The Evening critic., 1883-05-17
ORDER OF COOP rEMpLARs.

District of Columbia held its semi-annual
session last night at Washington Hall,
corner of Third street and Pennsylvania
avenue east. Several distinguished men,
bers of the order were present from other
jurisdictions, including Brother Sarrell, P.
G. w. G. T., of Colorado Brother Hawks
hurst, G.. S., of Virginia. Brother Devine,
G. Lecturer, of Virginia, and Brother
Foltz, w. G. T., of Golden Light Lodge, of
Alexandria, with large number Of men,
bers of that lodge.
After the Grand Lodge degree had been
conferred upon large number of dele
gates, Grand w. @. t. Kalstrom submitted
his report of which We give the following
extracts
Report of Grand worthy Chief
Tcmptnr.
WAsHINeToN, d. c., May 16, 1888.
"7o The Grand Lodge J. 0. G. T., District of
Columbia, greeting:
"Obedicnt to the usages Of the order in
this jurisdiction, we are again assembled rs
Grand Lodge, for the purpose of laying
such plans for the future rs the work of
banishing intemperance from our Territory
may suggest as necessary, in view of the
improving sentiment upon the temperance
question; and in order that you may do
so wisely, the resources of the order will
be detailed in the reports of our various
officers and committees; and to these beg
to invite your careful attention
''The order of Good Templais, from its
organization to the present day, has beon
prominently in advance in the great battle
which has been wagcd against the great
power of strong drink. The large army of
drinking people are really the non-com-
batants in this warfare, and had we no
other opposition it would take but short
| time to make the world sober Realizing,
| as they do, that their domestic happiness,
character and reputation, physical and
mental health, great portion of their
| hard-earned income, and the prospect of a
heaven in life to come is a price they pay
for an indulgence debasing and unnatural,
| they are not only willing but anxious TO
be free from power which compels them
to set areprehensible example as citizens;
distress, grieve and not infrequently
neglect to support loving and de-
pendent parents, wife and children,
| to ruin their own mind and bodies; to be
estIanged from the church, and to abandon
all hopes of sweet communion with dear
and loved ones for all eternity. Nay, they
are not only anxious to be free to enjoy all
| the blessings of life, but they cry to US for
help They are locked in, however, in a
stroug citadel, which they defend against
their will. The liquor traffic commands
this stronghold and receives compensation
which make the added revenues of all the
royal establishments Of the world seem but
trhe in comparison. Between these un-
fortunate victims of the rum-power and
the better influences of the world, which
are exerted for their liberation are several
lines of defense. The vidette is the
courts brandishing aloft the sword of
the law, which, though clumsy
and ill-shapen, serves for time to impede
the advancing forces Of the temperance
army, and when this weapon in the active
conflict becomes too heavy the picket line,
consisting of our legislators stands ready to
supply them with q lighter one. Beyond
the pickets rise the black walls of the fort,
containing the army of drinkers. The
walls, ponderous and constructed entirely
the deep and wide trench Of custom, which
generations upon generations have been
employed in digging. Such is the opposi-
tion which the temperance army must
Overc0me and that finally victory shall
perch upon its banners need not be doubted,
for every shot Of truth from our guns
breaks up portion of the wall of ignorance
and the debris is deposited in and fills up
the slough of custom. This cannonading will
be kept up until every vestge of Ignorance
has crumbled, and over the custom which
has protected it shall live happy aud
prosperous people. Let us then, in this
conflict, take so active and valuable par!
that when God, our great general and
leader, shall, upon the very parade-ground
of Fort Intemperance, assemble the various
branches of the service, as represented by
the several temperance orders and the
mighty Church of Christ, our order may
deserve honorable mention and be per
mitted to assist in raising the flag which
shall proclaim victory, and Peace on earth
good will toward men,
1.-THE growth of our order during thu
| quarter has been very gratifying, and an
pleased to note that the greatest care and
vigilance is exercised in the selection 0
members. The power of an organization
such as ours, depends not so much upon it
numerical strength as upon the character
integrity and earnestness of its members
Without these qualifications an increasing
membership becomes an increasing weak
ness. and therefore l hope that the SAM
careful discrimination, which has not only
secured q largely increased membership
) but an enviable position in the public con
fldence and esteem for the order, will b
rigidly observed for the future.
''To save all men and women from iutem
perance is our duty, but II is neither ueces
sary nor our duty, to that end, to make al
men and women Good Templars. Earnestnes
and honesty OF purpose, habits OF morality a.
, tested by good reputation and a nrm belle
in Almighty God Is the.standard every initiat
| in our order must come up to.
. preference was made In my last report {
! | the license bill then pending before Congress
and the persistent efforts made 10 have tn
, | same passed during the last moments of tina
| body warns us that at every step We have
fight an enemy thoroughly INSCRIPTIONS
| | rich In resources and to the utmost degre
| desperate.
Wrhe civilized world OF to-day without regar
to religious differences shudders In contem
plation of the enormous crimes committed
| under the sarction of divine indulgences a
| shamefully sold for money by Leo X, and IN
| fact that frequently these indulgences wer
| sold for sins not yet committed has neve
| found defender, and can mud extenuatio
only in the ignorance and superstition OF tn
| fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The sale
indulgences has, however, not been abolished
They are sold as openly to-day as the
were dispensed by Tetzel nearly four hui
sold to-day are every one for crimes not "
: committed, and that the State and municipa
, ity receive the price instead of the .Churcr
, But as n reformation made the sale of indu
gences impossible by the Church, so Will surel
another reformation make the sale OF licens
= Impossible by the State. Our legislators ma
, play the role of Tetzel for the present, bl
they shall soon nud nailed TO every entranC
! 10 ofllce theses as startling as wei
= those nailed by Luther TO church .doC
; at Wiltenburg, The present has nov
= ever, claims upon us which we cannot nesle
| while making preparations for the tutur
T, | That this beautiful city is dishgured by
= single saloon is blot upon our CIVILIZATION
| but that we ind clustered around the Nations
4 | Capital some OF the lowest and yilest dens
i, | dissipation and crime 70 be found anywhel