Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-02-19

Der stone upon winch 20 Oullu u kfauu
moral edihce. capable of admitting the en-.
tire human family within lie walls. II ID
q broad comprehensive friendship. con.
tanning within itself all the noble instincts
of man, having for its object the uproot
ing Of innate selfishness from the heart oil
man and planting In its place the holy
! principles OF charity and benevoleuce
IL teaches US TO live honest. temperate
virtuous lives. to be generous with the
imperfections of our fellow men, remem,
berine that all have their faults. all are
liable 70 err. To alleviate the wants OF
brethren in distress. to tighten the bur,
dens of their lives. so far as Ii lies in
their power, TO watch by their bedside
when sick and II possible by kind and
careful nursing restore them TO health; II
not 70 make their passage from this
world a. easy a. possible. that their last
hours on earth may be spent calmly and
peacefully, and, then accompany them to
the burial place and perform the last sad
rites over the grave; to afford consolation
TO the desolste widow and orphan in the
hour of their deep distress. Such are
some of the principles and teachings OF
the Knights of Pythiss With these is IL
| q matter of astonishment that so many
who had become hesrtsick at the gross
selfshness of the world. rallied around
our banner as soon as IL was unfurled to
the breeze. and are now disseminating its
principles by Carrying out its teachings
in their intercourse with their fellowmen Z
As the old Pythsgorisn society showed
the effect of its teaching 10 the lives of
Damon and Pythias. so can our young
order snow the fruits Of its teaching ex-
emplihed BY one of our brother Knights
/ sllude TO Brother Samuel H Hines, of
old Dominion lodge. No. 4 Richmond,
Va, who, by his heroic efforts to save
the life Of brother knight, sscri.
feed his own. The story will bear q
thousand repetitions. and should become
as familiar to every true knight as the
story of Damon and Pythias. Samuel
n. Hines merits all that can be said of
the moral hero, the brave knight, the
Pythian friend. When the fated SPOTS
wood hotel was wrapped IN the winding
sheet Of lurid fame on the morning of
Dec. S. 1870. and its passages, rooms and
staIrways filled with dense clouds of suf,
locating smoke, Brother Hines made his
way through sll to point where he was
safe, and might have escaped with his
life unhsrmed But personal escape
was not his object, he was seeking aid to
ensole him to rescue his friend who was
high up in the hoteA Falling to eulis,
assistance, he rushed back with the he
roic purpose Of saving that friend or per-
ishing In the effort That was the last
seen OF this noble Young man. He and
his friend, Erasmus W. Ross. g brother
knight, penshed together.
10 this notable deed We have embed
led and illustrated In living examples a
friendship unsurpassed by anything de.
scrioed by the pen Of fiction or depicted
in dramatic srt- This is no fiction, no
poetic fancy, no seniime ntal creation.
samuel Il. Hines did not merely hazard
his life, but died to save his friend II
10 an honor and privilege TO have
known such q man or TO have lived 10 su
age made bright by such al example: yes.
and glorious privilege to belong to the
brotherhood which taught him such
friendship. All honor To the name, the
virtues, the moral heroism of Samuel II
Hines. The death of such a man is q
public calamity. IL is not enough for
the universal brotherhood of knights TO
appropriate such 8 distinction of one of
It's members. Let humanity share with
US the exalted privilege, let the world
know that Pythiss himself did not sur
pass IN bis devotion to Damon, one who
lived in our own day. in our midst, who
bowed AZ our own sltar-our own Sam
uel Il Hines. Thank God. II Is not all =
calamity, not al 8 disaster. not ell 9
cause Of sorrow. not all an irreparable
loss, when We remember that one OF our
own race, Of Our own flesh and blood, OF
our own common humanity. can display.
nay did display, such an heroic example
ss that which was made imperishable
amid the charred and blsckened ruins of
the Spottswood hotel. II Is well TO have
lived such 9 life, il is nobler tn have
died such death.
From three lodges aud seventy. eight
in the world in 1854. we now
number on our tventy-sixth birthday
over 5000 lodges, and have q member.
ship IN round numbers OF $500 The
last session OF the supreme lodge
showed S24. 600 in the exchequer, and
about fl0. 100 more due. and q liability
Of only f204
The endowment rank, which was started
under the supervision and control
Of the supreme lodge some ten
years ago. now numbers over 90
BOO members in good standing, and q
bank balance OF s92. e07l5, and has
paid out to widows and orphans dur
ng its existsnce the immense sum of |
IS. lbs. 032. That means over i've nils |
ion blessings. for not one OF those re- |
;ipients but has blessed the order for |
Zach and every dollsr received through |
l. The uniform rank, which Is the mill |
airy attachment Of the order. started but |
. few years sgo, ana has become one of |
he great features. and on the 51st of
March, 1sss. numbered 512 divisions, and |
= total membership Of 20, $50. II Is con
identity expected that from fifteen to |
twenty thousand uniformed knights will |
be IN line IN the great parade on the first
1sy OF the next session Of the supreme
lodge OF the world which will be held in
on the second THURSDAY in
July DeIt. The statistics here given
make q showing unparalleled in the his
t0ry OF secret societies, and still our
progress 10 onward and upward. All
his has been accomplished notwithstsnd-
ng opposition without and breaches Of
trust from within. For time IL looked
Is IL our young and noble order would
be shipwrecked. But II weathered the
storm, and DOW sails In smooth Writer'S
With clear sky overhead. our sails nTled
with . stiff breeze, bound for 9 still
more glorious future. when we hope IL
will be able to unite every nation and
tongue under the uri-colored banner Of
The Pythisn brotherhood.
A cleverly executed instrumental trio. In
which Mr.. J. L Haas presided st the piano.
Master Fay Harper played the violin,