THE OliPJIANB’ FlilKND.
Wocliiescliiy. Jjiimniy 11>. IS7«.
i3een to Cliiiiiottc, future Lon
don ; business brisk. On Sun
day morning’, so many good
preacliers, and no cbanc'c to bear
but one I Wanted to !iear Mr.
— ■, tlic man rylio takes tlie
sinner by the skin of the neck
and bolds him over tlic pit of per
dition, saying, ‘‘liepont, or I’ll
drop YOU, as you deserve.” A
man recently beard him and said,
“Well, I reckon if Mr.
should get a tclegi’am informing
him that the Devil mas dead and
bell broken up, bo mould die mitb
melanobolv.” Now this mas too
bad, for in spite of bis fire and
brimstone, bo is a good man and
a very remarkable preaclicr.
Wr.ntcd to bear the cool, clear-
lieaded and moll-read Mr. Har
ding. 'Wanted to see libs nem
and beautiful clmrcb. His father
■was a fine preacher, and bis wife
is the sister of a class-mate lUiver
to be forgotten. Mfanted to bear
that live man, the modern Mndt-
field, always kind, always r.enl-
Wanted to liear Dr. 13ron-
w1jo, at our request, bad
gone into some hovels of extreme
poverty. Wanted to hear Mr.
Carran'ay, who bad made ajqili-
cation for the admission ol a poor
and promising orphan, and so me
entered a handsome and comfort
able house of morshij). After a
hymn and a prayer, the envelope
systezn mas explained: The stew
ards on the lirst Sunday in the
year suitply each member or con
tributor with 52 envelopes. Ozi
each Sunday ho puts his name on
one, sc.als up his contrihution
therein, and puts it in the basket,
fi’he Ti-easurer keeps an account
with each contributor, and sends
him a quarterly I’eport, that he
may see if he has been properly
ci-e'clitod. Thus nroney is raised
for the ordinary expen.sos of the
church. Occasionally extra col
lections are made for other oL-
ous.
son
jocts.
Another hymn.
Now a sermon on “The Devil
as a lion.” The preacher ex
plained and conqzared tiie habits
of both, and pointed Dut the dan
gers to 'which we are exposed, and
the duty of being always sober
and watchful. A vervy good ser
mon.
Dinod with our friend W. W”.
Flemming, Esq. He is obliged
to be happy witli such a live wife
and such a likely baby. Ilis
horse and buggy helped us find a
poor orphan. He also carried us
to the Presbyterian Mission
School. The exerckses were
opened by Gen. D. H. Hdl. He
is a iiotable man, bating mean
ness with a perfect bati’od, and
loviiiiT inevcv with ardent alTec
tion. He wrote an algebra be-
g-er ill the gate. We once entered
a clmrcb in a strange town, and
the preacher prax ed that God
would guide and bless any stran
ger or tnn’oler who might be
present. Wo felt included in that
[irayei', and ivo are alwar's sorry
to see cbildi'cn at cburcli unless
tlio jirayer can bo made to take
them in. Every strong clmrcb
ouglit to have a mission school,
ami plenty of mission work.
Hut Capt. Leggett’s train is go
ing, and at midnight we are bang
ing at the door of Burns’ Hotel
in AVadesboi’o, and finally secure
•a bod. After breakfast iTr. J. M.
AVrigbt funii.s!ies transportation
to Ansoiiville. Dr. Kendall and
Mr. Gaddy recommend the or-
plians, and provide for our trans-
pori,ation to W.adesboro on the
morrow. So we look around and
meet Bcv. Mr. Thomas, the new
man on tlie circuit, Bov. N. .B.
(Jobb and Bev. J. J. McLendon
of Carolina Central Academy.'
The Academ}' buiidings'are very
capacious, in good repair, and de
lightfully situated. The teachers
are competent, efficient, and en-
llmsiaslic. The school inerbs
success, and would be crowded,
but for the educational aiiatliy
brooding' over our land. Leav
ing this delightful village with
sincere regret, "wc are homeward
Iiound, and dine with Mr. Burns
who dead-beads the entire crowd.
Arriving in Charlotte we spend
the night at the Central Hotel,
and find that Mrs. Eccles has an
other orplian in waiting, and Mi'.
Eccles refuses compensation for
the trouble' wo have given him.
Biding on a freight and reaching
Greensboi'o in time for supper,
our land-lady knows her oysters
are good, because Judge Kerr
has just eaten three plates of
them, and ho is a judge of good
eating, as well as ofhonestlaw. We
breakfast with that fast friend of
the orphan work, Col. Brown, of
the National Hotel, Baleitlh.
Our ne.xt supper is eaten at tlie
Orphan House in Oxford.
fore the war, and peppered his
problems with Yankees and nut
megs. Ho wrote a commentary
on “The Sermon on the Mount,”
and seasoned it with the tenderest
devotion. His pen is about as
severe as his sword. He was one
of the finest fighters of the Coii-
fledcratc war. He is one of the
sharpest writers of the 'present
age. Well, lie prays Tor poor
cliildren, and that is more than
some other good men do. Wo
recently visited one of our towns,
beard six public pi-ayers in which
no petition was ofiercd lor the
children. AVent thence to an-
othcrtmvn and heard four pra} ei s,
a'l for the grown people of the
village. Not a word for the ehil
dron—not a word for :my out
sider—not a word for any straii
the fire. AYc ought not to spend
either time or money in answer
ing any such letters. Many per
sons have inforinod us that the)'de
sired orphans, because negroes
would not stav' with them. Hence
tliey prefer orplians who have no
hope of escape from the servitude
they inflict.
A OiUf. \VAKTr:3>.
]5ku\vna'iTvJ)E, X. C., Jan. 10, IS7G.
Dear Sir t-A \^ idli (o emplaj- a healUiy anti
iiHlib-^Trious girl, to do oihliimry lunisc-work.
i will pay her five dtillar.'^ a moiitli, tuid iiiy
wife AA'iiI astsigii lirr a good hed and (‘omfovta-
l)k' room. J send si.K dollars to pay her trav
eling expenses* JjEX- l5fi.)\VX.
Now thi.s letter tells that a girl
is wanted, and what slio will bo
ex])eoted to do. Tt also tells wliat
will lie done for her. ’i’hero is no
prosjiect of an everlasting coitcs-
pondenoe. It is a short business
letter. Unfortunately such letters
are never received at this office,
and this one is merely imaginary.
AN ilSONESX' ItEPOKT.
The following letter tells its
own tale, and makes its own re
cord for 1875. Just think of a
company of good men, organized
for benevolent work, and doing
nothing for the orphans for a
whole year! If the Lord has
done nothing for them, they may
be right in taking' care of them
selves only. But if the Lord has
been good to them, and if they
practice the precepts of that reli
gion which visits the fatherless,
they ought to make a bettor record
for 187G. Here is the letter •
IloLESViLLE, Dec. 27th, 1&75.
Bro. J. II. Milh :—We, tlu? under.sigued
commitfoe, appointed to receive contributions
I'or the Orphan Asylum at Oxford, beg leave
to report lliat wo have received nothing dur
ing the Masoni:- yttav, all of Avhich is re-
.'pectfully submitled.
€. n. Horton,
A. R. Younr,
J. H. SCAUBORO.
OUl*n\'S At'sVB.YdS A'JT
/
SmithsbukCt, X. 0., Jan. 10, 1876.
Bear Sir : — rioasesend me a bright, smart,
intolligent, iiuiustriou.s and kind-licavUil girl,
without kin. to nurse our b.^by and cook and
Avash for a small family. She will have a
gooil biankf't and sleep on the floor l)y tite
cradle. She may carry the children to Sun
day School in summer, aud go to preaching
once a mouth, if convenient. We will give
her two calico dresses, a hat and a 'j)air of
shoes every ywar, until she is eighteen years
of age j and then, if she has no beaux, aud
lines not wish to marry, wo will pay her riyg-
ul.’tr wages, say .ti2 t(.» 86 a month. Please
send her by reliirii mail, and we Avill relievo
your noble institution of one of its burdens.
Respectl’uily,
SARAH S.MITH.
The foregoing is a fair sample
of ab'^iut one hundred lettei's
which we ha-ve lately pitched into
AYe know of no institution in
the Slate of North Carolina, or
indeed in the Southeru States, in
which our peojilo should take
more interest than the •Asylum at
Oxford. Av’hilo it is really a grand
masonio charity, it is open to the
admission of childrer. of all de
nominations, sect.s, andcondilions,
and as such, at once commends
itself to the people of the entire
State.
Before the war, the purpose of
the founders was to make it a
hig'h school or college, for the ed
ucation of tlie cluldren of indjgent
iiiasoms, exclusively. As a col
lege, it failed, as did thousands of
other educational institutions,
owing to the dl.sasiroits results
(rf the late war. After the war
for several years, elTorts were
made to revive the interest of the
masonic fraternity throughout the
State, in an enterprise so com-
mondable as the education of the
children of worthy masons, but
to no ])urpose. The Grand Lodge
of llio State, after r'ears of unsuc
cessful effort, as a dernier resort,
threw 0]5en its doors for the ad-
niision of all worthv orphans iii
the State, endowed it with one
thousand dollars for the first year,
depending upon contributions
from the jiuhlic for fnrtlior sup
port. Tiie experience of the ]iast
tu'O years satisfies us that the
outside ivoi'ld (speaking from a
masonic stand point) do not take
sufficient interest in the noble
work, to contribute sufficient to
meet the expenses of tho institu
tion, in addition to what is con
tributed Iw the fraternity as a
matter of duty.
But it will not do to let this
grand monument of masonic
charity fail. It must be sustain
ed, and if tho jnibh'c will not con
tribute sufficient to meet its oi'di-
nary exjionsos, the fraternity
must rise to the importance of I he
"uork and do v'liat is necessary
to sustain it. To do tins the work
innst be unJortakou by some
well-devised plan, and the ma
sons, thrnnghout the St.ate, must
realize that the burden of the
work falls upon tliem, and them
alone. The report of sufToring,
of want, of actual destitution
among tho children, that has
reached our ear.s during the ])ast
)'ear, convinces us that the fra
ternity can no longer rely upon
voluutaiy contributions, 'to sup
port the institution. What then
can bo done ? The school must
1)0 kept up ; it must bo sustained.
Successful, it will be a grand and
imposing monument to masonic
chai'ity; a lasting honor to the
craft throughout tho State. A
failure, it will lie a living disgrace,
and show to tli-e ivorkl that ma
sons do not practice what they
preach.
The institution is not to-day
what it ought to be. It langnishes
amid what maybe called, general
pi'ospei'ity throughout the State,
'riioi'c is some financial depres
sion, but notliing sufficient to lot
tins grand, noble entcr’priso, fail.
The question naturally arises,
what can be done. We answer,
the very first step is for the fra
ternity thi'oughout the State to
resolve tliat the institution shall
bo sustained. AA'e have been
tauglit that “where there is a will
there is a wa-y,” and it is as true
in this as in other instances. Ac
cording to the report of the Sec
retary of the Grand I.odge, there
are something over eleven thou
sand masons in the State. I.et
tlie Grand Lodge of the State, at
its annual conumiuicatiou in Bal-
elgh, rvock after next, levy a
compulsory tax of fifvy cents on
each memher, through the
L'jdyes, for the support of the
Asylum, and let riiis sum b>' sot
apm'i sii'ictlv for it.s suipport.
'rids sum, witi'. wha^‘ can b‘
spared from the I'i'ca.sm'y nf dne •
Grand Lodge, accoi'ding to the
now assessment, will bo ample to
pay off the curre.it expenses for
the next year. Let this tax be
levied annuallv, and wo will hear
no further cries of distress aiid
destitution among the orphans at
Oxford. Wliat mason will object
to pa’i'ing the paltry sum of fifty
cents to support the maintainance
of a homo for his childi'en after
his death, in case ho should be
overtaken by adversity. He is
above want to-day. He may
think that he will never bo re
duced so as to need charity for
his children, but that is a greater
reason why ho sliould help to aid
and support the children of his
less fortunate brethren. AYe are
informed tliat at this time there
are, at the institution two grand
children of a former Governor
of Noi'tli Carolina, who, rvhen
Governor, was in such affluent
circumstancc.s- as to bo able to
jU'eseiit tho State with his
salary. Few of tliose living
to-day can hope to bo in
such pros|"icrous cirouiistarices,
and it teaches that no one knows
at v.'liat moinen t he may be over
taken by adversity.
T.et US suppose that the Grand
Lodge levy the jjer capita tax of
fifty cents as mentioned above,
which will meet the current e.x-
penses of the institution, there is
yet a higher, a noble duty to be
]iei'fornied, and that is to endoiv
the institution with a sura which
will jilaco it at once on high fi
nancial ground. The fees in the
blue lodges are now twenty dol
lars. Let the Grand Lodge raise
the fees five dollars for each de
gree, and let the adilitioiial five
dollars bo sot apai't for the oii-
dowmont fund of the institution.
As long as contributions are
opticual ami voluntary, tlie)’ will
be made by a devoi-'-dfev^'m every
lodge. Lot i be i .adc .'omp
S'S;'v, end ea u mou.ber '.vill ho
made h) contribute ; ro r&ta,
Experience has Taught every
working mason that at least one-
half of tho number of masons
raised annually, become drones
in the hive of industry, in the
inattor of paying duos; to bear
their proportional part of the
necessary expenses, and in attend
ing to lodge duties.
If wo may then judge the fu
ture by the past, the masons to
be made hereafter, will be of the
same cliaractor as those already
raised. Is it not better then to
make them contribute to an object
so worthv while it is in the power
of the craft to make them do so,
which can bo accomplished easier
by this nietliod tlian by any wo
know of. If the mason so made
is a woitliy man, he will rejoice
and remember with pride, that ho
has contributed fifteen dollars to
snchawoithy and noble object,
as the maintainaiioe of this asy
lum. If on the other hand he is
unworthy, so far as these matters
are concerned, the craft will have
the satisfaction of knowing that
he was made to contribute, nolens
nolens. Let ns look at the results
in this item alone. Tlie official
reports for the year 1874 show,
that there were fifteen hundred
and seventy-four degrees con-
feiTOdj under the jurisdiction of
the Grand Lodge of North Car
olina. A tax of five dollars on
each degree would have given the
asylum, under this plan seven
thousand eight Imndrod and
seventy dollars, a sum almost
sufficient to siqiport it.
Again, the Grand Lodge meets
annually under the present ar-
I'angoinent. It is known to every
intelhgent mason that the con
stitution and the landmarks are
unchangeable, and most of the
by-laws that are now in existence,
have been in force many yoai's.
Let these communications be held
ti'ifnnially and the amount now
spent by each delegate in gettinif
4./^ r\ 1 1
to Ealoigh and back home, be
added to the endowment fund
There are about three hundred
delegates in attendance at each
communication of the Grand
Lodge, and each one spends, oil
an aj'erage, not less than twenty
dollar's. This is six thousand
dollars per annttm, whloli could
be added to'the endow.rent fund
of the institution, and which, in a
few years, would place it in liigli
ground, 'ho show this matter in
its full light, there is an inciden
tal los.s of between five to .six
thousand dollars annually to flic
masons of this State, as follows:
The delegates to theGrandLo lge,
are generally among the' most
iutelligent men in the State, with
out flattery to that body. They
are men whose services are rndua-
ble. Let ns suppose that delega
tes lose six days in attendance,
three dollars per day would be a
small compensation’ for their time.
Here we have three hundred men
for six days, at three dollars per
day, making eighteen hundred
days, five thousand four hundred
dollars, lost from the earnin'gs of
the fraternity annually, Besides
this, such contributions as are now
made by indi's-'idUals, could still
be made, and imstead of enabliHg
the institution to drag, every
dollar received would be just so
much wliich might be set apart
witli the ciidowmeut found.
AYe are indebted to S. AAritt-
lEoskrT, Esq., of tills city, for some
of tlieso ideas, and wo take this
occa.sion to say that they are
practical and feasible. AYe ask
our brotbi'cn of the State press to
bring this matter prominently be
fore their readers witliiu tlio next
two weeks, in order that tho
Grand Lodge, which assembles
on the Gtll proximo, may act un-
derstandingly, on a matter which
is of the greatest importance to
tlio craft aud the thousands of
helpless, indigent orphans (made
so 'by no fault of theirs) who are
scattered over the State. This
matter is eliciting much attention
by the fraternity throughout the
State, and is one of the most im
portant measures which will be
called up at its next session. Let
the delegates be prepared to vote
intelligently, and in a manner
which will reflect credit upon the
fraternity as a body,—Charlotte
Observer.