Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-06-02

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ruins of these sinful hearts.
Yes! there is such thing, rs human
friendship-beautiful, true, priceless, but
alasI exceedingly rare.
III. The friendship of the world.
We have a few times in our history,
seen true friendship, 10 the business
world, among business men. L know
that in the majority of cases, this bond
gives way under the pressure of conflict
ing interests, rivalry, competition; yet 1t
does hold, even am ong rival firms-holds
in the LAWN journalism.
1t does sometimes occur, that no conflict
ing interests,-no money considerations
no tongue of calumny, is able to
break, or weaken this sacred bond.
There ought to be. more of this gen.
uine friendship among the men--in soci-
ETY.; more between neighbors. Why
should money considerations break this
bond, sever this tie of human hearts |?
Why should self interests, creeds, non
essential dogmas, divide and scatter So
ciety-buiId thick, high, cold walls be-
tween neighbors, families. churches,
through which no voice of friendship
can reach, over which no bird of friend
ship can fly?
This should not be. | am glad that
there are some hearts not affected by
these things. glad that even in this city,
there is friendship superior to this
For myself | am exceedingly thankful
for the friendship of human hearts--the
friendship of the world. learned, to
prize it when child.--A life of toll, an
orphaned boyhood, calumny, betrayal,
falsehood, have made it doubly DEAR
Friendship! The word has sweet ca
dence--a magic power. 1t runs through
our hearts like the memory of some Old
time song, like strain of music through
the lofty aisles of temple.
Friendship! Tho word thrills our
souls like the remembrance of our youth
full of fadeless flowers and summer
singing birds. We no sooner speak it,
than out Of the dim past comes the old
brown house. the family circle, the spring
bv the rcck, the brook in the meadow,
and all the happy faces of childhood's
happy hours.
Alas! there are in many hearts other
and bitter memories connected with this
word friendship. There are few but at
some time, have known false friend
The poet asks: /" Who has not lost a
friend?" He means. who hath not lost
a friend by death? May we not ask,
who hath not lost friend by betrayal?
We fear that but few of us have es
capped this most bitter experience. We
have doubtless assembled here at this
time with many scars in our hearts,
many sad, sorrowfu thoughts in our
are nearly obliterated 10y the flight of
years; in others the wound is now bleed
ing. the blow has but just been given,
and YOU are at this moment grooming un-
der the terrible burden of your grief
You perhaps are ready to say: There is
no true friendship in the world. We
have read of one, who being forsaken by
one friend, betrayed by another, deceived
by another and yet another; sat down
and wrote:
The friendship of the worlds n show
Mere outward show. Like a harlot's tcars-a
stateSman's promise
Full of that seeming; but delusion all.
If he means 10 say, in these words,
that all friendship is mere '' outward
show that every friend is false, we
cannot endorse the sentiment: if he
means to say that this is the rule, it is,
alas too true.
The fact that the friendship of the
world is so little to be relied on, so easily
broken; the fact that men have been be-
trayed by those whom they counted as
their best friends-deceived and forsaken
jus! when they most needed care, aid
sympathy-when they most wanted
friend-has led men in all ages, to dis
trust the most high sounding professions.
has driven men to combine for protection,
to organize for the protection of them
selves and fsmiies. am now ready to
consider
III, What is organized friendship, or
what is the friendship of Odd Fellow
ship! Ny best, and most unanswerable
answer to this question, would be, here
and now TO close my lips and with out
stretched arm, point silently to him who
lies slumbering before US.
I: is known by this city. that he came
among us an entire stranger, came among
us sick, came among us to die. This
order, this organized friendship sought
him out, became TO him friend, broth
er. Yea; more: sister. mother, and
with ministering love. and ever watchful.
tender care; these sisters Of tho order,
these brethren of the order, smoothed his
journey to the grave.
My friends, the case Of this brother
deceased, does not by any means stand
alone. This is not the only time man
has laid himself down to die, among
strangers; this is the common lot of men,
and may be the history of some, yea,
many of us present.
In that event, if it shall occur to you
or me. shall we find the love, the svnipa-
thy he found? Shall we, dying among
strangers, poor and penniless as he was,
meet with sisters and brothers, who will
gladly and tenderly care for us! Will
we become in that hour the petted child
of strong, disciplined brotherhood of