INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODDFELLOWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1383, 1 June 1878, Page 6

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODDFELLOWS.

A social meeting in connection with the above Order of Oddfellows took place in the new Pioneer Hall, Rattray street, on the 24th tilt. The meeting was held for the purpose of introducing and welooming Deputy Gr«n?t Sire Bro. John Harman, who is on a visre from the United States Grand Lodge to New Zealand. The proceedings opened with a soiree, a very fair muster of ladies and gentle* men sitting down to an excellent tea.

This portion of the business over, the chair was taken by Bro. M'Gaw, Grand Master, and seats upon the platform were also occupied by the guest of the evening (Bro. Harman), Bros. Wheeler, Braithwaite, Alexander. Bracken, and others.

Bro. M'Gaw, in welcoming Bro. Harman, spoke as follows :—": — " Brethren — No doubt all of you are aware that we have assembled here to-night for the purpose of extending the right hand of friendship to onr distinguished visitor and Bro. John B. Harman, Deputy Grand Sire of our Order, and bidding him welcome to our shores, our Lodges, aye, and to our hearths and homes, during bis sojourn here. As Gz-and Master of the 1.0.0. F. in New Zealand, I have the honour to preside on this occasion, and in your name, and in the name of the Order here, to express in some measure the pleasure' we experience in having our respected Brother here to-night. I may be wanting in language to express appropriately how much we rejoice on this occasion, and how much pleasure we feel in the proßpect of not only administering to his comfort while here, but of availing ourselves of the opportunity his visit affords us to show, through him, our gratitnde to that grand body of whioh he is a member, for the interest iis members have bo generously displayed on our behalf. But sir, (addressing Bro Harman) it is not our nature to be profuße in expressions of welcome ; we prefer that our hospitality should find a more fitting expression, and that our' guests should judge of us accordingly. It appears that the leading thinkers of the present day are directing their attention to tbe operation

of these organizations, and recommending them to the attention of the people generally as worthy of their confidence and support, and especially so to the State as being worthy of encouragement, as a means of educating the people in habits of economy and thrift, in unity of action, in the knowledge of public business and finance ; and men of thought agree that in time, with proper nurture, these organisations would have a great effect to rid the land of pauperism. It is to this point of view our far-seeiDg men are looking. They are watching the rise and progress of such organisations as this, and directing public attention to the good that has been done, is now doing, and will in the providence of God continue to bej done by them, until the coming of that period whon the law of universal brotherhood shall bind all nations, and tongues, and kindreds cf the earth. This, of course, ia very grateful to onr ears; especially to those whose connection with the Order extendß over a period of 30 ■years, whose ears have been assailed with language the reverse of this, and who were generally considered very Odd- Fellows indeed. Of course lam now speaking from a Colonial point of view, which may not be applicable to the States and Canada, and I believe that it is not, for we see by the annual reports of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge that our representatives there must be drawn from the best men in all ranks of society. In Canada, where I had the pleasure of attending two of the Grand Lodge sessions, I found the representation drawn from every social grade, and as a deliberative and legislative body would compare favourably with any other, with but one cr two exceptions. Therefore, this seems to Bhow that their experience iB somewhat different to ours. What is the reason of this ? Well, I intended, auswermg this question as fully as I could, but will take another and more fitting opportunity of doing so. Especially as in doing so I will have to hit pretty hard some of the social distinctions which have been set up by our Colonial magnates — selfmade men — whose bellies, being full for the time being, forget they ever were hungry. But I am on this subject I might say that while in Canada I looked in vain for the uocial distinctions that exist here, for the lines that are drawn between the men who Bell -tape by the yard, or potatoes by the pound, and those who sell the former by the gross, or the latter by the pound. Even between the employers and the employed the line of distinction is fainter— when perceptible — than it is here, faint as it is said to exist in the Colonies. I doubt not bat these remarks are as applicable to the States as they are to Canada, if not more so. Perhaps this may explain in some measure ,the reason why our Order does not so faithfully, and numerously represent every section of society here as it does there. Be that as it may, one thing I doubt not the day is not far distant when the Order here will'flourish'like another Society in this city which had- many difficulties to encounter at its inception, and for years after struggled for an existence, while its honourable offices went a begging, being offered and pressed upon the acceptance of the petty magnates of the period, and refused, yea publicly refused, by the Press. Will it be believed that that Society, in the great opposition, and of almost insurmountable difficulties now oocupies the front rank among societies of its kind, and those who scoffed and sneered at its objects, and endeavoured to crush it in its infancy, are now numbered on its directory in its palmy days. Well, I doubt not but this Order will yet have the best men in the Colony joining its ranks, and pressing forward for the honours and distinctions it confers upon its worthy members." He concluded by offering to Bro. Harman the right hand of fellowship, and welcoming him most cordially to Dunedin.

Bro. Harman, in replying to the welcome extended to him, said that upon that evening he felt, himself at home, even although 8000 miles away from hisown hearth. Whenever he landed amongst Oddfellows, hehad the faculty of feeling himself at home. — (Applause.) He had belonged for 30 years to the Order, and lie had been so educated in it as to feel that when surrounded by members of the Order he was' really and truly at home. There were two fundamental propositions in this world that admitted of no dispute. The first was that a man cannot escape from the eye of God or from the eye of an almighty Power, call it what you may. Every man is conscious that there is a power superior to himself. Every man, no matter how solitary his position may be, knows that the eye and finger of a superior power are upon him. The second proposition was that while a man cannot escape from the eye of the Almighty, neither had he any possibility of egoape from his fellow-men. Place a man in the position of standing alone in the world, and let him have the feeling that no other man lived, or no other creature existed upon the earth but himself, a man in that position would become a madman. That was the principle upon which Oddfellowship was formed; that man was man's brother, and would remain so. — (Applause ) The Order was based upon the recognition of this truth, that as a man cannot escape the power of the < Almighty, and so must recognise his duties to that power, so, as he cannot escape from his fellow-man, he must recognise the duties he owes to him and to society. One thing which had fallen from the Chairman he was surprised to hear, that all classes, namely, were not represented in the Order. It was different in America. There all classes and professions were represented — doctors, lawyers, clergymen, the richest merchant,'- the richest farmer, and every section of the humbler classes. — (Applause.) He could go in San Francisco to point out Bitting in the lodge a man worth eight or ten' millions of dollars, and by his side the carpenter who had built his house. A Judge had occupied the chair, and his Associate the vice-chair, in a lodge he was acquainted with. The ablest men in all America joined the Order. After quoting statistics, he went on to say that he believed there was not upon the face of the North American Continent, nor even upon earth, an institution that was likely to wield a greater power than the Oddfellows.— (Applause ) Referring to the arms of the Order, he said the Manchester Unity had done a good work in Great Britain inrelievipg distress, and giving pecuniary aid in cases of neoesfity, but while in America the Order took that duty upon i^elf, it looked upon that as the,

loweßt of its functions. It was not a mere beneficial institution If that were so, then the capitalist could not be looked for in its ranks. It encouraged members who were independent of the pecuniary assistance. For instance he himself did not want a dollar of Oddfellows' mone}', what he wanted to know was to know that he had the sympathy and friendship of his fellow-man. (Applause.) He welcomed the opportunity the Order gave him of meeting an honest man in the streets, no matter whether that man were a hod-cat rier or the President cf America, and of feeling that by such an action he raised himself and the man he was in fellowship with. That was the principle which gave the Order power in America — the knowledge that man and his fellows were bound together by an indissoluble chain forged far back in eternity, and never to be loosed until the power that forged chose to do bo. — (Applause.) Here in New Zealand the Order was comparatively weak j but the Grand Lodge of America, which now had an annual income of 6,000,000 dollarß, for the first five years after its birth had an annual income of not more than 75 or 100 dollars, and positively only a membership of five men. He believed that the institution of Oddfellows was destined to become one of the distinguishing growths of the nineteenth century. From America it had been introduced into Germany, and Bismarck himself had expressed his astonishment that so powerful a benevolent institution existed in the world. The Emperor also had consented with great willingness to allow its introduction into the empire. Attempts had also been made to extend it to France and Spain, but those countries objected to it on the score of its secrecy. In Germany all classes of the community are going into it. And why not ? Its principle was the principle of good-will on the part o£ one man to another. Supposing a man to be engaged in nothing else continuously than the occupation of making money, then this lifo would be a hell upon earth for that man. And again, the happiness of man could not be effected by the mere following of intellectual pursuits. No mere play of the intellectual faculties could afford a happiness to compaio with that a man experienced through social aDd family ties. Oddfellows knew more happiness in the honest grasp of a brother's hand than could be found in all the mathematics a Newtcn ever dreamt of. He was afraid he was going too far ; he had spoken far longer than he intended to do. Perhaps he would have another opportunity of speaking further to them in the lodge, but if he Bpoke for a week or a month he could only say that the greatest end of life was to live as if you feared God and loved your fellowman. — (Loud applause.) A short interval was then devoted to Binging, at the close of which,

Bro. Alexander, Grand Treasurer, said the pleasant duty devolved upon him of presenting to Bro. Braifchwaito a testimonial from the members of the Order in the shape of a gold chain, watch, and pendant, He then handed over the testimonial to Bro. Braibhwaite, stating that it was presented to him in recognition of services rendered to the Lodge during a period of ten years, and particularly during his tenure of the office of Grand Master for two years. — (Loud applause.)

Bro. Bkaithwaitk, in acknowledging the gift,- entered into a narrative of his connection with the Order. He mentioned also that as representative of the Lodge he had been deputed to meet Bro. Harman at Lyttelton, and that there, and at Timaru, that gentleman had received a very hearty reception from Oddfellows.

The room waß then cleared for dancing, which was kept up for some hours.