St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-01-03

safed to her the vigor Of an ever con-
tinuing youth, which shall perish only .
with the wants and the woes OF man .
kind.
10. The Grand Lodge above ,
Rev. J. G. Witted responded
The language of the toast is figura- +
tive language. The Grand Lodge
Above may be fguratively regarded
as the highest Heaven which is to be
sought as the final home Of the just
and upright Mason. But before en- {
tering there he must cross the valley
of the shadow of death. Before our
next annual festival some will have
crossed this dark valley. Before anoth-
es~Sear rolls around the tongues of
your speaker and these brethren may
be hushed in the deep silence of death.
No matters ave are prepared to en-,
be we'll. But, brethren, as certain
qualifications are necessary to gain
admission into our earthly Lodge, so
too are certain qualifications ncccssa-
nv for entrance to the Lodge above.
Ii faithful to our Master in Heaven
if we have the "pass word" which he
rcquires-we shall gain sure ad-
mission and in that day, when the
angel shall stand with one foot upon
the sea and the other upon the land,
and declare that time shall be no long
er, the true and pious Mason will lift |
up his eyes in that brighter world in
the full realization of the great truths
he has learned on earth, and sit under
the immediate guidance Of the Wor-
shipful Grand Master in the Grand
Lodge Above.
IL. Tie Medical Profession The best of
patriots they are always willing to bleed ipTr
their country. -
DR.. L. Birncy responded :.
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and gentle
mcn-It is with difiidcnce that stand
before you this evening to respond to
the toast" The Medical Profession"
l think there are others present who
could address this educated and
enlightened audience better than |
will this evening. When | look around
in this hall and see it filed with this
audience especially the ladies', pos
scssing the appearance of health,
beauty and intelligence | regret that
the short time allotted me and this
late hour of the night will compel me
to be brief in my remarks.
1t is from the poems Of Homer that
we derive our knowledge of the man
ncrs and customs, the polity and the
theology of the ancient Greeks. The
siege of Troy, three thousand years
ago, was the great event of that age :;
the burning towers Of the Dardanian
city glowed with light that still
shines brightly through the darkness
that clings around those distant shores.
Let us see what progress the science
of medicine has made. That its pro-
fcssors were men Of influence is evil
ident from the fact that the sons of
= EscuIapius, Podalirius and Machaon
|, came with thirty ships to the siege OF
Troy, and were ranked among the
!, foremost Of the leaders and heroes
Idomcncous, when calling upon Mes
I. tor to carry the wounded Machaor
= from the battle field, assures the ole
! king that
q "A wise physician, skilled in wounds to heal
4 Is more than armies to the public veal.
e These illusions are sufficient t
|, show the divine estimation in which
d the healing art was held. Patroclu
IF studied medicine with his master
C Achilles. Achilles had been educa
le ted by that learned surgeon, the cen
N taur Ciiron, aud was the son of Sal
o. n-n Here we have an unbrokcn sue
a cession OF medical teachers and prat
ID titioncrs that may be traced from til
re siege of Troy to its origin among tn
n gods Of heaven. Esculapns, the so
n OF Apollo, and Achilles, the son Q
s, Thctis, were the first medical student
Is of whom we have any account. Onl
y. the simplest forms of the healing al
IL were known among the physicians {
II, the Grccian army at the siege of Tro,
L. Their skill consisted in knowing ho'
r. to heal wounds received in battle
of which they did by the application {
&c styptic poultices and by salve con
We pounGcd according to traditionar
as receipt handed down from the school {
tn Chiron. Severcr injuries, like til
C. wounded foot of Philoctetes, and cp
as demc diseases, were considered as d
Sc rect manifestations of the displeasul
"a of the gods who were to le aPpeass
Id by religious rites aid 4se ifterccssio
id Of the priests. These immediate il
ut Propositions Of the gods with men f
ut both good and evil was the kcyston
to this early faith.
cd Imperfect as was the skill of til
&c professors Of medicine in that az,
e- they were still held in the highest q
IT. timation. Transcription of its divin
a origin, and the honors paid to Esc,
lie lapious and Chirou, are not to be idl
a. counted as among the fruits of ign,
IA rance aud superstition. Whether W
ID give to the legends Of antiquity a lite
te raj interpretation, or whether we COZ
W slider them as symbolic cXpositIons {
ne the forces and laws of nature, or soc
to ETY., we cannot overlook their inest
mablc value as opponents of the mai,
IL raj order of human thought and belle
"a Everywhere is acknowledged the d
is vine origin of all things and of a
ul power, and those mortals to whol
IL was delegated any portion Of the pow
IL er Of controlling the order of natul
Il became at once the living represent;
II, tives Of divinity. The improvement
It. in the medical art wipes away fro,
IN the minds of the educated the chin,
Be rian darkness that overshadowed til
be ancient Greeks. The New TestameI
n. and the natural sciences have unite
le and wrought the work Of improvement
ic in the civilized and educated portion
n of mankind. ..
8. 81 have occupied the time'set apa
be for me, and l will resume my seat:
ID thank you for your attention.
e. IL. The Bar