|
MdHS
Home | Annual
Fund
Civil
War Museum
Calendar
of Events
Current
Exhibitions | Directions
Education
| Girl
Scout Programs
Image
Reproduction | Hours
Internships
| Job
Opportunities
Library
| Library
Collections
Digitized
Collections | Museum
Museum
Collections | Press
Catalog
of Books | School
Programs
Teachers'
Resources | Volunteer
Maryland Historical Society
Library of Maryland History
201 W. Monument Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: 410-685-3750
Fax: 410-385-2105
E-mail: library @mdhs.org
Buy the Book
Maryland
History In Prints: 1752-1900
by Laura Rice
|
|
 |
The Oddfellow's March
Lithograph by A.C. Smith
Printed by [George} Willig
Baltimore, 1838
Lithograph |
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was founded in Baltimore by British
immigrant Thomas Wildey on April 25, 1819. As an Englishman, Wildey
had found it difficult to establish friendships in a city still smarting
from the War of 1812. Placing an ad in the paper, Wildey found four
others willing to join; together they established Washington Lodge Number
1. Members of the order are "bound together by the ties of friendship,
love, and truth for the purposes of alleviating the sufferings of humanity."
This "three-link-fraternity" is based on two Biblical stories; that of
Jonathan and David, a parable of friendship and mutual relief; and the
story of the Good Samaritan, which illustrates the second principle, love.
Truth, the third link, binds the first two together.
The all-seeing eye at the top of this image commands its members to
"Visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the
orphan." Female figures of Charity and Faith stand on either side
with a cornucopia and anchor, respectively. Fraternal organizations
committed to public service became common in the United States, offering
members fellowship while strengthening ties within a larger community.
|
