The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-02-24

Oh, the power and good that are CON
tanned Ill a true, deep. inwrOught
friendship. Such a friendship is sweet
1T is the cadence of divine melody
melting through the soul Such Il
friendship is strong and binding. 1t is
the golden thread that ties the hearts
OF P%ythians in lasting fraternity. It is
also a mutual affair. 1t is like two lutes
meeting in nearness and pitch: the
striking of the II makes the other
sound. There is but one heart among
Il thousand knights loving as they
ought. There is Il depth to this princi-
pie of which we have little thought.
Words become circumScribed in their
meaning TO us as we narrow them down
To fit our thought or conduct. This is
true of the word friendship. Its hori-
Zon is very contracted to many who live
within its sphere. Like the little child
who thinks the world is no bigger than
the range of its own vision, SO there are
many who think that friendship reaches
no farther than their selfish understand
ing n application of it.
Friendship is the projection of the
soul out of all sellishness in self into the
life and industries of others. 1t is the
duty of friends to guard, protect. ele-
vate, and excite one another To the high
est development and best position
possible. My true friend will not harm
me-cannot harm me. My true friend
will never strike the blow that will
make me smart. More than that, lie
will not permit harm to come to me that
he can reasonably prevent.
Brethren, you readily assent To this rs
good X. Il. doctrine, but unto what
degree have you attained. How far into
this great principle have you gone?
Have you mOr than entered upon the
threshold? Have you led your brother
into dissipation? Have you led him
into the haunts of sin, in which he has
contracted the seeds of d~isease-rheu-
matism and such like diseases-yet do
you claim to be his friend? Or even do
you stand silently by with no word of
warning Or protest, and see him
plunging into these excuses, the pre-
cincts of which are filled with the
wrecks of the noblest specimens of
Gods ha idiwork, and yet do you claim
10 be his friendp 1t you were TO knock
him down on the street and bruise and
curse him, you would not do him the
hundredth part rs much harm. If this
is your idea of friendship you are still in
the ante room, the border land, and the
vast principle all UNEMPLOYED lies still
ahead of you.
out udNO Nou pun tbC bbttlt W Ills
lips? Have YOU filled the glass with
the liquid fires of hell, and have you
invited him to drink and be merry?
Have you flung wide open the door of
the most ineXtricable dungeon in the
world, and. with the voice of a friend,
invited him to enter? And have you
allowed the huge door to close on him
forever? Have You engaged his atten-
ton as a friend, with thoughts of a good
time, while the devil has forged the
letters of the drink habit upon him
that habit that wrecks his body, de-
thrones his reason, robs his wife and
children, puts to flight the peace and
happiness of his home, and leaves the
ashy pallor of anxiety, fear, want and
misery upon the face that was once as
fair and beautiful and happy as the
angelsp Then do you say you are his
friend? Friend And with your own
hand gave him the poison that has
blasted him and his Mockery! Dia-
bolical friendship! Oh, God, wipe such
friendship off the face of the earth
All, brother, you haven't yet appre-
hended. You need to press forward.
May | leave you to apply this thought
to the other principles of this order.
Secoud-My second point, brethren, is
that the deep necessities of the human
heart demand that we do not stop with
our present attachments in these great
principles.
Thus far | have dealt only with the
principles of our order and the temporal
good of its membership brothers.
Should | stop here know you would
be disappointed. You know me to he a
gospel preacher, and this is the house of
God, so of course you will expect me TO
lead you into something higher and
eternal. Then let me apply this same
thought, fors youIteneiit, 10 the
Third-lfeligious faith and experience.
l would have you look forward to this
and follow after it not counting yourself
rs perfect, but pressing forward into
this grand, glorious condition. l shall
exhort you as individuals in the Ian
guage of Christ himself, ''Ye believe in
God believe also in me-" How fitting
are these words. This order stands
planted upon principles that are in their
depths essentially Christian, and when
ever you fathom them you will find
Christ. Therefore to break with religion
is to break with the deepest, truest,
sweetest meaning of the principles of
Our noble order.