The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-17
RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE.
Address Of Major Martin Maginnis
at the Picnic of the
F~oresters.
Tho Origin and the Principles OF
tho Order Ably Elk
planned.
A Flow OF Oratory at tho Gathering of
the Local Lodges Over In
Butte.

The following ID An abstract of Maj. Mar
tin Maginnis' speech at the Forester's pic
MIC at Rutte on Saturday:
Your historians tell me that your rules
come down from the days of the primevai
forest and that yours is the most ancient OF
all orders. This seems reasonable. Neither
legend or tradition describes any older
association unless it be found i'll the rec
ords of the ancient and honorable order OF
gardeners founded by Adam n Eve with
in the gates of Eden. Before that society
was fairly organized its promoters violated
the timber regulations and for dopredat-
ing on the wrong trees this couple were
turned out of tho garden and into the
woods. So tho order of Foresters began.
Ever since these people and their descend
ants have been trying to get out OF tho
woods and back into tho garden again. l
read also that you claim to be Older than
the Masons. Very likely. Men threw
stones at each other for ages before they
began to put hem together for mutual benz
eft. Rocks were used for breaking heads
long before they we're joined to shelter
them. The mortar of human kindness and
confidence had to be mixed before cement
and stone we're laid together. If we reject
the garden story and take the latest the
cries of mans beginning, we hear that he
lived in caves before he aspired to houses.
md on piles in lakes before he %inaugurated
the ceremonies of laying corner stones on
the land, And, accepting the statement
that apes we're his ancestors and monkeys
his progeniters before he got into the caves,
he must have climbed down from the trees.
Forestry has the precedence, even In the
gospel, according to st. Darwin.
1t is easy and pleasant and occasionally
proftab!s to glorify humanity amid rap
lures of applause, to win the laurels OF re-
nown by an easy dedication of words and
phrases to the happiness of man, to the
service of the race; but it requires stronger
convictions, a sterner faith, n fuller love.
to make men sacrifice their lives to the
welfare of their kind instead of the benefit
Of themselves. 70 minister to the poor,
the afflicted. the ignorant n the IN
happy; to walk i'll the CHASTITY ways of suf-
fering and sin; to live in the hospitals and
~rest-houses and to brave death and disease
in its most terrible forms; to perform the
last offices for the dying and carry to the
charnel house the bodies of the dead; to
live unknown, to die aforementioned and to
give their lives to save others-and greater
love than this no man can show The
faith which in all aRes has moved men to
do this deserves a kindlier name than that
of folly. and the creed or dogma or order
which fills the heart with such flames of
love. with such acts of sacrifice, is more to
be admired than all the placid precepts of
a selfish and cold philosophy
Thank God that you have the intelligence
to unite, the forethought to provide and the
heart to care for the helpless and the Door.
Creeds and parties, doCmas, race and ma
tionality often divide men, but under the
notices on YOUR banner of benevolence, the
~-r- ~~1l ~ x.>y, ENr -%c rrJ cNy,1. ,u {,rnf1
and melted in the flsmes of charity n
love. The very widest brimmed of the old
sitters on the fence only gathered a handful
of corn where the new man at the desk
gathers his barrel. The conditions of
our citizens are growing more and more
different and unequal. Out of the ranks
of the toilers must come the recruit who
marches in the oupaEy of Foresters. Only
the man whose needs are as great as his
supply must join With others for protection
and assistance. The man with the barrel
is armed against fate. After he has drawn
out what he wants himself he can roll it
down to his heirs or leave it to be broken
open by the lawyers. But 80 long as you
maintain the dignity of your citizenship
you have the means which ultimately will
right all wrongs. Let not your manhood
be debased or your privileges put up for
purchase, and you Will find a way to main.
tain your equality of privilege and oppor-
tunity under the institutions which were
dedicated to the liberty and happiness of
the people.
This is an era of unrest. TIL tumult of
agitation is as wide rs this world. 1t does
not requiye the gift Of prophecy to see that
we are on the eva of tremendous storms
and changes III the social and po-
litical armament of the globe. We
seem to be approaching one of
those crisis in human affairs such as came
over n hundred years ago. when change
breaks through tie crust of custom as
earthquakes through the solid earth. The
0ullest COMPREHENSION can observe the
changes in the social st ucture wrought by
the potent forces OF steam and electricity,
the forces which the genius of invention
has harnessed to the chariot of human DIES
tiny. and which the consideration of vast
weslth and energy has undertaken to guide
and control. The awful question is wheth-
er this shall be the car of juggernaut to
crush the humanity which is thrown be-
meath it's wheels. or the chariot of progress
to move men over broader highways of hap
pines man were ever traversed before. AS
for me | have no fears of the result. [ be-
lieve that the wisdom which has founded
and preserved this nation will calmly CON
slider and justly determine every new
Issue as it may arise, and that the
settlement will be in the interest ana