The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-06-21

bCIupUtu W CACldilu, ", lhOI Vail
are thy efforts to fathom the unfath-
omable mysteries of Him who in the
beginning uttered the unchangeable
laws of the universe by which you and
l must abide. Enough for you and
it is to learn and do our duty.
The doctrines and higher criticisms
and intellectual strifes of church and
state never disturb the calm dignity of
our order, as such-but we continually
seek to bear men upward to better
and nobler state Of manhood, a purer,
sweeter life
We know that we are largely de-
pendent upon each other, and, recogni-
zing the frailties of our nature, we en-
deavor patiently to assist and support,
rather than condemn and destroy.
We are taught to remember and to
emulate all portions of good mans
life-his little, nameless, unremember
ed acts of kindness and of love"
We do not profess to be reformers,
but we do claim, in the exercise of the
same privilege we grant to others, to
try at least to teach purity of life, up
rightness of heart, and freedom from
wrongful and sinful habits. l do not
speak of those things punishable by the
laws of the state, but more particularly
of that class of faults and evils that
weaken character and which the penal
statutes do not reach. They are found
| in the professed Christian. in the Jew
and in the Pagan alike. We do not be-
lieve they exist to the extent they once
did, and we look forward to the time
when they shall cease altogether. They
are not founded in reason, nor does any
one hesitate to condemn them, yet they
continue. as do other relics of barbar-
ism, only to be washed out, as have
been many stains upon humanity, by
the constant effort to attain higher
and nObler manhood.
We would battle against the disposi-
| tion to harbor feelings of ill-will and
malice toward our fellow-man, for we
know there can be no growth of the
heart where the tender flower of mag
nanimity is choked by the vicious
weed of malice.
We would wipe from the vocabulary
of life the spirit of revenge, for we be-
lieve one of the highest evidences of a
dignifed and superior soul is the abili
ty and disposition to supplant the saw
age element of revenge with the unset
fish and lofty spirit of noble and
generous mind.
severe l so tall to reach the pole,
Or grasp the ocean with my span,
/ must be measured by my soul
The minds the standard of the man."
Let none assume that we pretend to
remedy all the faults and foibles of
mankind, for that were superhuman,
but we do believe we can assist in
eradicating some of them. We do not
expect to see them all disappear in a
single generation of time, but we do
know that many have disappeared, and
that the beautiful and faithful friend
ship of Damon and Pythias laid the
foundation, deep and broad, for the
elimination of many more.
We are we'll aware that our standard
is high, and we too well know that
many of us fall far below it, But it is
this knowledge that gives us renewed
hope-and persistent, cultivated hope
will give us growth in those virtues
that make better men
The beautiful custom of decorating
the graves of our dead is in itself {
sacred lesson, we'll calculated to awaker
; and stimulate the purer and better
, qualities of the heart and mind.
Drawn from the busy affairs of life
by the tender chords of love, to com
mune awhile in memory with our de
parted brothers, and on those things
revealed by the invisible King, fur
nishes an hour of sweet repose, an ap
proach to the ethereal, that enchant.
the soul.
In this simple act the world sees
: something of the teaching and purpose
, of our order. 1t is not mere idle form
but it is intended to demonstrate tina
the friendship believed to exist in lif,
| 10 No fOrnnffor n doofh. nd lr
, use this as one of the means by which
we would entwine about the hearts O
men some of the principles upon whicl
our order is founded. We believe tina
by this solemn, sacred duty we assis
in making the world better. We be
lieve that in its performance we assis
. in overthrOwing strife, bitterness ant
enmity, and in their place establishing
3 friendship, charity and benevolence
{ The selfish, cold indifference of tn,
, natural heart, the disposition to hastil,
misconstrue the acts or words OF ;
brother and magnify into an offens
some thoughtless word; the quick, un
3 dignified resentment of some fauciet
, slight; the hasty, ill-advised expires
.. sion, no sooner spoken than regretted
the exhibition of unkindness in an,
FORM would all give way to find plac
l no more within the human family
could that "mysterious cement of tn
soul and sweetner of life", triendshir
) as taught in our order, reign supreme
Do not understand that we claim t
J, wrap ourselves in the mysteries of ou
order and conceive that we hav
achieved in habit, conduct and charae
: ter the high position required by tn
principles we have espoused, for we d
Q not. We claim only to try to cultivat
q the growth of those things in whic
!. we seek to improve.
!. For centuries the natural grossnes
q of mankind has been gradually yielC
9 ing to more refined and elevating cor
, ditions. To attempt here to enumerat
the vast changes would trespass to
J. much, but there are none who will dis
: pute the fact.
v The standard to which we aspire
. still higher, and up toward this W
would strive; and though you and
J. may not attain to 1t, we will try
|. leave the banner still alOft 80 ths