The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-19


. the universally of common brother
hood, its Jurisdiction is designed to en-
brace the whole world. 1t is intended onl
to disseminate the principles of friend
ship. charity and benevolence, nothing Q
, sectarian or political character bein
: permitted within its portals. federation
in religion. obedience to law and loyalt
to government are its cardinal principles
Misfortune, misery and death being wri.
ten upon the broad face of creation. on
noble order was instituted to uplift tn
fallen, to champion the cause of humani
ty, to be its guide, its refuge, Its shelter
its defense; to soften down the asperitie
of life, to subdue party spirit, and by tn
sweet and powerful attractions of tn
glorious trinity of Friendship, Chart,
and Benevolence to bind all men of a.
opinions into one common brotherhood
The Jewels which it gamers are the tear
of widows and orphans; Its imperative
commands are to visit the home!
where lacerated hearts are bleeding ant
assuage the suffering of brother; to bury
the dead: to care for the widow; to educate
the orphan: to grant honesty of intention
TO others: TO construe all acts in their least
uufavorable light; to exercise charity to
wards all offenders. and TO protect the
principles of knighthood unto death. Its
laws are reason and equity; its doctrines
inspire purity in life, love OF truth and
"peace on earth and good Will to man"
And now behold what Magma Charta
of noble purposes; what glorious Runny-
mede for the reign of the tvrant king sell
fishness. If one were seized with mis-
| sionary spirit and should peer into all the
corners Of the the earth, he would find bat
| little of temporal nature for his hands to
do beyond the limit of these principles
PRINCIPLES which are as firm as the rock,
| broad and casing as the general air"
| But 1t is urged by some that the field OF
| Pythianism was already occupied by OF her
organizations, and there remained moth
ing to be done by the hand OF Pythian
| knight. Not so. The field OF Pythianism
was not occupied-was not occupied, be-
cause it is as true now as in the past;
''the harvest truly is plenteous, but the
| laborers are few was not occupied, be.
| cause no one man, however strong or
great. can concentrate within the palm Of
| his hand all of the ray OF the great orb OF
day: was not occupied, because the divine
love which first manifested Itself In
the love of our fellow men cannot be geo.
graphically limited; was not occupied for
the reason that the psalmlst gave when in
his efforts to measure the limits of this
love, said: eff l ascend up luto Heaven
thou art there; If make my bed in hell,
thou art there: if take the wings OF the
morning and dwell in the uttermost parts
OF the sea, even tueio 'uoit wy n"uU io1u
me and thy right hand shall hold me-"
Nav. thrice nay, the field of Pythianism
was not occupied.
More than this, Pythianism has distin-
gushing features. Dlvested of burden
some teaching, it inculcates the thought
directly with emphasis and simplicity.
It's golden grains of truth are not o'erlaid
with the chaff of ceremony. 1t Is also to
some extent missionary IN its character.
Recognizing the fact that what is good for
YOU is good for others, with the proper
safeguards against an unworthy member
ship, it stretches out its hand to all.
And now let US look somewhat at the
corner-stones, friendship. charity and be-
neyolence, upon which this our Pythian
Temple so grandly, grandly rests. Mans
relation is two-fold: first to God, then to
his feIlow-man. Nebo's grand and sole
companion tells us that in the beginning
God said, LET there be light, and there
was light" But, fellow knights, it was
physical light, the light OF the sun. True
enough it caused the buds TO bloom, the
soil to smile with the fruitage of the field,
and the waters to flash and sparkle like
diamonds in the bosom of the earth, but it
gave no nourishment, no light, no heat to
those followers that grow in the garden of
the soul And so it was, therefore, that
man toiled onward, always encompassed
by thick clouds of strife and sorrow. And
variation "The suns mild lusUre" con-
tinued to warm "the vital air, nature at
tired in her brightest robes rejoiced amid
laughter of her foliage, the birds warbled
their sweetest lays of love, the brooks
murmured their kisses to the sea, while
man alone was vile"
And thus it WAS, until humanity, strug-
Cling in the wilderness of its career, with
the shadows of the bleak and barron
mountains falling upon it typical of that
shadow which filled the heart of mankind
with universal despair, saw another light
"a spiritual highland heard voice
saying: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind" This marked the
point of time where man first looked up
ward; and looking upward was enabled
somewhat TO interpret the hitherto un-
known music of the spheres; and looking
upward was enabled somewhat to read the
hitherto unknown language of the skies:
1.-The heavens declare the glory OF God:
the armament showeth his handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech. and night
unto night showeth knowledge"
But knowledge of kinship TO the crea-
tor filled the creature with an ambition,
which over-leaped itself and thus, if pos
sible, filled the world with even more Bit
terness and strife. And so it was that
humanity toiled onward encompassed by
hausted by its load and ready to sink down
in despair at the very wicket-gate of its
hope. it saw another light. spiritual
light, the star of Bethlehem, and heard
another voice saying: Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself.
Here, then. was finished the circuit of
the souls significance: here was the full
fruition and blossom of mans nature, for
hath not the great Teacher said: Upon
these two great commandments hang all
the law and the prophets. With this
latter command, Thou shalt love thy |
neighbor as myself Pythianism deals; |
deals with the relation OF man to man;
with human fellowship: with brotherly |
love. Into the arena of friendship, charity |
knights to do battle for God and human |
ity: work greater, greater by far than |
that ever accomplished by knight of |
old. with foaming steed and glittering |
shield; ayel grander, grander by far than |
The applause Of listening senates to command
Nor does Pythianism seek to invade the |
province of him who spake as never man |
spake. On Bonded knee it pays sincere /
alteration to the declaration: Il am the |
wise to the declaration: Il am the true |
vine, and my father is the husbandman" |
Pythianism only seeks to aid in advancing |
that feature of the Masters cause which |
is best expressed in these words: Little |
love one another" In this re- !
spect it stretches out its hands TO all who |
are willing with it TO labor in the vine |
yard of brotherly love; and TO all such it /
SAYS as tender, loving, loyal Ruth of Moab !
said TO Naomi, her kinswoman, "Entreat |
me not to leave thee nor TO return from /
following after thee" But what Is Pythi- |
an friendship, this friendship which our !
knighthood is obliged to maintain even |
unto deaths In what way is it to be dis |
tinguished from other types OF human 1
fellowship WHAT is its shibboleth! Let |
Us see. The cynic has said: