The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-02-02

to peace-make it the Mecca of the heart, IL
'e dear spot of earth to which our thoughts tur
= as the needle to the pole, place of swe,
IL remembrance; then, indeed. would we hav
" on earth perpetual joy from day to day, a
!, the years of our allotted time.
v After the social circle at home, come socis
! reunions, such as the present and hume,
/, GUS others, where for the timebeinc the care
e ofllfe are forgotten-all distinctions Of birt
!, and position, all differences of opinion upo,
e political, religious, or other subjects, are ban
lshed from out the council, and as member
OF the great family of man we yield to tn
natural desires of our social being-receivin.
$ and giving pleasure. ao
] If we consulted our best interests in re
; gard to the full enjoyment of these socia
privileges, we would not be as we are ,,ow--
comparative strangers 10 each other, nor vet
holding each other at arms length, anI freez
ing with cold formalities all the wel-sprinps
of social life. 7 .. -
Now, if am correct in the positions
assume, it is entirely in our power to in.
crease beyond estimate the pleasures Of
life. The question then recurs, VIII we do
it! i can answer for the world at large
No, Men and women will always act wrong
reason Crong, believe wrong and, leaving
i the plain open road run off after some twill
| o the wisp," through swamps and pitfalls,
until they tumble into their graves, believing
up to their last gasp that they are going to
enjoy life wonderfully, hye-and-bye.
But shall say no, when ask that uues-
ton of Brothers and Sisters of our Ortler?-
Ut do shall assume at once that we are to
disregard the solemn obligations into which
we hayc all entered, for the very essence of
that obligation is, to, in every way in our
/ power, increase the amount of human hap
piness, and diminish the amount of human
misery in tie world. , .-.... ..... ..........
| take it to be an eternal principle in the
Divine economy that God desires that all
created inteligences should be happy: hence
beieHea perfect criterion by which to de-
termine whether any given act or thing is
right or wrong is, to us, certain, whether it
will increase or diminish the sum total Of hu-
man happiness in the world.
| In the discharge, then, of the oblicaliors
of our Order, it is not sufficient that we Wis
it the sick, bury the dead, and educate the
! orphan; love Of our fellow creatures, love of
our Brothers and Sisters demands of us not
only thatwe relieve them in distress. but
tnat we on teaVor to make them happy, ctar-
ity consists not simply in the giving of aims,
but in pardoning and overlooking, so far "a
we can consistently. the errors, and forgiv-
ing the offences Of our ncighbors, friends.
and brothers.
/ 10 the brothers now present need say
what the obligations of our Order demand of
them towards those who by marriage with
our brothers have become our beloved Sis
! ters-Dany of whom grace our festival to-
night, Need say that there can be no
/ blaoIler crime against the laws of the Order
1 than in thought, word or deed, to do aught
that we might not do towards the beloved
Sister of our blood, and that the daughters
of our Brothers many of whose fair Young
faces see here this evening are entitled TO
the same protection we extend to our own.
and those dear sisters and orphans who
mourn the death of husband or a father
Our Brother sleeps the sleep of death but
yet in spirit may be here tonight, or from
his dwelling with the God of all, looks down
upon this scene of brotherly reunion and
sees, within the sacred circle, the idols of his
hearts earth-love, guarded and protected by
strong arms and warm hearts, yielding will
! ling obedience to the laws of our beloved
/ Order-thus should it ever be- dear Brothers,
while true Masonic heart beats with the
| pulsations of life ST.. .......- ..s -,-. ......
And to you, dear Sisters, need address a
single word suggestive of your duty and
your obligations or the power of your in
fluence for good or i'll in the great field of be-
nevolence and charity; or need remind you
ofyour duties to each other, or to the child
rem of want and misery throughout the world.
Need | urge your gentle influence to soften
our hearts and chasten our desires.
! Woman, whose whole life is history OF
the affections, whose smile of love wakens to
life the first thought that terminates in our
infant brain; whose accents of affection as
suage our childhood griefs; whose prayers
call down upon our rper years the choicest
/ blessing of a God of Love; on whose faithful
breast, as mother, wife or sister, we rest our
dying head as all things earthly fade from
view. Need add, or try to add, a single
incentive TO the natural promptings of her
own generous heart to do such deeds o.
charity and lore rs our Order demands. Bu
this is not an occasion proper to especially
explain the peculiar obligations of our Order
J and the duties of its members; or if it is,
shall not embrace the occasion to do so; but
may be permitted to suggest, what viii bs
apparent to every one, that all the ceremo
} nies and forms and Observances of the 0rde,
are worse than idle, unless there is to result
some practical good and that can only b,
) accomplished by practical application o
: the principles ofthe Order to the affairs o
, life, and may not urge upon all that, if ref
ormation be needed, we will now make it
, that henceforth we viii be civil, we vii
] think well of, and be kind towards each 9th
, cr; we will cease to envy; we will cease I
r SI,ndpr. va will dsrerard al l;ttIo ,ac,;, .;