The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1890-09-12


purpose and character of your order,
with open hands welcomes you within
her walls, and she hopes for season of
mutual pleasure, and when that is end
ed, you will depart with her benedic-
ton.
Grand Chancellor Stahl replied in be-
half of the Grand Lodge.
Your Honor:-Not alone on behalf of
the Grand Lodge and it's officers and
the members present, but on behalf OF
each individual member of the order,
and each subordinate lodge do we thank
you for the cordial welcome which you
have extended. At the session of 1889,
in the city Of st. Paul, when your mem
bers of the order extended an invita-
ton to the Grand Lodge to be your
guests, at this session, that invitation
was accepted, believing that they spoke
truthfully when they stated that the
inequalities of your city were unexceH-
ed and should be extended to us as a
Grand Lodge. Your welcome has ver-
flied their statements.
The hospitality of your beautiful city,
and in fact the entire county, has be-
come household word throughout the
Northwest. l can assure you that the
members of the order and of this Grand
Lodge will 30 conduct themselves that
you shall have no regrets for having ex-
tended the keys of your city.
An order founded upon principles,
such as are represented by this order,
Friendship, Charity and Benevolence,
and each indivIdal member devoting
the best energies he possesses in exem-
plifying the principles in his. life, any
city may safely surrender to the devo-
tees of such an order, not only Its pres
ent possessions, but it's future prospects.
Your Honor-This order to which you
have 80 generously extended the hospi-
tally of your beautiful city, recognizes
the universally of humane brother
hood. 1t embraces the world within its
jurisdiction in disseminating the great
principles of friendship, charity and
benevolence. It was organized for that
purpose, and at time when from ev-
cry hilltop and valley in this the best
country on the globe, came forth means
and cries of dying, distress of grief
stricken ones. On the 10Th of Februa-
nv, 1864, when this nation was in the
midst of the most gigantic civil war the
world has ever known, Justus h. Rath-
bone, the founder of the order, together
with limited number of his associates,
instituted the first lodge In Washington,
in the District of Columbia. The Legend
of Damon and Pythias is familiar to all.
The friendship which existed between
them was not more sacred than that
which has been exemplifed by mem
bers of the order. Pythias leaving his
to-be bride at the altar. and seeking out
the Tyrant and insisting that he should
be placed in chains as hostage that his
friend Damon who had been condemned
- ho1
six short hours to live, might go and
gee his wife and child, has parallel in
the case of Samuel Holdcrein at the
bnrning of the Spottswood hotel, hav-
ing escaped and remembering that a
brother Knight remained in the build
ing, back through the seething flames
he goes, and was seen at window with
his friend insensible in his arms. At
that moment the building went down,
and this noble Knight with his brother
knight in his arms, persisted. Peter
Woodland, at He'll Gate land Isaac Pear
son, at the mine disaster at Bradwood,
and numerous other instances of brave
ry and friendship exempllfed, might
be enumerated. We are surrounded in
this hall by as valiant and brave Knights
as ever exemplified the great principles
of the order by sacrificing their lives for
their brethren. Greater love hath no
man than this, that man lay down his
life for his friends" Your Honor,
again we thank you tor your generous
welcome on behalf of your beautiful city
and shall hope that the memories of
this session and of your kindly greeting,
and the extending 10 us the freedom of
your city as well as tie acquaintance we
may make and the courtesies extended
to us, may 60 with us through all time.
And if by the blessings of Heaven, we
are permitted to live until the sere and
yellow leaf of age, we shall recur to
them again and again and the recollec-
ton of them shall be sweet. And we
shall hope that they may be the bright
est spots in the retrospect of lives well
spent. Again we thank you and your
beautiful city for this welcome.
Major General Carnahan was called
upon and said that while this was not the
first time he had looked into the halls of
Knights of Pythias, it was the first time
he had ever met with the Knights in
Grand Lodge session. Our members
are known throughout the universe by
the manliness of the fraternity and the
great work it has done and is doing.
1t extends a helping hand to all. To
the young man as he starts on the jour-
ney of life helping htnd is lent, when
misfortunes have oyerEaken him. when
everything is dark, then 1t is that the
order helps him on. 1t stretches its
hand out to aid the widow and to assist
in the education of her little ones. But
it is not enough for the order to dole
out money to aid the needy, it is not
enough to pay homage to the dead. 1t
is its mission to reach out and help to
build men up and make them better
citizens, better fathers and better hus-
bands. He referred to the rapidity
with which the order is growing, and to
the Uniform Rank, believing that it is
the factor that is building up the order,
and to this branch OF the order he at
tributed the prosperity and growth seen
to-day. The Uniform Rank had adver-
tised the Order as no other feature
could. His address was an eloquent
one, and his suggestions were timely.
Col. S. D. Mcintyre, of Minneapolis,
has dedicated the following beautiful
poem to Grand Lodge Knights of Pyth-
las, of Minnesota, and it was ordered in
corporated in and made part of the re-
cords.