Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-08-06
KNIGHTS OF HONOR.
The Seventh Annual Session of the
Grand Lodge Of Texas.
Annual Report of the Grand Dictator
O. L. Morse-His Farewell Address,
General Prosperity of the 0rder-Its
Wonderful Growth Throughout
the State.

RrhUu lOuBe OF the hulguts vi I1ouoi
met at the courthouse this morning
with representation from 225 subor
dinate lodges of the state.
The reports OF the grand dictator, the
treasurer and report of the state med.
zeal examiner were read and referred
to the committees.
Following Is the full text of the re
port of the grand dictator
GRAND DICTATORis REPORT.
To the oTicers and Members OF the Grant
Lodge knights OF Honor OF Texas;
BRorHERs-Tou have been called t
order; the committee on credentials
| has made q partial report; the CRANE
reporter has finished the roll call anC
announced aquorum present; the CAV
ii of the grand dictator has sounded
and the grand lodge Of the knights o.
Honor of Texas Is now regularly
opened in It's seventh annual session
Another year, freighted with its
| Joys aud sorrows, laden with its cares
and trials, has come and gone.
The bright morning star OF our ex
istence Is still moving onward and up
ward toward that splendid meridian
from which we expect to reap rich
benefits for each member of our order
A few more years and the zenith will
| be reached, aud TO those Of us who con.
tinue to toll on and bear the heat
and burden OF the day a glorious her
itage and happy reward Is assured.
Looking over the events of the last
year we find much for which to be
thankful. Our order has steadily in
creased, not only In membership, but
In its power to do good, until to-day II
stands forth the peer of any similar in
stitution, and occupies in the eyes ol
the world the proudest and most envi'
able position of them all.
Our older lodges have been buay
working up new material, and new
lodges have sprung into existence until
we now have on our rolls 2i6 lodges
and total membership of nearly
1900.
Within the lodges in this grand
jurisdiction, all Is peace and pros.
| perity. The sacred tenets of our order
have been strictly adhered to, and the
lessons we are taught in infancy, have
been remembered in our youth and
are daily practiced in our manhood.
The Holy Bible, ever open on the
to give aid to the poor and weary, Ia
suceor the needy, feed the hungry,
visit the sick, and like true knights
we have bound up the wounds of the
| afflicted, and followed the forms of our
dep Irted brothers 10 their final resting
place.
Our warfare. my brothers, is glo.
rious one. We are engaged In the
grandest work ever allotted to man
ours is labor of love, not for ourselves
alone, but for the benefit of those
nearer and dearer to Us, whom soon Ell
or later We must leave behind. In
what more glorious warfare could we
engage, or what more acceptable offer
ing to God can We take with us when
we go to meet Him, than the prayers
of the widows and orphans?
Happy will We be when 1t is truly
said OF us:
The orphans heart he filled with 10y.
The widow 4 mourning soul IN tue glad
Aud ferSently all good men pray
For Gods choice blessings on his head.
! greet you to-day, my brothers,
with feelings of Joy and pleasure,
mingled, however, with pangs of sor-
row and sadness. During the year
just gone the angel of death has not
passed us by unnoticed.
The affairs In many of our lodge.
rooms are draped In mourning; several
who were with US one short year ago
and participated in our deliberations
are not with us to-day.
They battled well and nobly for the
good OF our order, aud, thank God.
they lived to see victory perch upon
our standard. They fought a good
light, but their sword is sheathed
their warfare is ended and they have
gone to meet the warriors God. But
across the glowing sunset of their
lives stand drawn in bold relief
the shadows of their mourn
ing wives and children, as
if-'twould almost seem-to make rs
FULLY realize, before the night comes
on the magnitude of the sorrows we
are called upon to alleviate, and the
greatness and sacredness of our guar
dianship OF the loved ones of the dend
Let us then, my brothers, watch over
and protect the interests OF lhose who
have been conlided to our keeniny
mat we too, when we have reached
me furthersst rim of the horizon. may
look back and behold IN mid-ocean the
gallant ship of our order with the tri.
colored banner floating proudly from
It's masthead and waving nj owe our
wives and little ones-the pledge of
protection and the warrant OF relief
~ STATE OF THE ORDER.
Ihroughout the grand Jurisdiction
over which l have presided for the
past year, the order has steadily i'm.
creased from the date of my installa.
tion mp to the present time. While I
cannot report the organization of AZ
many new lodges IA did my predeces.
sor, ! can nevertheless report almost as
great AN increase In membership
showing that our older lodges have MOI
neen IDLE, aud In their praise-wortby
DIES r. to serve their feIlow.men their
EFFORTS have been crowned with suc.
cess. '"0'
throughout the entire jurisdiction
OF the United States there have been
out seventy-one new lodges Instituted
curing the last year and OF that num.
DER Texas has furnished twenty.thres
number. en'''e
! have already been furnished bv
tue grand reporter with a copy of Nj
annual report. II Is full and COM
ple,e, giving in detail the entire trans.
sections OF the order In Texas. To tina,
report ! refer you for further informa.
ton on this subject.
OUR TROUBLES.
~ Is well known 10 yon all that
there Is now existing a most mfr.
tunate controversy between the Officers
OF our supreme lodge. aud few dis.
salslle1 members Of the order resid-