The primrose and the violet have gone,
Chac'd by a host of many-coloured flowers,
That cluster thickly on the verdant banks;
And, hid among the reeds and sedges, sings
That imitative sprite, the mocking birda
At dusky eve the glow-worm lights her lamp,
A cheering beacon to the nightingale,

Which in its covert singeth sweet and clear,
Whilst far away the cuckoo's notes are heard,
That bird of spring who chanteth night and day.

Welcome, sweet May! thou darling of the bard,
Whether of ancient or of modern time;

Thou month of spring-tide promise, smiling May,
Thou month of blushing blossoms, and sweet flowers,
Thou "merry month," thou best-belov'd of birds,
Thou emblem of all fresh and beauteous things,
I give thee welcome, and I bid thee hail!
Thou art not honour'd as in days of old,
When even princes out a-maying went,
And youthful rustics usher'd in thy birth

With music's sound, and lusty blast of horn,

Whilst from some neighbouring wood they branches broke,

Adorning them with crowns of glowing buds,

That they might deck their dwellings in thy praise.

No more do maids at break of morning stray

Where they may find thy bright and pearly dew,
Which gossips tell will add unto their bloom,
And make them lovelier in their lovers' eyes.

Seldom we see the village May-pole now,
Rearing on high its flowery-crested head,
Whilst active dancers whirl about its base,
And quips and cranks and laughter loud abound.
Thou hast no more the ancient Morris-dance,

With fool grotesque, and young and beauteous queen:
The fair made Marian, with her crown of gold,
Juggler, and friar, and prancing paste-board steed,
Spaniard, Morisco, and the minstrel old,
No more appear thy birth to celebrate.
These have departed, but thou comest still,
Rich in thy pristine treasures, lovely May;
The trees and flowers still glorify thy path,
And breeze and bird make music unto thee;
Still dost thou to the poet give delight,
And, therefore, do I welcome thee again,
Rejoicing in thy presence, lovely May.

F

ADDRESS.

BY PATRIARCH ROBERT S. WOODSIN.*

WHILST men have, individually, an abundance of egotism and self-esteem, it is seldom that they have a sufficiently impressive idea of the dig nity and importance of the human race as a class; and thus, are they apt to be unmindful of the object of their creation, and the high duties they owe to the great Creator. By the spirit of his own majesty God spake into being a stupendous universe-called into full play and living activity animated worlds and systems, and by a wonderful power breathed harmony upon the whole-a universe whose mystery is so great that a single atom of its composition baffles the comprehension of the most gigantic intellect. But amid the countless, wonderful creations of Almighty power, there are, perhaps, none known to us so wonderful, and at the same time so important as man himself. He it is who seems to have been the chief delight of his Creator. The world appears to have been made for him, and the future may develope all of its capacities placed under his controul. In the grand consummation of creation there was a clustering around him-endowed with an intellect and a genius bestowed upon no other creature--gifted with a soul and an immortality the boon of no other being, and vested with an adaptation to two worlds, he stands forth the hero of the great work. He is pre-eminent in physical formation and capacity, possessing in his constitution a greater nicety, complexity, power and usefulness, than any other created being. All over the earth his works are the monuments of his glory. No country or climate can boast of him as its native, but his home is the world: "Man is not a plant rooted to a certain spot of earth, all soils and all climates are alike suited to him." But yet, in a more striking view is his superiority exhibited, when we look at his mental capacities. It is the lot of other animals to be contented with the gratifications of the appetites of nature. Man lives a more ethereal life, nor is contented alone with the things of time and sense. The bright pages of nature are spread out before him, all fraught with the deepest interest; and with the aid of his reason, and judgment, and imagination, he drinks deep from its universal and unfailing fountains-fathoms the depths of the seas, visits the remotest corners of the earth, and flies through space, bringing even the elements in subjection

to his will.

But though thus high and exalted above his fellow-beings in physical capacity, and power, and organization, and vastly superior in intellectual and moral endowment, yet his grand distinguishing trait is his immortality. The destiny of man is beyond this world. His consummation is not here. He is to live again. Why is he so restless? Why does all nature fail to satiate his desires? The sweetest rose but yields a transient breath; the richest fruit but gives a fleeting savour; the soft music

* Delivered in Odd-Fellows' Hall, on 20th February, 1844, before Union Lodge, Nicholasville, Ky.— Published by unanimous request of the Lodge.

of the spheres thrills the soul with but a moment's joy; the green landscape, all varied with the mountain and the valley, but wakes still more the active mind; the bright garlandry of the heavens but makes us long to search the hidden things above. The mind outstrips itself, and hungered and restless, vainly calls for new-born joys. There is a principle within us which feeds a hope for something afar off in the future. The golden age is ever in the past, or yet to come. And yet the very idea of annihilation strikes the soul with horror.

"Whence this pleasing hope, this foud desire,
This longing after immortality?

Or whence this secret dread and inward horror
of falling into nought? Why shrinks the sout
Back on herself, and startles at destruction?
"Tis the divinity that stirs within us—

"Tis heaven itself, that points out an hereafter,
And intimates eternity to man."

Such being the character, such being the capacities, such being the superiority, and such the destiny of man, how great, how vastly important are the duties and responsibilities resting upon him! If our duties are of such moment in a state of nature, of much greater moment are they in a state of improvement and society, and more especially here where a beneficent God has given us the most salubrious climate and the most fertile soil-here where we have a splendid association of civil, political and religious liberty. But upon you, Odd-Fellows, how much heavier still rest your duties, bound by all those obligations, with the addition of the responsibilities imposed by the government of your Order.

In Odd-Fellowship there is a government, peculiar, beautiful and necessary. I need scarce remark upon the necessity of government here and elsewhere. It is co-eval with the existence of the world. It was the first recorded act of infinite power. In the beginning, when the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, let there be light and there was light. Thus by a mysterious power did he rule the elements. Thus in the beginning by a grand effort of his majesty, did he grasp chaos and cast it upon the immensity of space, a universe of government, all harmonious and complete.

Again: governments are as numerous and as various as are the circumstances of nature. Indeed all nature, both intellectual and physical, presents one grand assemblage of governments, running into and through one another; mixing and intermingling with one another, and all,-the whole-encircled by the wide-spreading grasp of the Governor of the Universe. From the small and insignificant bee, which has its petty commonwealth distinguished for an energy, a perseverance and an order, which may teach lessons of profoundest wisdom to higher intelligences, up to the proud czar of all the Russias, and then on still higher to that power which causes

"Planets, suns and adamantine spheres,

To wheel unshaken through the void immense."

Government is stamped every where. But first of all is that of the Crea

tor. All others are but subsidiary to and dependent upon that. If man were perfect-if he were not frail and erring-if he had not tasted

the fruit

Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste

Brought death into the world with all our woe,

then we think there would be no necessity of other government than that of God. But alas! such is not the case. Men require something more than the mere prospect of reward or punishment beyond the grave to restrain them. Although the divine law has been thundered from Mount Sinai has been handed down in the sacred scriptures-is preached from the pulpit-is inscribed upon the broad tablet of nature-is written upon the blue vault of the heavens-is intimated in a thousand ways, yet his frailties and imperfections have not been entirely remedied-his passions have not been entirely curbed. Yet man continues to slay his fellowman; filch from him his good name, and rob him of his property. Yet the poor unfortunate, clad alone in his misfortunes, can scarce obtain a look of tender sympathy from his proud brother. Thrown upon his own resources in some degree, and thus goaded by stern necessity, the genius of man has instituted and developed civil government.

Now all civil government is but the result of that principle of our nature which causes men to assemble themselves together-of society. For without society there would be no need of government. We must chain a part of our (natural) liberty in order that the rest (more rational and moral) may have full play and a wide scope. The idea of the largest liberty is visionary and preposterous. We cannot then exist without government, as it is impossible to live without society. Hence in all ages of the world, and in all climates, we find it existing, from the government of the patriarchs, and that of the most polished nations of antiquity and of modern times, down to the rude and simple government of the Indian.

I have intimated that in the very nature of the case the divine law, or the law of nature, is not sufficient; but that civil laws have been added as a matter of necessity. But are all these sufficient? No. By a strange fatality not one-half obey the divine, and from the nature of the case the civil laws have always been so imperfect, that we have many wants that cannot be gratified; many of the asperities of our nature that cannot be smoothed. But the human mind is restless in the pursuit of happiness, and genius cannot be restrained. And hence have been instituted many new associations as men have become enlightened and advanced in science, morality, religion and society, designed to carry out the intentions of the divine government, and to supply the defects of the civil govern

ment.

And here, if you please, is to be found the true origin of Odd-Fellowship. It has been the pleasure of some in their laboured speculations, to date its origin at an early day, thus throwing around it the mystic glory of fancied reverence and veneration. It is true that some-indeed all of the cardinal principles of the Order are as antique as the throne of Jehovah itself. But I imagine that the origin of the institution, as it now exists, is to be found in the general progression of science and society. It was the result of necessity operating upon the advanced state of knowledge, of government, of morality, and of religion. It is a creature of the eigh

teenth century. It made its appearance into the world amidst the full blaze of that moral, religious, political and intellectual light which cast such a splendid halo of glory around the last century.

The government of Odd-Fellowship comprehends and takes within its cognizance those things which are not of necessity included by the civil laws. And as the civil laws would be of no force, but null and void, were they not obeyed and respected, so all the laws of our Order are useless unless we strictly obey, cherish and respect them; and the institution, without this obedience, is nothing but an empty, foolish pageantry.

I say, then, that Odd-Fellowship is a thing of necessity. But it is also peculiar in its character. The civil magistrate rules with a rod of iron; the executioner or the lictor goes forth with the kingly fiat, and the life and liberty of his subjects are in his hands-the Pope issues the papal bull and his subjects bleed at every pore. There is a physical power exercised in all these, but here we scorn all such means. We govern and are governed by moral suasion. So the Almighty Ruler of the Universe governs all things by moral power.

But the end and object of Odd-Fellowship is glorious; being, in truth, the happiness of the human race; and this is accomplished by precept and practice. It is important that we should unite in order to accomplish the greatest amount of good. The cares, the misfortunes, and the hardships of life, are so many enemies combined against us. As an army can be most successfully, and only successfully, resisted by the combined efforts of the citizens of a State, who singly would be of but little force, so these our enemies must be resisted by union. This institution, in its present capacity, may be compared to the human body with all its members, each strong and vigorous. Take these members apart and their vigour is no more. In a collected effort there is strength.

There is a fellow-feeling-a sympathy existing between those who are professedly engaged in the same grand enterprise. There is a kind of congeniality of spirit in those who are aiming at the same high mark which makes them lose sight of the inconsiderate distinctions of party, and sect, and class, in the eager press after the great object. Merit, and merit alone, becomes the sure password of friendship, love and fellowship. Have you ever noticed how many of the ills of life result from that enmity which exists between individuals? Remove the cause and you remove the effect. This being done there results necessarily that hallowed friendship so often the theme of the poet's song-so often praised-so seldom practised. Friendship is inculcated as one of the principles of this Order. It is taught nightly, daily, hourly, in the Lodge and out of it-a sincere and ardent friendship for the members of the Order and all connected with them. Indeed, it is one of the main pillars of the fabric, and every good Odd- Fellow has it deeply rooted in his heart. Yea, it is so cherished, and nourished, and cultivated, that in time it glides into that still more etherial and, if possible, more hallowed love-love to God-love to our fellow-men; and particularly love to our brothers-love in all its purity and holiness.

The study of the sacred scriptures is enjoined upon every member, because their principles tend more than every thing else to ameliorate the condition of the human race-because they contain the purest moral precepts, the most divine religion, the sublimest thought, the finest style and