The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-02

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| duty, for his equality of soul. that never
| forgot the conventional distinctions among
men. and for his sacred conception OF the
rights of others that never betrayed
| confidence.
AS the days come and Co. and another
| year of the history of our order elapses,
his awful summons, still continues his in,
| discriminate visitatiOns; unheralded and
| unannounced, mysterious as the wonders
Of Providenee. evidence his paiiid rpi,rSer preSSence once
| Since the close of our last lodge OF sor-
| row a single shaft from the grim hunts
man has pierced our midst. This ghastly
and unerring archer, as of old, still loves
| a shining mark. At our last memorial
| services, save one. there stood before us
one of our number who, In the beautiful
| language characteristic of his deep learn
ing and rare genius, paid tribute OF re-
spect TO the memory of one who has gone
TO his final rest: While from us have gone
the words of that appropriate expression
| of our regard for the memory of the de-
| parted. yet the impression then made on
our minds by the beautiful thoughts eX-
pressed and the sweet words OF consola-
tion there uttered, still fingers with us.
| lie Was Universally Loved.
never enjoyed the pleasure of a close
acquaintance with DR.. Leete. but he was
SO well known and SO universally loved
and respected by those who knew him
| that any words of commentator by me to
| them would be a trespass on their time.
| From my slight acquaintance with him.
| and from what l have learned from the
many who knew him well, We are proud
! to know and say that he was n faithful
| member of this lodge, who appreciated the
| teachings of this order and strove to eX-
| emplify them in his daily intercourse with
men; that the door of his heart was ever
| open to his fellow-man, and strangers
| could enter there without fear or rebuke.
He was generous to a fault, and the
geniality of his disposition ever radiated
with the lustre of fervent sympathy. His
habits Of life We're methodical and exem,
plary. He was a loving husband and
doting father; he freely forgave all who
| may have injured him, and If in his well
spent life he ever wronged any person II
was an error Of the understanding and not
| of the heart. To the sons and daughters
| of these our brethren who have laid down
| the burdens of life we would say, You
| are in the midst of the enjoyment of
noble lineage and to their families we
would say, There has descended to you
a royal heritage" An occasion of this
| kind, and. in truth. every public demon
stration on our part, seems to demand
| justification of the fact of our organiza-
| ton. and this more particularly in view
| of the fact that there is current in every
community certain degree OF sentiment
| that secret organiZa tions of all kinds are
| arrayed against individual existence and
effort, against religion and the good gov
ernment of nations. and In many cases
| this sentiment Is entertained by those
who. though unfortunate In their discoV-
cries. have been diigent in their inquiries
and are honest in their convictions.
! w nile we Halter Ourselves We dlc
enthusiastic in the promotion of the work
| of the order, yet we do not however. pre-
| tend to be fully informed in either its MS
| tory or its laws. Whatever OF attention
we may have given to 1t has been from
social standpoint looking toward its
moral influence over it's members.
Few Words About the Elks.
Now we will tell you in a very. few
words what We are and some OF the things
| we teach. With other secret organizations
| E.1kS have concern. hold
| ourselves in no way responsible for either
their teachings or their practices, what
ever they may be. The secrets of this or
der are few and unmportant. being barely
| sufficient for the instruments OF It's opera
tion. The Order of Elks is distinctively
| an American institution. 1t is a child of
| American parentage, and from its infancy
| to its present stature has been nurtured
| in the cradle of American ideas.
Its grand governing body Is and ever
has been domiciled in the land of Ameri-
| can soil. When we pay our respects, as
| members of this order to its sovereign
ruler, they are paid to an American citi-
| zen. and we feel with assurance and Sc
curity that we shall never be called to pay
tribute in that capacity to any foreign
potentate. Now, we would not for mo-
ment insinuate that men of American
| birth make better Elks than men of other
extraction, nor would We intimate that
| because an institution of this kind Is of
| American growth, her hopes of prosperity
and opportunities for good are. more prom
|
| men been in some other country.
| But this we do say: that 1t is a matter
of pride and qualification to every Ameri-
can citizen to be an American by birth or
adoption; that he is citizen of the great
est country on the face of the globe; that
| the nations of the earth stand enraptured
with awe and admiration at the grandeur
of her accomplishments that the govern.
ment of this country Is the marvel OF
modern civilization, and that her genius
has no parallel or prototype in the history
| of the civilization OF the world.
| Proud OF Their Membership.
| We therefore say that we are proud Of
our membership in this order and well
may any man be vain of his connection
with an organization of this magnitude
that is distinctively, an institution OF
| tuition that claims nativity in land OF
liberty, a land where the oppressed and
heart-broken, the naked and destitute, the
footsore and weary. the starving and
wrecked of all creation have found "a home
and a shelter, have found an asylum and
| a refuge from all the prosecutions to which
themselves are living witnesses to prove
and justify us In teaching that the Ameri.
can people believe in the universatility of
the brotherhood of man. The purposes of
| this order are few In number, but ample
| in character. That which 1t lacks in num-
bers is counterbalanced by the intensity
| of its principles.
| Those principles are not SO complicated
but that Il plain minded man can readily
| comprehend them; and they are SO certain,
so unmistakable in their design that all
conditions Of men can easily grasp and
| appreciate them.
| Briefly enumerated. we are confederated
| for the dispensation of charity and for the
incucation and practice of the principles
These are the articles of our faith, the
| tenets of our creed and the eXponents Of
our power. Charity is vital function in
the life of our organizations; 1t underlies
| yhnla nrctr ~ lat ra m a
| 1t Is the keystone in the arch of our
strength. the cry Of the sentinel I'm our
watchtower; the mission Of all our frater-
nal visitations Charity Is the most divine
sentiment of the human heart. the noblest
| of human nature; the crowning cOnstm-
nation of all earthly accomplishments.
While to feed the starvng' to clothe G., the ne
| wretched humanity are among the first
duties of Elks, yet 1t is sacred injunction
of our teachings, that all our bounties
| tion. The names of those who. being
| overtaken by misfortune. receive assist
| ance at our hands are among our inviol-
able secrets.
| Charity Has Many Qualities.
Charity is Of many qualities and kinds
and it's blessings are manifold; and among
its many degrees there Is charity higher
| than all others. at which we are taught to
| aim both within and without our lodges;
| not that charity alone of bestOwing food
| and raiment on the destitute and suffer-
Ing not that charity alone which seeks out
| the homes of want and wretchedness, nor
yet that other charity of giving gold and
| silver to mendicants; but charity infin-
itely higher than all Others, which tenn
pers the zeal of our criticism, which stim-
| uates the spirit of our generosity, and
which would ever conceal the faults of
| our brothers with the cloak of fraternal
! sympathy. That charity which was
| taught by the apostle to the church at Cor
inth when he said And though ! bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, and though
| | give my body to be burned and have not
| charity, II profteth me nothing"
| After the manner of that teaching may
| we ever as Elks, have strength to typify
that cardinal virtue which should adorn
and elevate humanity, the name Of which
| we have chosen as the watchword of our
| nobIa nrdar Nav encotIrape one an