794 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



Oddfellows. A large ami exu-nsivrly 

 ramified friendly society. ha\ ini: its headquarters 

 in Manchester. * It was originally an association 

 of a convivial kind, modeled on freemasonry, 

 and still retains watchwords and secret signs. 

 It assumed its present form at a convention in 

 Manchester (1813), and has spread widely in 

 Britain and elsewhere. The unparalleled pros- 

 perity of the order of Odd Fellows in the I nited 

 btates has excited the wonder of the leading 

 men in all fraternal organizations. The first 

 lodge was organized in Baltimore, Md., April 

 26, 1819; in 1825 the Grand Lodge of the United 

 was formed. In 1839 there were fifteen 

 grand lodges, 135 subordinate lodges, 11,000 

 members; in 1893 over 800,000 members, and 

 8,000 lodges; and in 1907, in excess of 1,362,310 

 members. The American system has become 

 popular in France, Germany, Switzerland, Hol- 

 land. Sweden, Denmark; also in Canada, Mex- 

 ico, West Indies, South America, Australia, and 

 Japan. The total relief paid by the Independ- 

 ent Order of Odd Fellows, up to 1907, was 

 $5,006.000. 



Pestilence and Plague. 



BEFORE CHRIST 



In 767 a great plague, mentioned by Petavius, pre- 

 vailed throughout the world. 



In 534, at Carthage, multitudes perished by an 

 infectious distemper; children were offered in sacrifice 

 as an atonement with the gods. 



In 461, in Rome, 100,000 persons died. 



In 430, beginning in Athens, a peculiar disease, de- 

 scribed by Thucydides, extended over Egypt and 

 Ethiopia, causing frightful loss of life. 



In 188 a plague raged throughout Egypt, Syria, and 

 the Grecian colonies; according to Pliny, 2,000 persons 

 perished every day. 



ANNO DOMINI 



In 8O, in and about Rome, by an infectious disease, for 

 a considerable time, 10,000 died daily. 



In 167, and again in 169 and 189, the Roman Empire 

 suffered in almost every part by a contagious and fatal 

 sickness. 



From 25O to 265 the Empire was again ravaged; 

 many provincial towns were depopulated; in Rome 

 itself for some time 5,000 died every day. 



In 43O Britain was devastated by a strange disease; 

 there were not enough survivors to bury the dead. 



In 558, and during many subsequent years almost 

 without intermission, a plague prevailed through Europe, 

 Asia, and Africa. 



From 746 to 749, 200,000 Constantinopolitans died of 

 a contagious disease, which prevailed also in Greece, 

 Sicily, and Calabria. 



In 772 an epidemic disease carried off 34,000 persons 

 at Chichester, England. 



In 954, in Scotland, 40,000 persons perished. 



In 1094 many died in London of an epidemic; which 

 the following year extended into Ireland. 



In 1111 a distemper in London, causing great mor- 

 tality among both human beings and domestic animals. 



In 1172 a plague in Ireland, which drove back the 

 English invaders. 



In 12O4, in Ireland, a similar disease again appeared. 



In 1267 the plague prevailed in England; mortality 

 great. 



In 1340 the "Black Death" first appeared in Italy. 

 This plague spread throughout Christendom, and raged 

 during many years, causing unprecedented mortality. 

 " In London alone 200 persons were buried daily in the 

 Charter House yard, 1348." In Germany, 1340, thou- 

 sands perished. 



In 1362, 1367, 1370, and 1379, there was frightful 

 mortality in Western Europe, especially near Paris and 

 London, and in portions of Ireland; 57,376 died in 

 England in 1362. 



In 1383 the " fourth pestilence " in Ireland destroyed 

 many people. 



In 1407, in London, a dreadful plague caused the 

 death of 30,000 persons. 



In 14IU). in Ireland, a famine, followed by a fearful 

 pestilence, caused the death of hundreds. 



In 147O the mortality in Dublin was very great. 



In 1471 and 1478, at Oxford and throughout all 

 England, a plague so destructive to human life that 

 in.. i,- people died than in the constant wars of the tifu-.-u 

 years previously. 



In 14s.">. in Ixindon, an awful distemper prevailed 

 called Sudor Anglicus, or sweating sickness, by winch 

 very many lost their li\ 



In 1499 to 15OO plague in London; the royal court 

 was in consequence removed to Calais. 



In 15O6 and again in 1517 the " sweating sickness" 



revisited London and prevailed over all England; the 



| mortality was frightful, the disease proving fatal in three 



hours; half the inhabitants died in most of the large 



towns; some towns being depopulated. 



In 1522 Limerick was devastated by a plague by 

 which many thousands lost their lives. 



In 1528, in England, the " sweating sickness " again 

 made its appearance; North Germany was also visited 

 by it in 1529, and England ravaged for the fifth time 

 in 1548 and 1551. 



In 1603 and 16O4 dreadful mortality in England by 

 the plague; in London alone 30,578 persons perished; 

 Ireland also suffered severely by it. 



In 1611 a pestilence raged in Constantinople by which 

 200,000 of the inhabitants perished. 



In 1625 London again visited by a fearful plague; 

 the mortality great; 35,417 persons died. 



In 1632, in France, large numbers perished; at Lyons 

 alone 60,000 died. 



In 1656, at Naples, the plague raged with such violence 

 that it carried off 400,000 persons in six months; it had 

 been brought by a transport with soldiers on board from 

 Sardinia. 



In 1664 and 1665 the great plague of London is said 

 to have swept away 68,596 persons; some say 100,000; 

 to destroy the contagion fires were kept burning day 

 and night; but not until the great fire of London in Itititi 

 was the city free of infection. 



In 1720, at Marseilles and vicinity, 60,000 perished by 

 the plague, which was brought in a ship from the Levant". 



In 1741 and 1742 New York City was visited by- 

 yellow fever. 



In 1743 Messina was ravaged by the plague. 



In 176O an awful plague prevailed in Syria. 



In 1773 infectious distemper in Persia; 80,000 died 

 in Bassora. 



In 1773 Saulica, in France, was visited by a putrid 

 fever, which broke out at the opening of a grave; out 

 of 180 persons present, 174 were attacked. 



In 1784, at Smyrna, 20,000 people were carried off by 

 the plague; it raged in Tunis the same year. 



In 1791 and 1795 yellow fever swept along the 

 Atlantic Coast of North America. 



In 1798 yellow fever in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and 

 New York; in the latter city one out of every nvcnty- 

 seven died; in and about Philadelphia several thousand! 

 died 117 in one day, and 50,000 out of 70,000 inhabit- 

 ants fled from the city. 



In 1799, on the coast of Africa, particularly in Barbary 

 3,000 died daily of the plague, and at Fez 247,600 were 

 swept away. 



In 18OO, at Morocco, 1,800 died in one day, and the 

 plague continued to rage. 



In 1804 and 1805 pestilence in Spain and Gibraltar. 



In 1805 yellow fever in North American ports; 37,000 

 out of a total population of 70,000 fled from New York 

 City. 



In 1813, at Malta, fearful ravages by plague. 



In 1814 plague desolated Asia Minor, Palestine, and 

 Grecian Archipelago ; Smyrna lost 30,000. 



In 1816 plague raged at Naples. 



In 1817 the spasmodic or Asiatic cholera appeared in 

 India, at Jesson, a town about a hundred miles north- 

 east of Calcutta. 



In 1817 the city of Calcutta was attacked by cholera, 

 and its ravages soon extended to Behar, Benary, Alla- 

 habad. Lucknow, Delhi, and many other towns; it 

 carried off a large proportion of soldiers, both European 

 and natives, and ravaged many parts of India with great 

 mortality. 



In 1818 cholera visited Bombay; from thence spread 

 into Ceylon, Siam, Malacca, China, and the Islands of 

 Mauritius and Bourbon, causing alarm, desolation, and 

 death, carrying off vast numbers; the season of the 

 year did not modify its virulence. 



In 1819 and 1822 great alarm in seaports of United 

 States because of spread of yellow fever, but the mor- 

 tality was not so great as on former visits of that di*ea-r. 



In 1819 Tunis Tost half its population by plague. 



In 1821 Persia visited by Asiatic cholera. 



In 1823 the cholera extended to theMediterram 

 Aleppo, Antioch, and other places were visited by it. 



