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glory, and all its beauty; as a son he was devoted to an aged mother, and the worthy recipient of his heart's best affections. See him leaving that dear domestic circle, that aged mother, and a young and confiding sister; to go out upon the broad ocean to meet the dangers of the sea, and the jostlings of a cold world; see him returning from the dangers to which he had been exposed, to that mother and sister, and empty at their feet the stores saved from his own wants, and then can you doubt his affection. Deep and pure, and living was the spring, and mighty was the gushing of its waters. Such was young Allen, whose name we have adopted, a name which he adorned by his bravery and his affections; by his bravery which was so conspicuous in the affair of the Argus, which enlarged his ideas and made him pant for fame, that last infirmity of noble minds. But he has fallen, not before, however, he had lived long enough for all the ordinary purposes of life, and to enjoy the confidence of his country, and died in the performance of duty.

This combination, sir, tells you that this is our chosen standard, and briefly, though beautifully expresses the objects of our association. And I take pride in saying that this is a home-made article, that we look not beyond the circle of our own society for either the design or execution; we have the honor to claim the artist as a true hearted Odd Fellow, and although time has not yet set the approving signet to his fame, yet the success of the present undertaking leaves no room to fear the verdict of the future, and adds another illustration of the well established rule, that true genius in painting as in poetry, born with its possessor, endows him with a skill which the labored rules of art can never teach; but the production needs no commendation from me, there it is, it speaks for itself. Mercy designed it, the pencil of genius fixed its hues, and clothed with beauty all its folds.

Sir, you have been selected by the members, to receive in the name of the lodge this banner. Take it sir, and take it with a willing heart; for this is not a banner which is to be rolled in blood, this is not a banner which is to be crimsoned with human gore, this is not a banner to float in triumph over ruined homes and desolate hearths, amid the smoke of sacked cities and the roar of blazing artillery. Take it sir, and rear it high in the van of human misery, at once a signal of relief and joy, as the bright promise of the future, and may children who are orphans of the heart with their mute beseeching looks, youth bursting into manhood, woman innocent, yet suffering from the coldness of the world, all unite in exciting us to renewed activity, until it shall be planted upon the grave of sorrow and sin, and earth's applauding millions be heard beneath its folds, shouting it is finished, Victory! Victory! Victory!

THE amount of relief paid by the Order under the jurisdiction of the G. L. of U. S. for the year ending Sept. 1838, was $4,505; for the year 1844, $72,113.

Written for the Gavel.

MASSACRE OF NESTORIA.

BY BRO. R. MC FARLAND.

OH! fiercely the glare of their eyeballs was seen,
As with blade of the butcher and heart of the fiend,
They burst on Nestoria to murder and kill,
And purple each streamlet, of valley and hill;
And the wail of the infant and scream of the fair,
The moan of the Patriarch, with snow-waving hair,
Were all to those slayers, their drink and their food,
To feast in their fury a hyena mood.

And what could the arm of the hero avail,
The tower on the mountain, or fort in the vale?

For in darkness and secret their life-blood was shed,
As the desart blast comes and is tracked by the dead.
Ah, butchers! though proud in your triumph you laugh,
And the death groan of murder the music you quaff,
Though the land of the Christian, that bloom'd like the rose,
As a wilderness lies now, in ruin's repose;

Yet vengeance will come! when your blood, for their blood,
Shall wash out their woes in its red rolling flood;

For their prayers like incense have gone to the skies,

And the Lord has remembered their tears and their cries.
And like hounds by the last, you shall outcasts be driven,
By the steel of the Christian and anger of heaven,

And the city of Osman, in triumph be trod,

By the foes of Mahomet-the children of God.

And though peacefully the cloud that now shadows the world,
Yet mark me! the banner for strife is unfurled;

And the crescent, before which the cross oft grew pale,
Shall vanish from earth and be known but in tale.

From the Odd Fellows' Offering.

ODD FELLOW'S ORPHANS.

"ODD FELLOWSHIP's the humbug of the age,"
Said Selfishness, with his wonted pride;
But FRIENDSHIP, (holy, venerable sage,)
And LovE, whom none will dare deride,
Link'd to the TRUTH-three powers allied,

Whose deeds will live when others all have died-
In accents mild, reprovingly replied:

"You are mistaken-as you always are;-
You are too intimate with Envy: and
You have so little FAITH you do not dare,
Or even HOPE, to join that triune band
Whom CHARITY protects beneath her wings
With ever jealous care, though slander's stings
Assail earth's best and holiest things.

"Behold these Orphans ! fostered by the care
Of our beloved Order: relics left
By dear departed" Worthy Brothers,"
Too soon of their protection 'reft.
Look on their happy, smiling faces:

Can Humbug' there have left such traces

Of FRIENDSHIP, LOVE and TRUTH's best graces ?"

EDITOR'S TABLE.

REVISION OF THE WORK.

THE importance of this subject, and the high character of the body from which the annexed proceedings emanate, will command attention and justify us in again referring to it, and occupying more space than we should prefer, but cannot well avoid :

In Grand Lodge, Jan. 14, 1845.

P. G. Davis, of No. 1, from the special committee to whom was referred the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of the United States, Annual Session, 1844, submitted the following report:

10 the R. W. Grand Lodge of New York:

The committee to whom was referred the Proceedings of the R. W. Grand Lodge of the United States, respectfully report in part :

That owing to the limited time in which they are required to render their report, together with their necessary daily vocations, they have not been able to give all the questions brought to their notice, that attention they could have wished, or their importance would seem to demand.

Your committee refer to the report of the Grand Representatives, for a brief statement of many of the acts of the Grand Lodge of the United States, (August Session, pp. 86 to 89.) Some of those acts, however, in the opinion of your committee, require more than a mere passing notice; and the first to which we would call the attention of this Grand Lodge, is a series of resolutions, recorded on pages 62 and 55, as follows:

cr

Resolved, That a committee of five be elected by ballot, with full power to revise all the Lectures and Charges of the Order.

"Resolved, That said committee shall assemble at Baltimore at an early day to be fixed by them, for the purpose of attending to the duty assigned to them, and that their necessary traveling and other expenses, be paid by this Grand Lodge.

"Resolved, That it is expedient that a special session of the Grand Lodge should be called at the earliest possible period, after the committee are prepared to make their report, for the purpose of considering the same.

"Resolved, That the committee be authorized to have their report printed for the use of the Grand Lodge.

"Resolved, That the committee who have been elected to revise the work of the Order, be instructed to write out in cipher, the whole of the language of the Order. and that the same be deposited in the Archives of this Grand Lodge for the purpose of reference."

That the Grand Lodge of the United States have deemed the report of the Revising Committee thus appointed, of signal importance, may be learned from the fact, that, "a special session" of that R. W. Body, "at the earliest possible period after the committee are prepared to make their report," is to be called, solely for the purpose of considering the same,"-thus leading us to infer that the work of revision is expected to be thorough and extensive, and possibly to a complete remodeling of the entire Work of the Order. Your committee are reluctantly constrained to adopt, in part, the latter supposition; and are led thereto not only from the importance apparently

attached to the report by that R. W. Body, but by information derived through private channels and a lengthy article on this subject in the Official Magazine-evidently written to prepare the public mind-the editor of which, is not only an influential member in the Order, but of the Revising Committee. Witness the following extracts:

* * * 66

on the contrary the desire for uniformity in the Order, in all that tends to constitute it one and the same throughout the globe, we believe to be universal-besides, if we are right in our conceptions of the meaning of the term Work of the Order, the power to enact a code of General Laws is not only inherent in the Grand Lodge of the United States, but forms a part of its organic law. It is true that in the discussions on the question of reform in the work, reference has generally been had to the charges and lectures, and no allusion has been made to that subject in the comprehensive sense in which we understand it; and it may be that some of the Representatives who voted for the appointment of the committee at the late session of the Grand Lodge of the United States, acted under the impression that the labors of that body were to be confined simply to a revision of this branch of the work, nevertheless we believe the power designed to be confided to that committee was general and plenary, embracing a thorough examination of the whole system of Odd Fellowship, in order to its improvement, if practicable, in any of its features.

There never has been a more propitious season to make such a revision, not only in obedience to the wish so clearly expressed at home, but especially in view of our relations with foreign countries. The position of Odd Fellowship in this jurisdiction now, is one of isolation-it stands disconnected with England and all other countries, and no conventional obstacles can interpose to any modification of the general system. We commend this to the committee as a perfectly legitimate subject for their consideration, and we trust that they may agree with us upon the utility and practibility of adopting a code of General Laws for the government of the Order at large. In the second place, as a part of the Work of the Order ancient usage has constituted to a considerable extent its discipline and practice. This feature of the work has been held as a sort of consecrated tradition, to be preserved and transmitted unaltered, with pious regard and affection. It is allowed to possess the full authority of written law, and in truth is not unfrequently held to be beyond the reach of legislation. Whatever difference of opinion there may be, as to the propriety of abrogating clearly defined and well ascertained usage, there cannot for a moment be a doubt as to the power on this subject."

Again he says:

* * * * "There are forms, ceremonies, lectures, charges, and lan guage, which require essential modification and perhaps entire abolition. A distinguished brother has expressed our idea of what should be the character of the work in a letter, which now lies before us. 'Let it,' he remarks, 'be intelligible, chaste, beautiful, abounding in morality and philanthrophy, interspersed with forcible and perspicuous illustrations-introduce whatever will elucidate the great principles and truths which we desire to hold up for the guidance of man in all his intercourse with his brother-not overlooking admonition concerning his duty to God, to his family and himself. Let the different parts have a visible connexion, let it be a uniform, progressive work, proceeding step by step, throwing light upon the path of the noviciate as he pursues his onward journey.' We cordially respond to these sentiments, and while the fountains of truthful history lie open to us, let us draw freely from their refreshing waters; let the riches of classic lore be availed of, the elegance of literature, the counsels of pure philosophy, the eloquence and sublimity of nature-go to the oracles, beautify, elevate, exalt the forms, ceremonies and language as eminently as you please, but preserve the great principles of Odd Fellowship from all manner of assault."

By the above it will readily be perceived, that the power to alter, amend,

remodel, or entirely abolish is freely claimed, and the propriety of so doing is more than hinted at.

Without stopping to discuss the power of the R. W. Grand Lodge of the United States, to alter or amend the work of the Order at pleasure, your committee unhesitatingly express the opinion that it would be inexpedient and probably disastrous, for them to make any alterations whatever, unless to correct mere grammatical or historical errors, which can be done without impairing its beauty and harmony.

Who can tell, if the work of reform be once commenced, where it will end, and to what it may lead ? Who among us would wish to see the Covenant Degree-so illustrative of Frendship and Love-with all its beautiful sentiments, abolished!-and the most instructive and impressive scene in initiation, changed to one of an entirely different character! We trust no one; and yet we are informed it is possible, nay, quite probable, that strong efforts to effect both, will be made. Was it not mainly because Manchester Unity would not conform to our present work, that the decree has recently gone forth, declaring that "all connection with them had ceased?" And now shall we, at this early day, alter our work to a similarity to theirs, and thus virtually admit that we had no real cause of difference with them?

Your committee will not further enlarge on this subject, being satisfied that in this Lodge there is too much reverence for the wisdom of our fathers in the Order-too much love and respect for the Order itself to willingly permit the ruthless hand of modern theorists, to violate and destroy our sacred rites and ceremonies, and substitute therefor the fanciful imaginings of their own fanciful minds. Would we wish to see our beloved Order continue to flourish, and transmitted in all its purity and loveliness to remote posterity-to be united and powerful to do good to all within its influence? Then let this Grand Lodge-representing full ONE-THIRD of the Order in this country-unite as one man and opposé any or all alterations or amendments in the Work, Lectures or Charges; and then, if we are forced to yield to numbers-if our beautiful forms and ceremonies are made to give place to fanatical sectarianism-we shall have the proud though mournful satisfaction of being numbered among the earliest, truest, and last friends of genuine Odd Fellowship.

The accompanying resolutions are respectfully submitted for adoption.

THOMAS O. DAVIS,
JOHN G. SPERLING,
WILLIAM N. LEWIS.

Resolved, That this Grand Lodge is utterly opposed to any alterations in or amendments to, the Work, Lectures or Charges, as they now exist, believing that any change therein would ultimately operate to the injury of the Order.

Resolved, That in the opinion of this Grand Lodge, the Revising Committee of the Grand Lodge of the United States, should confine their labor solely to the correction of such grammatical or historical errors as may be found in the Lectures and Charges.

Resolved, That the Grand Representatives from this Grand Lodge, be and they hereby are instructed, to oppose, in the R. W. Grand Lodge of the United States, any motion to alter, amend, suspend or annul, any part of the Work, Lectures, or Charges; and that they use every honorable effort to maintain them in the purity in which they existed at the time of our separation from England.

On motion the report was accepted.

The resolutions were then considered and separately adopted.

This is a most extraordinary report, whether considered in view of the circumstances under which it was made, or the character of the document itself-circumstances so peculiar and a character so