[from The Paterson Morning Call, July 31, 1934, p. 4]

Friends and Brethren --

     What is the occasion of our assembling? Whence this gorgeous display? Why these gay banners and glittering dresses? Have met to celebrate the achievements of a conqueror, or, is this a theatrical pageant, only calculated to excite vulgar curiosity and amuse the weak minded? No, my friends, a far different object has gathered us together. We are here to consecrate to benevolence and friendship, a temple, whose foundation is in the heart -- to celebrate in the formation of another link in the chain of sympathy which is fast encircling the earth and already forms a bond of union between hostile nations and opposing creeds. To those who may think this display senseless and unnecessary, let me say, that these decorations are significant of the principles of our Order. Under these symbols are couched mysterious meanings, and strange and sublime lessons speak to the initiated in every article of a brother's regalia.

      Under a charter from the Right Worthy Grand Lodge of the State of New York, there has lately been organized in this place, by the name of Neptune Lodge No. 152, a lodge of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Odd Fellows -- the noblest secular organization in the world. We have met this day to dedicate it publicly to the cause of friendship and philanthropy.

      Ancient usage requires that the institution of a Lodge should be observed with solemn and appropriate ceremonies; these have not been neglected: and it also sanctions and authorizes us to embrace the opportunities offered by such occasions, to spread before the uninitiated the true character and principles of the institution. Our proceedings are hidden from the public eye; the veil of impenetrable mystery shrouds the Order from the scrutiny of all except its members. Abroad we are known only by our name, which to others does not convey the remotest idea of the true nature of our association and its objects.

      Giving the term "Odd Fellows" the ordinary acceptation, they have often most erroneously concluded we were only associated for conviviality or worse objects; for men are ever prone to condemn what they do not understand. It is styled the Ancient and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It is ancient and honorable. Is origin is lost in remote obscurity. The commencement of its activity cannot be ascertained, and we claim for it the highest antiquity.

      The term "Odd Fellows" is a corruption of the original name, which, although in another language, did approach to the present very nearly in sound and from this resemblance came the corruption. The true name was the world compounded of the Greek terms Odon and Philos, signifying "friends traveling together", thereby intimating that like friends the members of the Order travelled on together through the journey of life, rendering to each other comfort, sympathy, and assistance.

      From this beautiful illustrative appellation, by some strange metamorphosis, the present whimsical name is derived. A name calculated rather to excite prejudice than favorably to impress the minds of those unacquainted with the true character and objects of our institution. By the claims of our noble Order to consideration and respect are independent of its name, and do not rest on its antiquity.

      We are not forced to retreat from the past to find an excuse for our existence, nor to rely upon what the Order may once have been for a passport to the approval of the world. We are not numbered among those whose sole merit is derived from their ancestry. The pure and ennobling principles of the Order, the wonderful benefits it confers, the noble and virtuous lesson it inculcates, and its serene and harmonizing influences, are the grounds upon which it challenges the scrutiny and judgment of the world.

     Leaving undisturbed therefore, the dust of centuries, let us look at the Order as it is. How is the Order constituted? What are its objects and effects? What is its present condition? These questions I will briefly answer, confining myself principally to the portion of the Order in the United States.

      The Order consists of primary associations called Lodges, of State Grand Lodges, who have a certain control over the subordinate organizations within their respective states, and the Grand Lodge of the United States (now with all others elsewhere known as the Sovereign Grand Lodge) whose authority is the highest, there being none above it. There are also other organizations called Encampments and Grand Encampments.

      The Grand Lodge of the United States has jurisdiction over all other Odd Fellow associations on the continent of North America, and even over some in Europe. (Present Sovereign Grand Lodge has jurisdiction over the world.) There is throughout the whole the utmost subordination and the strictest government. The rules of the Order are most rigidly enforced and for violation of them any lodge is liable to be deprived of its charter. The individual members are also held strictly accountable, and he who receives the punishment of expulsion goes forth with a brand of disgrace upon his forehead as indelible as the mark of Cain -- forever cut off from all communication with the brotherhood -- his name a by-word and a reproach among them throughout the land. When we look to see of whom the Order is composed, we find but few of the wealthy in its ranks. While all callings, trades, and occupations have their representatives, it is, however, for the most part, composed of those who depend upon their daily labor for their daily bread. And here let me remark, the physician and the lawyer, and many others whose occupations are not merely manual, earn their living on precisely the same principle as the daily laborer, and, as a class, has the same interests, in contradistinction to the interests of the capitalist, the speculator, and the blood suckers of our society. It is not strange that these are seldom found in the ranks of our Order.

      The first lesson taught by Odd Fellowship is humility. Why should the pampered child of fortune or the heartless votary of fashion and pleasure bind themselves to its yoke? It is a secret society: it has its mysteries and its symbols, and its language is understood by the initiated, who drank deeply at the well of truth. Are there those who are prejudiced against us on this account? To them I say, there is no mystery, no secret in Odd Fellowship which cannot become acquainted with if you are a man of good moral character [and so long as you] believe in the existence and government of God; and until [you] are willing to investigate, do not dare to condemn. [editorial comment omitted]

      The Lodge is a sacred place; the atheist dare not cross its threshold. He whose character is stained with crime or immorality, can never penetrate the arena of its mysteries and the miserable votary of intemperance can have no fellowship with us. Against such the door of the lodge is shut, never to be opened. To them its sacred precincts are forbidden ground.

     The objects of the Order are the establishment of a universal system of friendship and philanthropy, the inculcation of great moral truths, and the cultivation of the finer feelings of the human heart. It seeks to link together in the golden bonds of friendship, love and truth, the hearts that self-interest, or the dictates of necessity, or the influence of prejudice, would keep asunder forever.

      Pause for one moment and reflect on the various conditions of mankind. How diversified are their situations! How different the amount of happiness and enjoyment allotted to each! To some the calm comforts and quiet joys of domestic life; to others, dangers, privations and misfortunes of every kind -- by sea, shipwreck and storm -- on land, the chances of the hardy fight and the blood-stained field of over-tasked minds and over-worked bodies. Some roll in splendid equipages with all the attendant luxuries that affluence can bestow; but many, very many more, are experiencing the extremes of poverty and some, yes even in this land of plenty, are dying of absolute want. For every splendid mansion, every luxurious palace, whose inmates revel in the excess of abundance -- there are a thousand wretched hovels, whose occupants are destitute of the necessities of life; for every scene of mirth and joy, there are pangs of grief, anguish, and despair.

      The mass of the world look coldly on the victims of misfortune. The generous sentiments and the noble traits of human nature seem to be smothered in the selfishness engendered by the lust of gain and the pressure of necessity. Kindness and sympathy seem banished from their hearts. They pass by the scene of distress or want with indifference or coldly say of the miserable, "They have deserved their misfortunes."

      It has been said that a man' destiny is in his own hands. Though measurably correct, this is not a universal truth. Integrity, industry and energy may do much and perhaps will generally succeed; there are misfortunes no foresight can prevent, no care, no precaution ward off and which may happen to any. I allude to accident and disease. Sickness robs a strong man of his strength and he becomes like the infant, dependent upon those around him.

      The wealthy can command the services of others and all the attention and assistance his case may require; but under such circumstances, what is the condition of him who depends upon the income of his daily exertions for his subsistence -- who has, perhaps, a wife and children looking to him for bread? Want and suffering stare him in the face; to him sickness comes armed with ten-fold terror. How often has death itself been hastened by the anxiety of one thus situated! Now, if this state of things could be changed, that those thus circumstanced could be made -- in some degree independent of sickness -- independent at least of the actual want and of those fears and anxieties which inseparably attend them, would it not be most desirable? It can be accomplished -- nay, the work is already performed and being performed, our Order supplies the desideratum. Viewed in this light, Odd Fellowship is an extended plan of practical benevolence, formed and matured by the wisest philanthropy. The world is its field and the amelioration of mankind its object. Practically it extends to the stranger brother, whenever it may be needed, succor, sympathy, and assistance: and to the immediate members of a particular lodge, there are shared more certain benefits. If a member is sick, or so afflicted by accident or disease, not brought on by immoral conduct, not he cannot prosecute his daily employment, a certain sum is paid to him weekly, which he is required and absolutely bound to receive, whatever his circumstances may be. Thus the feelings of those who might really need such aid, are spared what might otherwise be a humiliation. It is also the duty of members to visit a sick brother, and if necessary to watch with and render him any assistance in their power.

      If a brother lose his wife by death, a certain sum is paid him towards defraying the funeral expenses; and should a brother die, a sum is also appropriated for his funeral, which is taken charge of by the lodge, if he has no near friends to perform that last melancholy office. Should a brother leave a wife and children, they are cared for if their circumstances require it; and thus thousands have been snatched from ignorance and destitution.

      If I should here recount but a part of the many interesting anecdotes connected with our Order, the shades of evening would soon reproach us with delay; but perhaps it may not be amiss to relate here one or two instances showing the good practical effects brought about by our institution -- silently and unobtrusively, without any flourish of trumpets, but not, on that account, less praiseworthy or beneficial.

      A young man from the North, embued with the spirit of adventure, collected his little means set out for the larger of our southern cities, New Orleans, intending to establish himself there. He had scarcely arrived, when he was robbed of all he possessed; not one cent was left him, and worse than all, he was struck down by sickness, without a relative or friend or even acquaintance. How helpless, how hopeless was his condition! He asked for a physician; but as he had no money they would not send for one, they prepared to rid themselves of so unprofitable a guest.

      The vehicle which was to carry him to the common hospital (for him, probably, the portal of the grave) was at the door. His languid thoughts turned back, with a yearning of the heart, to his dear northern home. Why did he leave it? The green fields, the noble woods, the soft flow of waters that had been the music of his younger years, the home he had left -- all came back to him, alas! Only to make him feel that they were never to be beheld again. Where was that kind father who had so often regarded him with looks of paternal pride? Where that gentle sister? And where, oh where, that mother who had ever watched over him with that tender solicitude? Alas! He was alone in the land of strangers. Despair seemed his only refuge; but [he] was an Odd Fellow. At this juncture he made himself known as such, arrested the attention of a brother who was passing and was immediately cared for. His case was made known to the lodge, every attention was given him, his losses made good, and he restored to health and a life of happiness.

      Two travellers put up together at a tavern in a small village in one of our Southern States. On the following morning, one of them rose very early and left saying his fellow traveller did not wish to be disturbed and would follow him the next day. The stranger not appearing during the day, the landlord towards evening forced the door of his apartment, entered and found him weltering in his blood. He had been robbed and murdered by his companion. Pursuit was made, but in vain; the murderer had made good his escape; all further effort seemed fruitless. The victim was a stranger and the circumstance would soon have been forgotten had it not been discovered on examining his effects that the unfortunate man had been a member of our Order. The brethren immediately took charge of the funeral and he was buried with all the honors of Odd Fellowship and their efforts did not stop here. An accurate description of the murderer and his crime was communicated to the various lodges throughout the country when far from the scene of his guilt and as he supposed in perfect security, the criminal was arrested, brought back, recognized, and given over to the hands of justice to receive the terrible retribution he deserved.

      Our meetings are a source of social relaxation and enjoyment. They are not convivial orgies; for the rules of the Order forbid any refreshment, except water, within the walls of the lodge, and should any lodge violate this rule, its charter would be taken from it, and its light literally extinguished.

      To the brotherhood, our Order teaches lessons of humility, temperance and philanthropy; it gives the stranger and the unfortunate a large circle of warm and sympathizing friends; it is a check to vice and an incentive to virtue; and, above all, it places its members above the reach of misfortune, in a measure by providing for them should they need it, ample aid and assistance -- an assistance which does not take the ostentatious garb of charity, but comes in a shape which need not bring the blush of shame to tinge the cheek nor give a wound to the pride of an honest heart.

      The present condition of the order throughout the world is flourishing in the extreme. In every quarter of the globe the Odd Fellow may find a brother. The seeds of Odd Fellowship have been sowed, broadcast over the length and breadth of our own land and the annual harvest is rich and plentiful; every year brings its increase.

      There are now under the jurisdiction of the Right Worthy Grand Lodge of the United States, twenty-two Grand Lodges, nine Grand Encampments, eighty-two Encampments, and three hundred and twenty seven lodges. [editorial inserts about Odd Fellows deleted]

      In England, the Order is not less prosperous. On the first of April, 1844, there were in England and Wales 3,840 lodges and 32,500 members. The subscriptions for the past year amounted to nearly $1,750,000 and the expenditure to over a million and a half dollars. The total amount of property belonging to the association was estimated at over three million four hundred thousand dollars.

      Yes, let the sneer of the scornful give place to the look of surprise. The Order to which we belong is a powerful body -- powerful only for good. And, secure in the justice and purity of our cause, we defy alike the hatred of monarchs or the clamor of popular prejudice. Brothers of the Neptune lodge, I congratulate you on your success. You have established on, as I believe, a firm foundation, a lodge of our Ancient and Honorably Order, whose usefulness I hope will be second to none. You have selected most appropriately the name of Neptune lodge. The most of those who are and will be its members gaining their livelihood directly or indirectly from the sea. Perhaps to none do the principles of our Order commend themselves more highly than to "those who go down to the sea in ships." Certainly, none embrace them more heartily, nor carry them out more honorably and sincerely. And possibly here we may receive the sojourner and wayfarer from afar and hold with them "Sweet counsel together." Let us ever warmly welcome the stranger and brother. May he find us friends and among those who know him not, a kindred. But I need not exhort you to cherish the ennobling and generous principles of our Order. We will never forget the light shone upon us in darkness; the sublime mysteries imparted to us can never be effaced from our minds. For my own part (and I speak the sentiments of all who hear me), the prosperity of our institution will ever be dear to me. As a brother, I shall ever fear to do anything which may bring reproach upon it and my efforts shall never be wanting to advance and sustain the glorious objects.

      How fair and noble is our earth! The beneficent Creator has lavished upon it all forms of loveliness and beauty, and has surrounded us with ten thousand sources of enjoyment. The changes of seasons, the fair sweet flowers, the gloom of night, and the glory of noonday. The phenomena of nature, the wonders of science, the delights of the arts, the treasures of literature, music's enchanting harmony, the spell of poetic numbers, memory's faith, the sublime and beautiful, the wonderful and grand. The thousand carious pursuits of life, all the bright circle of domestic affections, the pleasure of friendship, the endearments of affection, the love of country. I am breathless with the catalog. Why is not earth, then, a paradise, and man's life a succession of enjoyments?

      Alas! Selfishness, discord and ill-will poison the very fountains of delight. They are the bane of earthly happiness. Man lives to much as if he only gained that of which he deprived another, and as if the good fortune of any but himself was to him an injury. Men do not see that mutual benefit is the true foundation of the prosperity and happiness of society; and not only of society as a whole, but each individual member. Such is the teaching of our noble Order. Its foundation is the sacred truth, that the true principles of human intercourse, is mutual benefit. It hath its root in the sentiment of benevolence, which is an attribute of humanity more divine than reason; a sentiment, the just exercise of which is the pure spring of perpetual pleasure -- a foundation of enjoyment so pure, that all the passions of the world cannot embitter it.

      What a truly sublime scene would the world present if all nations were governed by those principles of friendship, love, and truth, which bind together our beloved Order. Here war with its horrid train of attendant evils would be banished from the earth. Every vale would smile in peacefulness and plenty -- would bountifully reward the moderate toil of man. The wants of the sick and afflicted would be supplied by the more fortunate. The arts and sciences would flourish to an extent heretofore unknown. A thousand sources of misery and crime would be cut off, and man stand forth more like the being he was designed to be.

      Is this a vision of utopia? Well, perhaps it is. But while I am no believer in the perfectibility of human nature, I must unhesitatingly avow my confidence in its almost indefinite capacity for improvement. Indeed, I look upon society as a tangled chain, not one of its golden links impaired, but all disordered. The greatest evils we suffer can be remedied, and the work which our Order has to perform towards this object, is of an importance than can scarcely be appreciated. and it will perform it. There is before it a great and glorious destiny; its course is onward: wider and wider will it extend its beneficent influences -- all creeds and all nations shall own its laws and obey its precepts. The sun of its success shall pour its effulgence over all the world, and beaming brighter through the vista of succeeding ages, find a bound its increasing splendor, only on the shores of time.