows. It resembled the " charges to the Candidates/' in Webb's Mawnic Monitor^ dated September 26, 1797.
ITS ORIGIN, AND THE MANCHESTER UNITY. 53
CHAPTER II.
THE ORDER IN WALES.
An Enlarged Sphere of Operations. — In 1820 Waterloo Lodge was opened in Monmouth, as the pioneer of the Order in Wales. Its success was almost instantaneous. The members were energetic in adding to their number, and their devotion to the interests of the Order led them to make known its objects and principles among their towns-people. One of their number, Past Provincial Grand Master Rennie, seemed to live for Odd Fellowship alone, through his addresses, writings, and essays. He trav- elled many miles to advocate the cause of the Order, at anniversary meet- ings, and he was at the opening of every new lodge within a reasonable distance. In this way he and Waterloo Lodge became known far and near.
Another indefatigable Odd Fellow, John Davis, of the Union Order, was attracted to Waterloo Lodge by the newspaper reports of the good work of the lodge, and, assured that the Manchester Unity was a far more useful institution than the Union Order, decided to open a lodge in Trede- gar. For this purpose Brother Rennie had Davis and four of his friends initiated in Waterloo Lodge. These five brothers immediately applied for and obtained a dispensation to open South Briton Lodge in Tredegar, Wales.
Affiliation of Trades-Union Clubs. — As a result of the failure of the trades-union clubs formed among the workmen in the great mineral basin of Wales for mutual protection, and of their liability to the casualties incident to their calling, they allied themselves with Odd Fellowship, and became well-ple^ed with its plan of operations. Brother Davis assisted in organizing and opening over fifty lodges in the principality. The Order progressed rapidly, and was held in the highest estimation by the public. Odd Fellowship had taken a firm hold on the people of Wales, exercising a moral and social influence among them, and attracting to its ranks men of education, affluence, and of high social and political standing. Its annual gatherings and anniversary dinners afforded recreative enjoyment, not only among the members of the Order, but the towns-people looked forward to their return with pleasure and interest.
"«e'
CHAPTER III.
THE ORDER IN SCOTLAND.
Invasion of Scotland. — The Order of Manchester Unity Odd Fellows, apparently, was not introduced into Scotland at a very early date of its existence. The first dispensation for a lodge that crossed the Tweed, the ideal line that marks the boundary of the two nations, was granted in
64 THE THBEE'LINK FRATERNITY.
April, 1837 ; and Bon-accord and Thistle Lodge was opened in Aberdeen. The first applicants were wool-combers from Yorkshire. The Order, at first, did not meet with favor among the inhabitants, and the lodge had many difficulties with which to contend. The principles of Odd Fellow- ship had, seemingly, been planted in soil uncongenial to their spread and appreciation. The character of the people was proyerbiaJly cautious, and always jealous of any innovation upon the established usages of Aberdeen. The strange and unmeaning name of the Order was looked upon as some- thing that was '' no good," and its membership as being composed of a set of boon companions, with no other object in view than passing their leisure hours in conviviality, free from the restraints of morality.
Progress. — In due time the people of Aberdeen began to investigate the character and intent of the Order, note the results of its work, and became convinced that it represented the most important Friendly society in existence. At the end of the first four years Friendship, Love, and Truth reechoed from fourteen lodges, — three of which were: the Star of the Korth, Scotland's Glory, and Lord Byron. Many intelligent and educated citizens, becoming familiarized with the name of Odd Fellow, were not only initiated, but were warm and devoted enthusiasts in, and gave support and character to, the Order. They saw in it a medium for the well-being of their families in future possible contingencies, and, therefore, created a widow and orphan fund. They also erected an Odd Fellows' hall that reflected credit on the city, was a monument to fraternity, and an honor to the Order.
May 22, 1838, Loyal City of Glasgow Lodge was opened by Provincial Deputy Grand Master Beck, of Carlisle, at the Sign of the Hatters' Arms, in New street, Glasgow, — the first of the Order in that city. The mem- bers were humble mechanics, but of industrious habits. They were slow in gaining admissions. The Ancient Order was introduced into Glasgow about 1815, had several lodges in the town, but these were conducted as free-and-easy societies. The immoral tendency of the old lodges, and their unsavory influence with young men, prejudiced the people against the new lodge. November 17, 1838, Banks of Clyde Lodge was opened, and August 17, 1839, yiys^le Jjodge. The Order was beginning now to force itself upon the gcfo^ gija«es of the people in the west of Scotland, as they noted the benefits' it Vas daily conferring upon its members. The Manchester Unity eventually attained a deserved standing among gentle- men in the middle ranks of society, who joined it to encourage the working classes to avail themselves of its wise provisions. The lodges ceased to hold their meetings in public houses, and resorted to private rooms, abol- ishing the convivial character in vogue in England. The lodge thus exercised a moral influence upon its members, and maintained the good opinion of the public.
ITS ORIGIN, AND THE MANCHESTER UNITY. 55
CHAPTER IV.
THE UNITY IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA.
The Manchetter Qorammeiit.— In 1819 the lodges remote from Maa- chester, although they admitted a common bond of fellowship, were distmstful of the schemes proposed, and power exercised by the Grand Committee. While John Mansell was Grand Master, in 1819, and 1820, various plans had been discussed, which resulted in a determination of the Manchester Committee to have a fixed centre for the seat of govern- ment, and effect, if possible, a consolidation of all the lodges in the country, under one general head, and thus bring them under the control of the Manchester district. They embodied their ideas in a circular, explaining that, from the position of Manchester, they thought its estab- lishment there would promote, and conserve, the best interests of the Order. This was sent to each district that had maintained a semi-inde- pendence, and to the self -instituted lodges everywhere that acknowledged no authority above their own. This caused more than a little agitation, and considerable feeling was manifested. Eoohdale, Newcastle, and Leeds protested against the assumption of the power contemplated. The lodge in Pimlico, London, working under a Manchester dispensation, on receiving the circular, informed the Manchester Committee that they considered London the best place for central operations, and had estab- lished themselves as a Grand Lodge, with headquarters in Jewin street. They peremptorily ordered lodges to give in their allegiance to, and con- tribute toward, the maintenance of this self-constituted Grand Lodge. Leeds, also, sought to obtain the seat of government, and created oppo- sition and distrust toward the Manchester movement La most of the Yorkshire lodges.
Conflict and Harmony . -^ This action on the part of the Manchester district involved them in conflict with the Grand Lodge of England, and each expelled the other from the Order. The Manchester Committee wisely wasted no energies in opposition, but employed every means at their command to allay conflicting passions; and thus succeeded in per- suading lodges in all sections to send their adhesion, and promises of sup- port, to establish the Manchester government on a permanent foundation.
The protesting districts were visited by the Grand Master, and two associates, and requested to enter into mutual explanations, with a view of reconciling differences. Some of the erroneous impressions, relative to the intentions of the central government, were removed^ but the Man- chester authority was repudiated. The ill-advised attacks of the Odd FeUowu* Hagazine, against the officers of the Order, aided by turbulent spirits, stimulated rebellion to the authority of the Grand Master, in
56 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
many lodges, which rendered it difficult to keep even a medium course, between what was considered tyranny and rebellion; so that the author- ities had to labor, or fight, as circumstances directed, in the belief, as the Grand Master expressed it, that the Order, whose foundations were now firmly laid by its wise and good men, would erect a superstructure to adorn and beautify, a mansion of peace, good-will, and relief to all man- kind.
The plan proposed by the Manchester district, providing for a Mov- able Committee to hold annual sessions where a majority of the deputies, at a previous session, might designate, decided the lodges in favor of the Manchester scheme; and the districts of the Independent Order came into compliance, except the district of Leeds, which organized the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows.
A few of the so-called '^ Grand " lodges still held out, and for a time resisted all overtures. When the inconsistency of their position was made apparent to them, most of them gradually acquiesced in what had been designed for a harmonious unity.
Lord Abercrombie Grand Lodge, No. 1, the '^ mother lodge," of the Manchester district, resisted all entreaties, and persisted in retaining the title, and exercising her ancient prerogative over the lodges opened under her sanction and influence. In 1821 the District Grand Committee expelled the lodge from fellowship, and abolished the use of the term '^ Grand " by working or subordinate lodges, when it placed itself under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England. The association becom- ing disagreeable, eventually, the lodge applied for reinstatement in the Manchester Unity. In November, 1825, the District Grand Committee reinstated the lodge; but, deprived of the "No. 1" on the Unity roll, it was allowed to take the first vacant number on the ledger. This was confirmed by the Annual Movable Committee, in 1826, and the lodge was restored as Abercrombie Lodge, No. 1, Salford.
First Grand Session. — The first Grand Movable Committee was con- vened at the Manchester Arms, in Manchester, May 30, 1822. It confirmed the expediency of holding an Annual Movable Committee, with power to adopt or reject laws proposed by districts, for the better government of the Order; the Committee to be composed of past and present officers of districts and lodges which were in compliance.
The first lodge opened by the Manchester Unity, in London, was on September 2, 1822, — the Loyal St. Olives, at the sign of the Bull, Bull Court, Tooley street, Southwark. Though this lodge was reopened under a dispensatioi\ from the Manchester Unity, if not the oldest lodge for- merly belonging to the Ancient Order, it must have been among the first instituted, as the former members possessed records which proved its existence as far back as 1750.
rra origin, and the Manchester unity. 67
Very little can be ascertained from the incomplete and unsatisfactory records, relative to the Order in Liverpool, either as to the institution of its lodges, their work, or their progress. In 1816 a small number of lodges were known to have existed in Liverpool. These, guided by Philanthropic Lodge, and actuated by the course taken by the lodges in Manchester, declared independence of the Union, or London Order. The district of Liverpool was organized by Philanthropic Lodge, No. 1; Duke of Sussex Lodge, No. 2; and Eclectic Lodge, No. 3, as Loyal Philan- thropic Liverpool District Grand Lodge, No. 1, of Independent Odd Fellows, and assumed prerogatives similar to those exercised by the Grand Committee, of Manchester, with which it was in harmony, as well as with all local districts of lodges of the Independent Order. Prior to 1820, each district was limited, exclusively, to its own jurisdiction. A general password was in vogue, for the use of tramps seeking either employment or relief; this was abolished by the Annual Movable Com- mittee, in May, 1823. For the service of lodges, for visitation within the Manchester district, the Unity adopted a changeable password, — monthly, then quarterly, — as early as 1816. When the Order in Liver- pool came under the control of the Manchester Unity is not known; but that such relationship did exist is evident from the minutes of the Grand Committee, of December, 1820 : —
" Resolved, That the Philanthropic Lodge, Liyerpool, doBeryes reproof for their intem- perate letters, and conduct (toward Victory Lodge, Liverpool), and all the officers and brothers of Victory Lodge be considered legal to all intents and purposes, if they make a tender of their arrears to the PhUanthropic."
May 30, 1821, a fine was imposed on Philanthropic Lodge, Liverpool, for an offence charged. At the Quarterly Committee of September 5, 1822, the expulsion of Philanthropic Lodge, Liverpool, for non-com- pliance, was referred to the next Annual Committee.
In the minutes of the Annual Movable Committee of May, 1823, it was stated: —
'* That the Philanthropic Lodge, Liverpool, and aU lodges opened by them, be totally expeUed ; bat lodges are at liberty to receiye the members who have joined them through mistaken views."
Li 1826 the Annual Movable Committee reinstated all the Liverpool lodges, except the Duke of Sussex Lodge, No. 2. Philanthropic Lodge, No. 1, subsequently, yielded compliance, and was registered as No. 34. The Duke of Sussex Lodge, No. 2, obstinately held out until 1834, when it was reinstated as No. 704.
More Degrees adopted. — The session of the Annual Movable Com- mittee, at Huddersfield, in 1825, was tumultuous in the opposition to the Grand Master presiding, — the disaffected deputies claiming the right to elect their own chairman. By prompt and decisive ruling, sustained by
68 THE THREE-LINK FBATERNJTT.
documents, resolutions, usages, and other evidences, the opposition was silenced, for the time being, and their defeat preyented the return of the Unity to the old system of isolation. Many improvements were sug- gested and adopted; the Patriarchal degree was instituted, ordered printed, and promulgated for the instruction of past officers in the princi- ples of Odd Fellowship, — the Royal Purple degree being the only portion now recognized by the Order. Thomas Armitt, brother of the Grand Master, was appointed to visit the independent lodges in the north and south of England, furnish copies of the new lecture, or Patriarchal degree, and endeavor to bring into the XJni^y several lodges that had previously been disaffected. Many districts had been visited, between July 4, 1825, and February 21, 1826, a more or less friendly interest excited, cordial expressions of good-will received, and a determination declared, on the part of some, to support the existing heads and laws of the Order.
Changes. — In 1827 many changes were made, the most important of which may be mentioned: abolishing the title of '^Grand Lodge," held by '^mother lodges"; revision of duties and charges; mode of conducting business; laws to provide for decent interment of members, dying when travelling in search of employment; certificates of membership, to prove that the holders were brothers of the Manchester Unity, when not ''avouched'for." The great question at isdue was as to the advisability of superseding the powers of the Grand Committee, elected by the lodges in Manchester, and the Grand Master, by the election or appointment of a board of directors by, and responsible for their conduct to, the Annual Movable Committee. It was decided to appoint a board of directors, to consist of past or present officers of the lodges, in the Manchester district, who should, in future, direct the affairs of the growing Unity. At this meeting the "visiting-pence" was abolished, — a tax paid by visitors to lodges where they had no rights as members. A Past Grand's degree was instituted; and the Covenant and Remembrance degrees were adopted during this year. These were American degrees, submitted by Grand Master Wildey, while on his mission to procure a grand charter for the Order in the United States.
Improved Ritual. — In 1834 the lecture book was revised, and a new mode of initiation, more in consonance with the spirit of the period, was adopted. As the trades-unions admitted to membership by the admin- istration of oaths, the government put in force the laws relating to extra- judicial, or "illegal oaths." The Order, in the spirit of loyalty to the constitution, abrogated the oath that had been used by the Unity in initiation, to allay all suspicion and prevent any misconstruction of its intentions.
In January, 1835, the new lecture books were issued, and those in use were recalled. This led to confusion in the work, as previously arranged
.«? , «_ .-a. 1
■A
■^-""^m!.!!....
ITS OBIGIN, AND TEE MANCHESTER UNITY. 59
between the lodges in the United States and the Manchester Unitj; and to a final separation, in 1843.
In 1836 widow and orphan funds were recognized, after free discus- sionsy as a legitimate institution of the Order, and made a law by the Annual Movable Committee; their establishment throughout the Unity was recommended, and allowances were made to districts or lodges in aid of these funds.
Famous Litigation. — Near the close of 1836 refractory members were expelled for violations of the regulations of the Order. Early in 1837 they coinmenced proceedings in the Manchester Court of Bequests, for a return of the money they had paid into their lodge fund. The Commis- sion who heard the case decided: —
" I hare, with great care, read over and coniidered the Act of Parliament relative to secret societies, and I am dearly of the opinion that the Order of Odd Fellows is an illegal association, and that the law under which the party has been expeUed is illegal; for no Order can make a law to authorize it to expel any member ; and, as the consequence, they must either pay the member back his subscriptions, or reinstate him as a member. The laws of the Order are of a philanthropic character."
In consequence ^f this adverse decision, the case was carefully drawn up and submitted to Sir John Campbell, Attorney-Qeneral, for an opinion. The statement represented that the Order was formed for mutual assist- ance in times of sickness, and to defray funeral expenses. That the Unity consisted of one thousand one hundred lodges, and seventy thou- sand members, divided into one hundred and thirty-one districts. That previous to May, 1834, the Order, not being aware of its illegality, administered an oath to each new member, on admission, that he would not divulge the secret^ of the Order; but since that date such oath had been abolished, and only a ''promise" required of the party admitted. That the Order had, at all times, done its utmost to assist the proper constituted authorities to preserve the peace. That it discountenanced trades-unions, and did not allow assistance to be given to those who leave their employment in strikes, or ''turnouts," promoting good-will to all men. That in so numerous a society individuals may render them- selves liable to be excluded for violations of the laws, a copy of which was given to each on his entrance, as a guide for his conduct. That the party had been expelled in accordance with the provisions of the rule to meet such cases.
Several questions were appended, to which the Attomey-Greneral replied: —
" Some little doubt may be entertained whether the society of Odd FeUows may not be considered as coming within the meaning of the provisions of the statutes respecting alBliated societies; but it appears to be a very loyal, moral, useful, and praiseworthy institution, and I think the members may continue to meet according to the rules of the Order, as they have done so long, without any danger of being caUed into question for a breach of the law.
60 THE TRBEE'LINK FRATERNITY.
"If the society were ille^, an expelled member camiot, by law, reeoyer back any part of the money paid by him to the lodge.
" I do not see any necessity for the society being remodelled.
" If the society were dissolved, no member could claim more than his share of the sarplos ; and, if an account were taken on the footing of the sums he has paid, there must be a set-off in respect to the sums he has receiyed.
" I think the Court of Conscience has exceeded its jurisdiction ; and. If it proceed, in such eases it might be restrained by prohibition. I would strongly recommend to the Odd Fellows to keep clear of law proceedings, if possible ; but, should the Court of Con- science absurdly attempt to put them down, by encouraging actions by expelled members, I think application should be made to the Court of the King's Bench for a prohibition.
(Signed) "J. Campbell.''
In February, 1837, a similar case came before the same Commissioner for hearing. He adhered to his previous opinion, that the Order was an unlawful combination or confederation, and gave a verdict for the plaintiff. When the case came again before the Court of Bequests the Chief Commissioner said he had some doubts in his mind; he had con- sidered the Attorney-General's answers to the several questions, and, after eulogizing the legal knowledge of Sir John Campbell, he acquiesced in his opinion, — that, under the circumstances, no member could recover back money he had paid to the society, and that execution could not follow the judgment. He said that he did not make this decision in fear of a prohibition, or anything else; but he would do the Odd Fellows the justice to say that their conduct in the whole case had been straight- forward and honorable.
It was a trying ordeal for the Order. It repelled the vile charges of unworthy members, and rebutted the unprovoked' and scurrilous attacks of an unfriendly press, that the public might judge of the merits of both statements. Had the directors of the Unity pursued a less firm and per- sistent course, the society must have succumbed to the repeated attacks of its disaffected members, to obtain, in law, what they had forfeited by disobedience of the laws they had promised to uphold; or have main- tained a degraded existence, by tolerating repeated insults, and violations of its laws, until it terminated in dissolution.
The Order prospers. — June 21, 1837, the members of the Manchester district took part in a grand demonstration, in aid of the funds of the deaf and dumb schools, at Old Trafford. The Bev. E. Parkinson thus addressed the Odd Fellows, on behalf of the institution, thanking them for their munificent donation of £406 18«. 1^. : —
'* It is an act which does you infinite credit, especially as you are the first society to perform an act of this nature. Your example has convinced me that societies, like your own, whose objects are to administer aid in time of need, will not the less have fulfilled their object, because they may administer aid without any prospect of its being reciprocated."
In 1838 Brother William Eatcliffe was chosen Corresponding Secre- tary, by the unanimous vote of the deputies; and he was succeeded by
IT8 ORIGIN, AND THE MANCHESTER UNITY. 61
Heniy Batcliffe in 1847. In his connection with the funeral fund, of the Bolton district, he had shown himself able, active, and useful to the general interests of Odd Fellowship, and was found admirably fitted for the station to which he had been called.
At the session of the Annual Movable Committee, held in Rochdale, in 1838, the Grand Master stated that one hundred and seventy-six new lodges had been opened during the year, and reviewed the improved con- dition and state of the Order.
The Grand Master reported, at the session held in Birmingham, in 1839, that the past year had been one of great prosperity, — the general fund approximating £6000; one thousand six hundred and thirty-two lodges were in compliance, with 112,218 subscribing members.
Ireland, Germany, and Australasia. — In 1840 the session convened in York. In the past year the Order had exceeded the fullest expectations of its best friends. The sale of goods had yielded a profit of £956; £898 had been expended for general expenses, rent, salaries, etc. The Magazine had reached an issue of fifteen thousand copies, from the profits of which £251 had been appropriated to aid the widow and orphan funds of lodges and districts.
It was resolved to extend the Order to Ireland. On petition of resident brothers in Hamburg, Germany, a dispensation was granted them to open a lodge there. A dispensation was, also, granted to open the first lodge in the Australian dependencies, — Strangers' Refuge Lodge, in Sydney. The Order spread with great rapidity, and its influences, for the benefit of the brotherhood of the human family, interested the most respectable residents of the Colonies, from whom large acquisitions were made. In January, 1864, the returns showed : New South Wales, thirty-eight lodges, 2260 members; Victoria,, eighty-four lodges, 6803 members; South Aus- tralia, sixty-five lodges, 6788 members; West Australia, two lodges, forty- six members; Tasmania, twelve lodges, 551 members; New Zealand, thirty- two lodges, 1956 members, — total, two hundred and thirty-three lodges, 18,404 members. These were known as the '^ Ancient Independent Order of Odd Fellows," until 1868, in which year a charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of the United States for the Grand Lodge of Australia, and are now under the jurisdiction of the Sovereign Grand Lodge.
Isle of Man Session. — The session held in 1841, in Douglas, in the Isle of Man, was one of more than ordinary interest, at which three hundred and eight deputies were present. The meeting was held in Odd Fellows' hall, then in an unfinished condition. The reception was exceedingly en- thusiastic, and the Grand Master, and Corresponding Secretary, addressed the people from the balcony of the hotel on the object of their presence. Long and loud cheers followed these proceedings, and the day of joyous festivity surpassed any and all previous demonstrations in the Isle of Man.
62 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
Revision of Lows. — The reyision of the laws at this session embraced many important alterations, viz. : The appointment of an Appeal Com- mittee of eighteen, selected from various districts, to meet quarterly in Manchester, to hear and determine appeals, subject to an appeal to the Annual Movable Committee; the s^ for admission of subscribing mem- bers was limited to forty years; an extra initiation fee for persons over thirty-five years of age; all lodges were compelled to subscribe to a dis- trict funeral fund; a system of travelling reliei^ entitling every person, with a legally obtained travelling card, to Is. 6d. per day. At the end of twelve months over £6000 having been paid out through its operation the law was repealed. A modified system was substituted, and proved satisfactory.
Deputation from the United States. — Early in 1842 Past Grand Master James Alcock arrived in England, from America, bearing letters of recommendation, and a document from John A. Kennedy, Grand Sire of the United States. The officers of the Order, in England, claimed they had no power to make any arrangements with Past Grand Master Alcock, as the Annual Movable Committee alone possessed that authority.
At the meeting of May 16, 1842, at Wigan, James L. Bidgely, Grand Corresponding Secretary, and the Bev. I. D. Williamson, Grand Chap- lain, representing the Grand Lodge of the United States, were introduced by Deputy Grand Master Richmond, and received by the deputies with great cordiality. Their certificates, authorizing them to act for the Grand body they represented, were read. They addressed the deputies assembled, and were heartily cheered on resuming their seats. The deputies made choice of four of their number to confer with the American deputation, for the purpose of arriving at a solution of the alterations in the work, required to meet the wishes of the American brethren. The conference, ultimately, ended in a failure to come to any satisfactory settle- ment of the differences that existed. It was not possible for the English Odd Fellows to return to the system they had abrogated in 1834; and it was quite as unreasonable to suppose that the American Odd Fellows could be brought to the annulment of some of the fundamental portions of their constitution. From the date of that meeting a complete sever- ance has, practically, occurred between the two Orders.
Claim of the Hffanchester Unity. — In 1843, at Bradford, a committee was appointed, who reported on the subject: —
" We, yoar committee, have read the report made by Messrs. Ridgely and Tniliamson, to Grand Sire Kennedy, of the Grand Lodge of the United States ; and deeply regret that they have used language, and made statements in that report which are totally untrue ; and that the reflections made on the actions and motives of the Annual Movable Committee, and executive government, are inadmissible and contrary to reason ; but, while we regret that such a mode of proceeding has been adopted, by these gentlemen, of not taking the best means of clearly laying before the American brethren their real position, we have
ITS VRIQIN, AND THE MANCHESTER UNITY. 68
Bnffldent OTidenoe, on our side, to Bhow that we used every endeavor to meet them as amicably as possible, so as to make the language of the two hemispheres universal. We therefore recommend the deputies to empower the officers of the Order to take the most advisable course they can, to carry out the resolutions of the Isle of Man and Wigan Annual Movable Committees, with due regard to the peace of the Order in England, on the opening of lodges in America." ^
Review of the Unity. — The Order, in England, had attained to a most extraordinary position. In the fourteen years of the "directory govem- ment '^ they had to meet constant attacks, in and out of the Order, which they had combated, in a measure, successfully, and for many years dis- charged all liabilities without taxation; yet, with all the apparent glitter and prosperity, there existed a cancer within; frauds and their evil con- sequences were rife throughout the Unity. The society was not in a position to appeal to a court of justice to punish offenders or obtain restitution. The auditors were not satisfied with their examination of accounts, and called attention to the frauds committed. A committee on applications for relief, also, referred to frauds that had been perpetrated in the Order: —
" The many serions and extensive frauds, which hare of late Increased to a fearful extent, will, if not checked, do a serious injury to our institution. In Liverpool, recently, a fraud of £600 has been discovered; extensive defalcations have occurred in Walsall, Bolton, and Ruthin ; in many other districts similar acts are known to your committee. We recommend action to prevent the commission of such acts, if possible, and to render secure the reliefs which the laws of our benevolent institution seek to provide, for our distressed brothers, and the widows and orphans of our deceased members."
Such was the condition of the Manchester Unity in 1843, — a name without a reality, — composed of the discordant elements of pride and poverty, fraud and benevolence, strife and good-will to mankind, — attrac- tive on the exterior, rotten in its internal government, — without the pale of the law, — the victim of designing knaves and charlatans. But the Order contained within its bosom the elements of good government; the de- velopment of the present state of things had mainly resulted from the reaction produced by the degradation to which it had been reduced by the want of control, by the executive government, over the internal affairs of the lodges composing the Unity. It had no jurisdictional Grand Lodge, other than the Annual Movable Committee, which acted in that capacity, without authority to influence, or coerce, the lodges into a line of duty and co5peration that would have been beneficial to the whole. It had no formula for the conferment of the degrees of the Order; the lectures were furnished in the lecture book, and the signs, etc., imparted informally; the ceremony of initiation was more or less ludicrous, and made an unfavorable impression upon the mind of the candidate; the lodge meetings were invariably held in public-houses, for the benefit of
1 " I aver that every word of our report is religiously true. J. L. Bidgely, 80th December, 18T3." —M8. moU hy Bidgtly.
I§«| RWB»tidl.
'£ FBATSBSITT.
Uiiity lodges were little else than
iiblance to the American "free-and-
is now only a health insurance, —
makes its returns to the Beglstrai of
»'s of England is denominated one of in the kingdom. Its mode of creat* 9^ manner of dispensing its sick and "jprkj the duties and requirements ot (Qaof government } its liabilities and ^^9tof membership, and lax scrutiny of ,-eeaAet it dissimilar to Odd Fellow- [lotised under the supreme power of ' idependent Order of Odd Fellows.
, action and practice of the Unity
Iff^^^gt the American Order, and no assur-
i^S^lity of unity of action, harmony, or
^i^o|fcrs, the Grand Lodge of the XJuited
";g5^5) resolved, September 22, 1843, as a
this branch of the subject-matter
tcedes the history of the governing
'^nll now enter upon that which more
pren, — the history of the introduc-
and prosperity of the Order in the
he reader is referred to Section I.,
of this work.
IwJ^K^i^hJ^^tj i> T«.9». Id ■ddlllon. ttun •» 1IM,8S1 pertoii
^<^
SECTION II.
HISTORY OF THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE : THE FORMATIVE
PERIODS.
By J. Frank Grant, Past Grand Master, Ghrand Secretary of the
Sovereign Ghrand Lodge.
CHAPTER I.
THE FIRST PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS.
Introdactory. — ** The perfect historian is he in whose work the character and spirit of an age is exhibited in miniature. He relates no fact, he attributes no expression to his characters, which is not authenticated by sufficient testimony. But by judicious selection, rejection, and arrangement, he g^ves to truth those attractions which have been usnrped by fiction. In his narrative a due subordination is observed ; some transactions are prominent ; others retire. But the scale on which he represents them is increased or diminished, not according to the dignity of the persons concerned in them, but according to the degree in which they elucidate the condition of society and the. nature of man. ... He considers no anecdote, no peculiarity of manner, no familiar saying, as too insignificant for his notice, which is not too insignificant to illustrate the operation of laws, of religion, and of education, and to mark the progress of the human mind. Men will not merely be described, but will be made intimately known to us. The changes of manners will be indicated, not merely by a few general phrases or a few extracts from statistical documents, but by appropriate images presented in every line."— Thomas JBabington Macaulay,
The Nineteenth Century Order. — The curiosity and interest indulged by all civilized people, prompting them to inquire into the history of the rise and progress of any marked and vigorous improvement in the civili- zation of man, excites, in the mind of the historian, not only a feeling of pleasure at this desire for knowledge, but a laudable ambition to gratify it.
Ingenious men, possessed of leisure, are apt to push their researches beyond the period in which facts are preserved and established, without reflecting that accuracy, the most valuable of all the virtues of history, is immediately lost or disfigured when trusted to memory or oral tradition ; and that the narration of long tales so founded, affords small interest to men born in a more cultivated age. The fables which are commonly employed to supply the place of true history, and to add to its pages, ought to be entirely disregarded.
Neglecting, therefore, all traditions concerning the earlier history of Odd Fellowship, the purpose of these pages shall be to narrate briefly;
65
66 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
— in a style which it is hoped will commend the study and perusal of the subject to the reader, and in perfect accord with clearly established facts, — the rise and progress of the legislative and governing body of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, under the various names which it has adopted at different times.
The first quarter of the nineteenth century will ever be famous in the history of this country. For the second time, her independence of Great Britain was maintained. The newly born Republic won a strong posi- tion among the nations of the earth, as the country offering the best homes, shelter, and advantages to the oppressed and the poor.
In 1821 Mexico had gained her independence; George IV. had just ascended the throne of Great Britain; Kapoleon Bonaparte had ended his career of warfare and ambition in death; Lafayette was preparing for his ever memorable visit to our people, who loved him. Under the smiling countenance of peace, civilization and good and free government extended its arms of refinement and protection to some of the older, and much of the newly acquired territory. Maine was separated from the jurisdic- tion of Massachusetts, by which she had been governed for nearly seventy years, and was raised to the dignity of independent statehood. Missouri, in knocking for admission to the Union, interjected the '^ slave question " into national politics, ending in the famous Missouri Compromise, and fixing a latitudinal boundary to slave territory. A tide of good feeling, and the era of prosperity which had blessed the whole nation during the first term of James Monroe, landed that statesman into the presidential office for four years more, and sealed for all time the popularity of his "doctrine."
Providence smiled, peace and content folded their wings and settled in every home. A great event was happening. Almost unconsciously to the surrounding world. Odd Fellowship was born. We are "look- ing backward " to-day upon more than three-quarters of a century of the life of this prodigy; bom a weak and puling infant; tenderly nursed in the arms of seven faithful brothers ; now grown a giant, astonishing the world, and even the members of its own family, with its deeds of love and charity.
The coeval blessings attending the American people made it a most fitting period for the advent of American Odd Fellowship. Almost bom in a manger, like many others of the truly great its birth was unhonored and unsung. Nursed in secrecy, performing its deeds of charity in the modest manner recommended by Divine law, its growth was unnoticed, by those without the pale of membership, until its own necessities demanded a court of last jesort, and a law-making power as well. The creation of this body was a long step in advance, which at once publicly declared to the world the principles and objects of this young brotherhood.
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE, 67
The First Governing Body. — The Grand Lodge of Maryland (which state is the birthplace, and still continues to be the home of Odd Fellow- ship), was organized February 7, 1821, with the loved, the honored, the revered Thomas Wildey as its Grand Master. " To separate the legis- lative from the operative portion of the Order," is the terse language of its declaration of the necessity for such a Grand body.
Washington Lodge, No. x. — Washington Lodge, No. 1, the first lodge of Odd FelloAVs in the state of Maryland, was organized April 26, 1819, in the city of Baltimore. Thomas Wildey was Noble Grand. Franklin Lodge, No. 2, in the same city, was instituted later in the year. In 1821 these were the only lodges known, to the Odd Fellows in Baltimore, to exist in America. Up to this time matters of interest and importance to the general welfare of the Order had been referred to, managed and controlled by, a committee of past grands. Such committees repre- sented, in a desultory and erratic manner, the ideas embodied later in the Sovereign Grand Lodge. Their powers and prerogatives were never very clearly defined, their authority never supreme, nor unquestioned; yet it was the proud privilege of such a committee to organize a Grand Lodge of legislative capacity, — a Grand Lodge that has so grown in strength, dignity,, and wisdom, beneficence, power, and influence for good ojily, to the whole Order, that it stands to-day without a peer among the deliber- ative and legislative assemblies of the world, — in which a membership, as officer or representative, is a greater honor to him who holds it, than any other position within the gift* of people, prince, or king.
Like the founders of American liberty, these founders of American Odd Fellowship, though without scholarly attainments, and destitute of knowledge in the deep and intricate mysteries of government, unhesitat- ingly rose to meet every emergency which they encountered in their efforts to establish, maintain, and advance Odd Fellowship on American soil. Deficiencies in education and experience were supplied by sound common-sense, and an indefatigable resolution to succeed. Beneath the structure, rising slowly but surely under their labor and guidance, lay the solid foundations of eternal Truth. Permeating all its graceful proportions were the hope-inspiring emotions of Friendship and Love.
Record of the Tear iSai. — The Grand Lodge organized in February, 1821, was called: "The Grand Lodge of Maryland and of the United States of America, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows." It was a long name; long enough not only to satisfy the fancies of the inventors but to insure it abbreviation at no distant day. Five men organized this first Grand Lodge, and their names should be written as high upon the pillars of fame as are engraved those of the founders of Odd Fellowship. Thomas Wildey was its first Grand Master, and> in this capacity, he served well and faithfully for more than twelve years, resigning his office (then
68 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
as Grand Sire) September 3, 1833, to his successor, James Gettys, of the District of Columbia. John P. Entwisle was Deputy Grand Master, William S. Couth, Grand Warden; John Welch, Grand Secretary; and, partly from a scarcity of material, partly because of his capabilities and willingness, John Boyd was chosen Grand Treasurer and Grand Guardian. So says the record, though later, when a Grand Treasurer was elected, the same record says that the duties of that officer had, to that time, been discharged by the Grand Sire.
The American Degrees. — After its organization, the next act of this dignified body was to order three blank books for its use, — then it adjourned. The next meeting was of more importance in the detail of its transactions. Officers were installed, the surrender of the charter of Washington Lodge, No. 1, was accepted, and a dispensation was granted in its stead, it retaining its name and number, but as a subordi- nate lodge. Provision was made for the financial support of the Grand Lodge as follows : subordinates paid into its treasury ten per centum of their receipts ; members were charged seventy-five cents for the Golden Kule degree; thirty dollars was fixed as the fee for dispensations for "opening lodges"; being ten dollars for the dispensation; ten for the White, Blue, and Scarlet degrees, and book of charges; and ten. for the intermediate degrees, called the Covenant and Remembrance. The last two were prepared by the Deputy Grand Master, John P. Entwisle. Sessions of the Grand Lodge were held, quarterly, in Baltimore, with occasional meetings of the Grand Committee, between the regular quarterly sessions. The presiding officer in the Grand Committee meetings was always the Grand Master, Thomas Wildey, or his lawful representative, — the other officers of the Grand Lodge, when present, occupying the stations as in the regular sessions of the Grand Lodge. The committee proceeded to legislate in the customary manner of the Grand Lodge, and it was, in all respects, the same body meeting under a different name. The only abbreviation of its power lay in the fact that its acts were not strictly authentic until approved by the Grand Lodge at a regular session.
At the quarterly meeting of the Grand Lodge, held in August, 1821, a committee was appointed to draft a constitution for the government of the Grand Lodge of Maryland and the United States. That document strongly states the doctrine of representation by past grands only. The journal of the meeting at which this constitution was presented, by the committee, is not very full or explicit. Foot-notes to the journal give a copy of the constitution as it was adopted. It contains twenty-two articles, arranged in three sections, under the following headings: "The Formation of the Grand Lodge"; "Election and Situation of Officers" ; "Dispensations." It provided for annual meetings on the 22nd of February, and quarterly from that date.
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE. 69
The Golden Eule degree was required to be read each quarter, and members taking it paid one dollar "toward the support of the funds." Members were fined for non-attendance at regular or committee meetings, unless they sent a written apology. Refreshments were forbidden in the lodge-room. The Grand Master was elected for four years, and declared eligible for three years longer, after which time he should not be eligible for four years, but he was permitted to resign after two years' service. The Deputy Grand Master and Grand Secretary were elected for two years, and the other oflBcers for one year. The titles of "Most Worthy," "Right Worthy," and "Worthy," were created by this constitution. Reports from subordinates were required to be made quarterly, and the revenue was maintained at the rates previously fixed. The Grand Lodge, at this session, resolved that the Grand Master's address should be recorded in the proceedings, but it was not done. It also expelled from its membership a brother, who is not shown by the records ever to have been a member of the Grand Lodge. It provided that copies of the pro- ceedings of that session should be furnished to subordinates.
At a Grand Committee meeting, in December, 1821, a seal for the Grand Lodge, and a form of dispensation were adopted; and a committee was appointed to revise the degrees and charges. The end of the first year of the life of the legislative branch of the Order thus saw sovereignty, that essential idea, not only firmly fixed in the minds of the members, but as well established in a dignified and respected attitude^ as the hearts of the founders could desire.
The deliberations of the Grand Lodge and all its acts had been guided by the wisdom of the unselfish Wildey; a wisdom which seems from our point of view to have been almost prophetic, and which was surely directed by that pure love for the principles of the Order which marked, with an unsullied lustre, the whole course of his life. The very meagreness of their records but reflects again the modesty of the small handful of men, who, trusting implicitly in their leader, marched steadily toward success.
Record of the Tear 1822. — The year 1822 was not marked by any important changes in the laws and institutions of Odd Fellowship, or by any recorded advance, either by increased membership or otherwise. The following is a brief epitome of the business transacted by the Grand Lodge in that year. Dispensations were signed and delivered to Wash- ington Lodge, No. 1, dated February 22, 1821; and to Franklin Lodge, No. 2, dated September 6, 1821. The proceedings of the meetings of the Grand Committee were ratified. The Grand Guardian, Brother Boyd, "presented two lottery tickets in the Washington Monument Lottery, purchased for the use of the Grand Lodge." Washington and Franklin lodges made their first annual reports, showing their places of meeting to be Baltimore, and reporting nothing else.
70 THE THBEE-LINK FRATEBNITT.
The Grand Treasurer read his first report. It is anonymous, — shows receipts of $115.08, disbursements $100.37, leaving a balance in his hands of $14.71. The first obituary notice was recorded, being that in memory of Past Grand Winchester, and the Grand Lodge, by resolution, wore cr^pe for one year. Losing sight of the fact that article seven, of the constitution, provided for a charge of one dollar for the Golden Eule degree, a resolution making the same a law was adopted August 22nd. A committee was appointed to alter the music of the ode sung in the lodges, but the change made is not given. By the end of the year the balance in the hands of the Grand Treasurer had risen to $39.38.
Record of the Year 1823. — Daring th6 year 1823, the Grand Lodge enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing the Order ''pitch its tents'' in the great jurisdictions of Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. The pride born of success was pardonable in the faithful band composing the Grand Lodge, and it is plainly perceptible between the lines of the record of their proceedings, in which they tell how they accepted the three peti- tions for dispensations, and how cordially the same were granted. The year's record is replete with reports of quarterly sessions and Grand Committee meetings. These reports show the activity and zeal with which Wildey and his faithful allies pushed the necessary work of '^ writing, printing, coloring, and preparing " the dispensations, lectures, charges, etc., in the face of obstacles, at this date unknown to the Grand Lodge. Wildey so distinguished himself by his zeal, and his rigid application to the performance of the pleasant duties in hand, as to win the unanimous praise and gratitude of his followers.
At the quarterly session in May, it was resolved : '' That the thanks of this Grand Lodge be presented to Grand Master Wildey, for his assi- duity and perseverance in the service of the Grand Lodge." His response is, unfortunately, not given, though it is said to have been appropriate. . In August following, Grand Secretary Entwisle became a beneficiary of the generosity of the brothers, excited by the sudden evidence of the influence and power of the principles of Odd Fellowship. He was voted a medal "in respect for his services," and Past Grand Fennell was appointed to assist him in his office. Every one was active. The Grand Lodge brooked no delay, — permitted no improper conduct. The Grand Conductor "was suspended for one year and one day, for conduct unworthy of our beloved Order."
In addition to establishing the Order by the dispensations granted to separate lodges in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, each lodge having grand jurisdiction and powers, the Grand Lodge dispensed with the air to the ode, and provided " that it should be read at the time of a making.". Two stanzas of the song, " Hail, Columbia," were sung at the opening and closing of lodges. Grand Master Wildey was sent to Boston to institute
TBE BOVEBEIGN GRAND LODGE. 71
the new lodge. An election to receive the Fourth degree was by ballot. The constitution was amended in some unmentioned particulars. A new lodge was chartered in Baltimore. The Grand Lodges of Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania were requested by letters to send delegates, or appoint proxies, to attend a Grand Committee meeting, 'Hhat arrange- ments might be made to form a Grand Lodge of the United States. '' The first lodge opened under the Grand Lodge was Columbia, No. 3, in Balti- more, and the work was performed by the grand officers. Thus closed the third year of the Grand body, with most auspicious prospects for the future.
Record of the Year 1824. — When the Grand Lodge convened in annual session, February 212, 1824^ it was ready to wisely and safely consider a proposition to separate entirely from the Grand Lodge of Maryland, so that the former might be composed of representatives, and proxies, from the several Grand bodies, and the latter exercise jurisdiction over Mary- land alone. It was at this meeting that the first steps were taken toward dissolving the ties between the Order here and in England. A letter was read from England announcing alterations made in the secret work, to which a reply was sent disapproving the changes, and asking further information relative to the same.
This session, also, fixed April 26th as ^'anniversary day," and estab- lished the Annual Travelling Password, selecting and promulgating the first one chosen. Eeports from six subordinates were received, showing revenue to the amount of $843.10. The proposition involving the organi- zation of the Grand Lodge of the United States, having been submitted to the several Gi'and Lodges, and approved by them all, the matter was arranged in Grand Committee, and, later, approved by the Grand Lodge in quarterly session, May 22, 1824. Twelve members, including the officers of the Grand Lodge, were present at this important meeting.
Following this session fell the severest blow the Order, and the Grand Lodge especially, had yet sustained. Grand Secretary John P. Entwisle died. He had been closely associated with Grand Master Wildey, in the capacity of Grand Secretary, from the incipiency of the Grand Lodge ; had earnestly seconded him in all his plans for the advancement of the Order, and it is only in keeping with the natural modesty of the man, that the records of the Grand Lodge are not replete with mention of his deeds of unselfishness and love. The medal which had been previously voted to him had not been purchased, and the Grand Lodge gave the money, appropriated for its purchase, to his widow. While it is to be regretted that death should overtake him just as his favorite plans and hard labors were ripening into success, and receiving the hearty sanction of the Order, we are consoled, in a measure, for his untimely death, by the reflection that the work begun by his hands was to be carried to perfection by those who were to come after him.
72 THE THREE-LINK FRATEBNITT.
The committee reported a constitution for the Grand Lodge of the United States. The only original copy of this constitution known to be in existence, says the journal of the Grand Lodge, is in the archives of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. It changed the name of the body to : " The Grand Lodge of the United States of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows." The membership of the Grand Lodge was composed of repre- sentatives, or proxies. They were required to present a certificate, signed by the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master, and the Grand Secre- tary, bearing the seal of the Grand Lodge from whence they came. If no one present could vouch for the brother's identity, and his right to the certificate, he was put on his oath as to its genuineness, and his own identity, and required to work his way by the Golden Rule, or Fourth degree. Each Grand Lodge was entitled to equal representation. Fines were fixed enforcing attendance. Each state was required to pay an equal share of the expenses of the Grand Lodge, and each Grand Lodge defrayed the expenses of its representative. Five officers were named : Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Secretary, Treasurer, and Grand Warden. The city of Baltimore was declared the permanent seat of the Grand Lodge. Thirty dollars was fixed as the fee for a charter for a new lodge, in a state not having a chartered Grand Lodge; this included the charges, lectures, and the five degrees. Such lodges were required to act under authority of the Grand Lodge until they had five past grands.
Grand Lodges were required to report, annually, the names of sus- pended or expelled members, and. this information was promulgated by the Grand Lodge to the various subordinate Grand Lodges. A yearly password was again provided. The constitution was submitted to the several Grand Lodges.
At the session of the Grand Lodge of Maryland and the United States, in November, 1824, — the last one held jointly, — a constitution for the Grand Lodge of Maryland was adopted. Unfortunately no copy has been preserved. Grand Master Wildey was presented with a medal, the cost of which was limited to twenty dollars, and the combination Grand Lodge then closed, thus finally severing a state Grand Lodge from the one repre- senting the official head of the entire Order in America.
The Grand Lodge of the United States : 1825. — A preliminary meeting of the " Grand Lodge of the United States " was called, and met " in the new hall," January 15, 1825, for the purpose of organizing the Grand Lodge of the United States. Four jurisdictions were represented : Mary- land, by a representative ; Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania, by proxies. The separation of the body from the Grand Lodge of Mary- land was approved, and the new constitution was adopted. Wildey was unanimously elected Grand Master; John Welch, Deputy Grand Master; William Williams, Grand Secretary; and Thomas Mitchell, Grand Guar-
THE SOVEREIGN QBAND LODGE. 73
dian. Information of the work done at this meeting was sent, by letters, to the several Grand Lodges; a resolution to print the "Past Grand's charge book," and the portion of the " Kemembrance and Third degrees which the Vice Grand was to repeat," was adopted, and the first session of the Grand Lodge of the United States of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, passed into history.
In four years this important legislative branch of the Order had not only been completely "severed from the operative," as was contemplated in the beginning, and declared in the preamble to the call for the first meeting, but it had taken a place in the world commensurate with its dignified declarations ajid lofty designs. It is most comforting to note, in this connection, the cheerfulness and alacrity with which the movement had been welcomed, and the loyalty with which its assumed au;thority was recognized and obeyed. Its value and necessity were alike admitted by all, and with such a beginning, its future, in the hands of wise and honest men, was assured.
At its first annual communication in Odd Fellows' hall, in Baltimore, February 22, 1825, the installation of oflBicers was postponed one month, the Grand Secretary was directed to inform the several Grand Lodges, and, on March 30th, a meeting was held in which all the jurisdictions were represented, and the elected oflBicers were installed. A congratula- tory love-feast followed, led by Grand Master Wildey, after which the business before the Grand Lodge was resumed. Petitions asking for the reinstatement of members were read from two lodges in Penn- sylvania. In considering them the Grand Lodge first laid down the principle, ever since maintained, that subordinates must present petitions to their own Grand Lodges ; that state Grand Lodges alone have power to refer matters to the Grand Lodge of the United States; and that the two lodges petitioning must address their requests to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
The Grand Lodge further provided at this session for its revenues, by requiring the fees charged for the Fifth degree to be forwarded to its Grand Treasurer, "to defray the expenses of preparing the same." Four Grand Lodges reported at this session, with nine subordinates. The Grand Committee idea continued to obtain, and it not infrequently happened that more business, and often business of greater importance, was trans- acted by the Grand Lodge of the United States, when in special session as Grand Committee, than when regularly convened as a Grand Lodge. This was true in September, 1825, when the constitution was amended by striking out the word "permanent," and inserting in its stead the word " present " ; in that clause declaring Baltimore to be the seat of the Grand Lodge of the United States, and by changing the date for the annual com- munication from February 22nd to May 1st.
74 THE TUREE'LINK FRATERNITY.
At this meeting a new degree, imported from England througli the intervention of a Brother McKormick, of Manchester, at an expense of ten dollars, was conferred on a number of past grands present, for the sum of one dollar each. This is the degree since known as the Patriarchal, later added to, and made a most essential feature of, the encampment.
In following the steps of this brave but slender band over a period of five years, we have found them combining an adventurous spirit with a wise caution ; having the courage born of their confidence in the future, they have never wavered; and we have seen their efforts crowned with the success they deserved.
CHAPTER II.
THE SECOND PERIOD: 1826-1833.
Record of the Year 1826. — The first session of the Grand Lodge of the United States, held in 1826, convened in Baltimore, April 25th, although, at its last meeting as Grand Committee, it had fixed May 1st as the day upon which it should assemble in annual session. No explanation of this discrepancy is made in the journal.
A new and distinctive dignity was assumed. The titles of '^ Grand Sire" and "Deputy Grand Sire" were substituted for those of "Grand Master" and "Deputy Grand Master." This change was, evidently, made by general consent, without the official sanction of the Grand Lodge ; for the constitution adopted in April, 1824, provided for the old style of Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master, and it was not until 1828 that the constitution was so amended as to adopt this new and much more appropriate designation, thus creating a specific title which distinguished a Grand Master of the United States from the Grand Master of a juris- diction, by a single word.
At this session two articles were added to the constitution, permitting five past grands, in a lodge acting under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the United States, to petition for, and receive, a grand charter to organize a Grand Lodge in any state or territory, charging therefor the fee of twenty dollars and all necessary expenses. This included all the degrees, except the Patriarchal, the price of which was raised to two dollars and fifty cents, in addition to the fees of thirty dollars each for the charters and degrees in subordinate lodges.
The Famous Charter. — Four jurisdictions reported twelve subordinates at this meeting, Pennsylvania taking the lead with four lodges. A " special " committee meeting was held October 3d, at which they indulged
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■S-cSrESi^TED STATES, CONFIRMING THE ONE ~^4»|Jj*^<;|CE, PRESTOii."— Wilde/ s Kequest.
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE. 75
in another love-feast, over the report of Grand Sire Wildey, concerning his visit to England and his reception by the Order in that kingdom. C!ordialit7 characterized the conduct of the brothers in welcoming the Grand Sire of the United States everywhere, but it remained for the Odd Fellows of Manchester to completely overwhelm him with their prolonged festival of joy because of his presence among them. No triumphal march was ever marked with greater evidence of sincerity in its welcome, and no conqueror ever conducted himself witli such modesty as characterized Grand Sire Wildey in this, surely the proudest event of his life. He was offered a valuable gold medal as a memento of the visit, and a token of the deep and lasting love of the brethren in Manchester. Wildey replied: that he would prefer, in its stead, a charter for the Grand Lodge of the United States, confirming the one granted by the Duke of York Lodge. This instance of his unqualified devotion to the Order was wel- comed cordially by the Odd Fellows in England, and, in presenting the report of his visit, he had the great pleasure of delivering the charter, splendidly executed on parchment. This charter completed the severance of the Order in America from that of England in the following unequiv- ocal terms : —
" Hereby grant, authorize, and empower the Grand Sire, Depaty Grand Sire, Repre- sentatives, and proxies of the Grand Lodge of the United States of America, to conduct the business of Odd Fellowship without the interference of any other country, so long as the same is adminiatered according to the principles and purity of Odd FeUowship."
Grand Sire Wildey, also, brought with him one of the emblems of the Order then in use in the English lodges. It represented: "The founda- tion-stone laid by our forefather Adam." Chiefly on account of our inability to identify Adam as the first and original Odd Fellow, the use of this emblem has been discontinued. The communication, by the Grand Secretary, of the vote of thanks from the Grand Lodge of the United States, to the ofiGicers and brothers of the Manchester district, brought from the latter a beautiful letter of acknowledgment, breathing in every line the spirit of true, fraternal love, and speaking in the strongest terms of their love and veneration for Grand Sire Wildey.
Record of the Tear 1827. — In scanning the personnel of the Grand Lodge, at its session held May 1, 1827, we find but one of the original names on the list of members, — that of the persistent, faithful, indefati- gable Wildey, — still at the head of the Order, its guide, philosopher, and friend. His presence to those beside him in the struggle was " like unto the shadow of a great rock in a weary land''; his advice, guided by common-sense, honesty, and unselfish love for the Order, kept them ever on the advance; and the power, influence, and dignity of the Grand Lodge grew each year. At this session some new ideas of vast value to the Order were introduced. The Grand Lodge of Maryland, through its
76 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
representative, communicated its intention 'Ho have a copper-plate engraved for a travelling certificate to suit any state or lodge, and pre- vent imposition." This is the first mention, in the journal of the Grand Lodge, of a document now crystallized in the visiting card.
The Grand Lodge prepared another vote of thanks to Grand Sire Wildey, the same to be handsomely framed. Changes of importance were made, or proposed, in the secret work, and the Order in England was asked to conform to them, that there mighib be uniformity. The annual password was communicated to Grand Masters and Deputy Grand Mas- ters. The minutes of this session are the first ever printed and circulated among the Order at large. There were fourteen subordinates reported, — Maryland and Pennsylvania being tied for the first place, having four in each. In November of this year the grand jurisdiction of the District of Columbia was added, by the opening of Central Lodge, No. 1, in Washington city, under a charter from the Grand Lodge. Grand Sire Wildey, who must have been well nigh omnipresent, was deputed to open this lodge. In January following, he was again deputed to open another lodge in Georgetown, in that jurisdiction. In the same Grand Committee meeting, the action of the Grand Lodge of New York, expelling one of its subordinates for refusing to comply with the laws of the Order, was approved. The Grand Lodge of the United States sustained the laws of its own making, never hesitating between policy and right.
Record of the Tear i8a8. — At the annual session in May, 1828, another new and important idea was presented, — again by the Grand Lodge of Maryland. Representative Scotchburn, of that jurisdiction, reported that an '' encampment of patriarchs" had been formed during the year, that the returns made by the encampment to the Grand Lodge of Mary- land were highly flattering, and that such an encampment was expected to be highly useful in extending valuable knowledge to brothers not yet members of the Grand Lodge. " The report was accepted," — so says the journal. A foot-note explains that up to this time '^ The several degrees known as the Patriarchal had been conferred only in Grand Lodge, except the Golden Rule degree, which was given by the Manchester Unity, as a token of confidence, to Scarlet degree members." On May 6, 1828, a number of the members of the Grand Lodge of Maryland applied to that body, and promptly received a charter for an encampment of patriarchs, with power to confer the three degrees, viz. : the Patriarchal, Golden Rule, and Royal Purple, on Scarlet degree members in good standing, for which they paid the sum of thirty dollars. The ubiquitous Wildey was high priest of this new organization, and was strongly supported by several of his admirers. This body was known for some time as " The Encampment Lodge," on the minutes of the Grand Lodge of Maryland, though, in the dispensation, it is styled " The Encampment of Patriarchs."
THE SOVEREIGN GBAND LODGE. 77
It finally, in 1832, assumed the title of Jerusalem Encampment, No. 1. During this session a resolution was adopted strenuously recommending the establishing of patriarchal encampments in the different jurisdictions.
Under a resolution of instruction, the Grand Sire appointed John J. Boach to the office of Grand Secretary. The record does not explain what had happened to Grand Secretary Williams. The constitution was so amended that the annual meetings were opened on the first Monday in May, instead of the "first day" as before provided. Another vote of thanks to Grand Sire Wildey was unanimously given, evidently not altogether from force ai habit, but because that officer was continually advancing and guiding Odd Fellowship with a wisdom so unique, as to often flash like an inspiration.
Grand and subordinate lodges were required to send a sufficient num- ber of the impressions of their seals to be distributed, one to each lodge, by them to be framed and kept for reference. A good idea, but it neces- sarily had to be discontinued when the lodges became too numerous. A Grand Movable Committee of two (one to be the Grand Sire) was formed, to move, once in four years, through the different states where Grand Lodges had been organized. It was resolved to revise the subordinate lodge degrees. The constitution was considered, contemplating a general revision; but an entirely new constitution was presented by Eepresenta- tive Small, of Pennsylvania, which, after being variously amended and altered, was approved and submitted to the several Grand Lodges. Blank forms for reports were first provided this year, for the use of state Grand Lodges, to secure uniformity in the annual reports. , A list of all regular lodges in the United States was printed in the journal of this session. There were nineteen of them, in five jurisdictions, — Pennsylvania again leading with five.
A Grand Committee meeting was held September 28th of this year, to grant a charter for a Grand Lodge in the District of Columbia. This Grand Lodge was "opened" by Grand Sire Wildey, November 24th, following.
Record of the Tear 1829. — New Jersey came into the ranks next, applying for, and receiving, a charter for New Jersey Lodge, No. 1, in Camden, at a Committee meeting in March, 1829; and again in April, for a charter for Benevolent Lodge, No. 2, at Paterson. At the annual ses- sion in May, 1829, the Grand Secretary being absent from the city, John Starr was appointed to that office, pro tempore. Five jurisdictions were represented.
Reports showed progress and harmony everywhere. Even the expelled lodge in New York was knocking, apology in hand, supported by prom- ises of compliance with the laws, for readmission, and was met and welcomed as a "prodigal son" should be when he prays, in penitence, to
78 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
be taken again under the parental roof and protection. Pennsylvania reported seven new lodges, nearly seven hundred initiates, and one char- tered encampment of patriarchs. No wonder the members of the Grand Lodge were happy. It is not remarkable that, when the hour of election arrived, Grand Sire Wildey was elected for four years more. This was the only election in which he had had an opponent; Pennsylvania pre- sented the name of Past Grand Master Pryor and voted for him ; everybody else voted for Wildey. Augustus Mathiot was elected Grand Secretary.
After the installation, which immediately followed the election, the constitution submitted and referred to the several Grand Lodges at the last session was taken up, an amendment adopted at this session engrafted therein, and the whole adopted. A modest preamble clearly set forth the necessity for a Grand Lodge of sovereign power and jurisdiction, and declared its purposes to be the "upbuilding of the Order." As before mentioned, the titles of Grand Sire and Deputy Grand Sire were fixed, but still Grand Treasurer was not included in the list of officers. A pro- vision to pay the Grand Secretary for his services was embodied in the constitution, although the amount was left blank.
T4ie time for the meeting of the Grand Lodge, in annual session, was changed to the first Monday in September. The Grand Sire, only, was permitted to vote in case of a tie, and it was declared that the other officers^ "in their official capacity," should not vote at all. The Grand Sire was elected one year prior to his succession to the office, the term of which was reduced to two years, and he was declared eligible for reelection.
The publication of a list of suspensions and expulsions, with reasons therefor, was continued. The yearly password, selected by the Grand Sire, was sent to the various Grand Masters. Revenue for this body was maintained in the same way and at the same rates as heretofore.
The constitution and by-laws were required to be read at each annual communication, and members of Grand Lodges were allowed to be present and hear any business transacted. No provision had yet been made for "secret sessions," and from a careful reading of the journal, none appear ever to have been held, characterized as such, or distinguished, in any manner, from the regular open sessions. Propositions to amend were made, in writing, to the Grand Sire six months prior to the annual meet- ing, communicated to the several Grand Lodges, and a two-thirds vote was necessary to adopt. This constitution, including the preamble and the rules of order, was bound, signed by the Grand Sire and Grand Secre- tary, and a copy sent to each Grand Lodge.
Modification of Ritual Lectures. — The revision of the subordinate degrefe lectures was taken up and further modified. Another vote of thanks to Grand Sire Wildey did not catch that old veteran asleep. In
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE. 79
acknowledging it he delivered such an address upon the rise and progress of American Odd Fellowship, as secured the approval of the Grand Lodge, — manifested by a vote to print the address in the journal. A careful perusal of this address heightens our appreciation of the genuine, modest worth of the man who led the Order through the wilderness, and by that long and arduous work, well done, had earned for himself the right to be called the " Moses of American Odd Fellowship."
The annual session closed with the reports from five jurisdictions, and thirty-one subordinates; Pennsylvania reporting thirteen, with one thou- sand and nine contributing members.
Record of the Tear 1830. — The journal contains no more accounts of Grand Committee meetings. They are henceforward known as '^ special sessions." Two were held, in 1830, previous to the annual session, which met Monday, September 6, 1830, the first under the new constitu- tion. At one of the special meetings a charter was granted to establish Friendly Union Lodge, No. 1, at Providence, Ehode Island. A foot-note to the journal explains that the minutes of this session were not written at the time of the meeting ; that the simple date, 1830, without month or day, is incorrect, because from the date on which the Movable Com- mittee organized Friendly Union Lodge, the special session must have been held very shortly after the annual session in May, 1829.
The second '' special " session granted a charter for Delaware Lodge, No. 1, at Wilmington, Delaware, May 27, 1830. Thus the banner of Friendship, Love, and Truth was unfurled to the admiring eyes of its faithful volunteers in two more grand jurisdictions. Members were gathering fast about the altars of Odd Fellowship; money was flowing into its treasuries; the sick and the afflicted were succored. The ready and willing performance of these sacred, fraternal duties was fast laying a solid and indestructible basis for those grand words, that have since become the motto on the seal of the Grand Lodge of the United States.
Gratifying reports of the unul^ual activity and prosperity af the Order continued to encourage the brethren at the annual session in September, 1830, — Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the District of Columbia showing the most marked growth.
Degree Lodges. — Degree lodges are first mentioned at this session, — Pennsylvania reporting four. It was a common custom, early in the history of the Order, for members of a lodge to assemble in their '' lodge- house " on Sunday, when the Noble Grand, or some other person selected, would "deliver a lecture," as it was termed. The idea of organizing degree lodges originated in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Such degree lodges had no other duties to perform than those of mastering the lectures, and charges pertaining to the degrees, conferring them upon those entitled to receive them, and keeping a record of their proceedings.
80 THE THREE-LINK FRATERNITY.
The inauguration of this idea was hailed with delight. The experienced saw^ in its efficient administration, great difficulties vanish like an early morning cloud. Here was an inexpensive plan, which, if properly exe- cuted, would insure two things greatly to be desired, — proficiency and uniformity in the unwritten work.
The usage of all travelling certificates being endorsed by the brothers holding them, in their own proper handwriting, was enacted a law at this session.
The annual reports to the Grand Lodge, this year, showed fifty-eight subordinates, and a revenue of nearly sixteen thousand dollars, with a trifle over three thousand members. The only cloud upon the hearts of the Grand Sire and his associates at this time was attributable to the chaotic condition of affairs in New York and Massachusetts, as shown by the report of the Movable Committee. The details of this unfortunate state of affairs will be found in the history of the Grand Lodges of those two jurisdictions, in Section I., First Meridian, Division III., and further mention may be omitted, with the congratulatory remark, in passing, that their troubles were brought to an end, and the Order in those states speedily gave these Grand Lodges positions as bright stars in the widen- ing firmament of Odd Fellowship. In 1830 the pennant of our noble fraternity was borne beyond th6 AUeghanies, and planted by Ohio Lodge, No. 1, on the banks of the Ohio river, in Cincinnati.
Record of the Tear 1831. — Early in 1831 the state of Louisiana opened her doors of welcome to Louisiana Lodge, No. 1, in the city of New Orleans ; a few days later a Grand Lodge charter was issued to the jurisdiction of Delaware. The now illustrious name of James L. Ridgely appears for the first time upon the journal of the Grand Lodge. He represented the Grand Lodge of Maryland. James Gettys, destined to follow Wildey as the second Grand Sire, was present at this session, having made his first appearance on the Grand Lodge floor one year before.
This year Pennsylvania reported a Grand Encampment with sixteen members, and two subordinate encampments, with a general continuation of the phenomenal success which had attended the Order in that state from its introduction. A Grand Treasurer was elected, — " The duties of that officer to this time having been performed by the Grand Sire," — so says the journal.
To be in possession of the Eoyal Purple degree was made an essential qualification for a representative to the Grand Lodge of the United States. The funeral ceremony was referred to a special committee for revision. The first report of any committee appears in the journal of this year. It contains an expression of their opinion upon the matter considered by them, but embodies no resolution or recommendation, except by implication.
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE. 81
The charter of the Grand Lodge of Delaware was demanded, there not being five past grands in that body as required by the law. The petition of the brothers in Cincinnati, Ohio, for a Grand Lodge charter, was held, awaiting the identification of the petitioners as members of the Order in good standing. This informality was remedied later, and the Grand Lodge was organized.
Record of the Year 1832. — January 28, 1832, a charter for a Grand Encampment in Maryland was grahted. The Grand Sire, as treasurer, presented his report, showing a balance of $87.22 in his hands. Sixty- nine subordinates were reported, with 4451 members. At an adjourned session, held in March, 1832, an encampment and Grand Lodge were chartered in Louisiana.
At the opening of the annual session in the following September, two new men were present for the first time, — (Jeorge Keyser, of Maryland, and Howell Hopkins, of Pennsylvania, — who were afterward promoted to the office of Grand Sire. The encampment branch was chartered in Ohio, this year, and the Grand Sire was honored in the name selected.
It is most comforting now, as we contemplate the history of those early days, and while we realize and admire the magnificent proportions to which Odd Fellowship has grown, to know that the brethren of that perilous period never failed, or forgot, to honor him to whom so much honor was due. By the help of these satisfying reflections, they were enabled to march with him to the very verge of the dark river of separa- tion, and to clasp his hand for the last time as he went bravely forth to meet the inevitable. He was sustained, not only by an approving con- science, but by those left waiting upon, the shore, and consoled in a measure by the reflection that they had ever rewarded him to the extent of their ability, by words of love, honor, and approbation.
The first visit of the Asiatic cholera to the United States was paid this year. Its terrorizing and demoralizing influences spread to the Grand Lodge, which, after a short session in September, adjourned to meet the ensuing March. At this session the first appeal of record was presented. A resolution offered by Kepresentative Hopkins, of Pennsyl- vania, to proceed to elect a Grand Sire was defeated. A resolution was subsequently passed providing for his election at the adjourned session in March, 1833. Hopkins presented a solemn protest against this action of the Grand Lodge, whereupon that dignified body immediately delivered itself of a unanimous vote of thanks to Pryor, of Pennsylvania, ^' for the able and obliging manner in which he had deported himself in the office of Grand Secretary," and, forthwith, adjourned.
Record of the Tear 1833. — When the body met in adjourned session, the Grand Sire presented the first official report contained in the records as made by that 'officer. It comprises a detailed account of his joumeyings
82 THS THRSS-LINK FBATEBNITT.
in the West. He sajs he was a second time '^ congratulated to the shores of Kentucky by the members of Louisville ^' j gives an account of his reception by Boone Lodge, No. 1, where he says several gentlemen were initiated, and each officer was able to deliver his charge, in all the cere- monies, without a book. The compliment so conveyed is almost sufficient to persuade the Kentuckians to forgive him, in the name of Daniel Boone, for spelling the name ^'Boon," an error persistently followed for some time afterward by the Grand Lodge, that body going so far as to approve the report of its committee, and granting a charter in the name of ^^ Boon l Lodge, No. 1." But Wildey^s errors were of the head; his heart was ' always right, and his will never slept. He extended his journey to New Orleans, no small undertaking at that time, and seems to have inspired the Order to renewed activity wherever he stopped.
This session was the most prolonged that had been held to this time, meeting pursuant to its own adjournment five days in March. Hopkins, of Pennsylvania, gave no end of trouble, several adjournments becoming necessary on account of his absence. While this absence may have been caused by his own concern, because of the fate of his protest, filed at the preceding session, he must have felt complimented by the patience with which his movements were awaited. He finally presented himself, on the 18th of March, and business proceeded. It was Hopkins who first formally presented the idea of increasing the representation in the Grand Lodge of the United States, upon the basis of one for each one thousand members in any .jurisdiction.
At the election of grand officers, James Gettyswas chosen Grand Sire; Samuel Pryor, Grand Secretary; and John Brannon, Grand Treasurer. The first call for the '' yeas '' and '^ nays '' is recorded in the journal of this meeting; it disclosed three yeas and two nays, upon the question of the adoption of a report from the committee on appeals, presented by Representative Hopkins.
At a "called*' meeting, in May, the "Old Dominion" was taken into the fold; Virginia Lodge, No. 1, being chartered at Harper's Ferry.
The first meeting of the Grand Lodge outside the city of Baltimore, was held in Philadelphia in June, 1833, pursuant to its adjournment in March. Seven jurisdictions were represented. A new constitution and by-laws were adopted. An encampment was chartered in the District of Columbia, and thanks were returned to the Philadelphia brethren " for the use of their splendid hall " ; and the Grand Lodge adjourned to meet in annual session in Baltimore.
At the annual session in September, 1833, Grand Sire Wildey stepped from the office he had held so long and administered so wisely. His report and his speech of gratitude, love, and eneouragement are in the records of the meeting. James Getty s was installed Grand Sire; Kobert
THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE. 88
Neilson was appointed Deputy Grand Sire, and, with the other officers- elect, were duly installed. The Order was shown to be in a flourishing condition everywhere, except in New York and Massachusetts.
The printing committee were directed to hare twenty-four copies of the proceedings bound, and to have five hundred copies of the new constitution and by-laws printed. The Grand Lodge adjourned to meet in Washing- ton city, in 1834. Almost the last act of this session was to rote a present to Past Grand Sire Wildey, appointing a committee to raise fire hundred dollars for that purpose. The new constitution and by-laws, adopted in 1833, contain, among other laws of importance, the usual declaration of exclusire supervision and power wielded by the Grand Lodge, not only in the United States, but in foreign countries where no Grand Lodge exists; the latter clause being a new and broad assumption of authority, which has never been successfully disputed. The four chief offices were filled fay biennial elections, the elected officers, and those appointed as well, entering upon the performance of their duties at the stated meetings ensuing their elections. Past grand sires were admitted to seats and allowed to vote. Official certificates for representatives, or proxies, were prescribed. Revenue was provided in the shape of fees and dues, each Grand Lodge paying twenty dollars for each vote to which it was entitled in the Grand Lodge of the United States. A Grand Chap- lain was made one of the officers, and his duties defined.
The old administration handed to its successor a prosperous and prom- ising organization, the reward of thirteen years spent in unceasing labors of love.
CHAPTER III.
THE THIBD PERIOD: 1834-1840.
Record of the Year 1834. — When the roll was called in the Grand Lodge, January 8, 1834, the Grand Sire, James Gettys, and Thomas Morse, Grand Guardian, were the only officers who answered, and but four jurisdictions were represented. The joumisil innocently mentions that "Boon Lodge, No. 1, of Kentucky, presented a quarterly report," and the same orthographical outrage on the name of this lodge appears in the journal the succeeding day, when "sundry past grands from Boon Lodge " presented a petition for a Grand Lodge charter, and were sum- marily " sat upon " because their reports were not in form, and their percentage unpaid. This seems to have effectually subdued poor "Boon Lodge, *^ for it sent another report, which was accepted, and is included in the records of the session held in August of the same year. Follow-
84 THE THREE' LINK FRATERNITY.
ing for a few moments the histoiy of this lodge with a ''bad spell/' we find it came again in October praying for a remission of its dues, and was given ttvo yearsy by the report of the committee, but was released by the Grand Lodge, the vote being seven to four. The misspelled lodge owed 3124.24. After this its troubles were nearly lost to sight in the Grand Lodge. Kentucky was admitted to the body as a Grand Lodge in 1836, represented by Henry Wolford, and inaccuracies in spelling were cor- rected in the journals of that state.
The business of the January session was slight and unimportant. When it reassembled, in August, it was in Masonic hall, in New York city; four officers and three jurisdictions were present. A seal for the Grand Lodge was presented and accepted. The encampment branch was chartered in Kentucky. A charter for the first lodge in Missouri was granted.
Kon-Jttdicial Oaths. — The enactment, by the Massachusetts legislature, of a law against ''non- judicial oaths," with a penalty attached of two hundred dollars for each violation, was referred to this session by the Order in that state, asking for advice. The law was supposed to be directed against the Masonic Fraternity, which was very cordially hated in that state, but it reached our Order too, for it referred directly to such obligations as were given and required at initiations, installations, etc. The committee to whom the matter was referred, Howell Hopkins and James L. Eidgely, did not report until the October session. The adop- tion of their report effectually circumvented the narrow-minded policy which had enacted the law. The lodges in Massachusetts were authorized to admit members, confer degrees, and install officers '' on the pledge of honor," and the trouble was over.
Reports from all sources at the close of the August session, in 1834, showed one hundred lodges with over six thousand members. The Octo- ber meeting in the same year, in Baltimore, was much better attended; all the grand officers were present, and eight jurisdictions were represented, Maryland being the first state to send two representatives. For the first time, — according to the journal, — the Grand Lodge was opened