San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-05-13
COLORED K. OF P.
SECOND DAYS WORK OF THE GRAND
LODGE.
DR.. Walton's Able Address eedings
Today, With Outline Of TOmOr-
rows Program.

RTduu lOORe, COlOItuy ycoNOiuoyt
the following address was delivered
by DIR. J. T. Walton.
Worthy Grand Chancellor, Officers, Rep
resentatives and Fellow knights:
would that the honor OF well
coming you to our city had fallen
to other hands than mine. Ardu-
Gus committee work and the de-
mands Of a busy profession have
alike served to unfit me for
the pleasant task. Conscious,
however, that duty best done is
we'll done, l am here today to say
to GU, that you are welcome; that
our gates are ajar, and our latch
strings are upon the outside. We
invite you to come in, to eat, drink
and enjoy. Time, noiseless but
ever active whose flight none can
stay, and which continues unceas-
ingly, has turned over another leaf
in its calendar and brought US
together again in annual conclave,
reunited us in a common cause
with one common interest, one
com mon object. see before me
"brave" men from every part of the
state, from humble village and
aristocratic town, a grand body of
men, welded to the principles of
friendship, charity and benevo-
lence-.principles which are eter-
nal, sublime yes, immortal. The
story of Damon and Pythias is the
most beautiful! of legendary lore,
paralleled only by the touching
tradition OF the Bible, i. C., the de-
votion of Ruth to Naomi, of Jona-
than to David. Hear the plain
tive protest of the gentle Ruth:
"Whither thou goest will l go:
thy people shall be my people, thy
God my God.
Grander yet are the noble words
of the heroic Pythias as he says
20 the tyrant Dionysius. LET
Damon go and see his wife
and child, put me in chains,
plunge me into his dungeon as a
hostage for his return. Do this,
but this, and may the Gods them
selves build up thy greatness as
high as their own heavens Who
could resist this appeal except his
heart be made Of stone? Nor does
the grand lesson stop here. When
Damon's return seemed impossible
and Pythiss' death inevitable,
how inspiring, almost divine
is the latter's exclamation: 1t is
sweet to die for those whom we
love-" Note, on the other hand,
Damon's loyalty 10 his friend, his
chagrin yes, very fury, at the
obstacles to his return, when he
seizes upon the erring but
faithful Lucullus-"Pythias is
growing impatient. His ghost
starts from the ground aud with a
bloody hand waves TO the preci-
pice." He thought only OF his
martyred friend whose life likely
would answer for his own-in his
madness would Stay his trusted
slave, because the latter would,
out of pure devotion to him, save
his life and let his friend die. Veri-
ly, greater love hath no man
than this, that he lay down his life
for his brother" So meet we here
today; more than two thousand
years since the touching incident
occurred. Damon and Pythias
have long since been gathered to
the bosom OF Father Abraham, but
their spirits still live; their noble
example of self-sacrificing friend
ship a sweet lesson of mankind's
love for one another, of mans hui
mainly to man. We meet today
not as men Of any race, not as COL
ored men, but as loyal knights;
not, perhaps, as modern Damons
and Pythias, but at least as their
worthy disciples, advocating the
same principles, held together by
the same ties, advocating the same
doctrine-the universal brother
hood OF man. In assembling to-
day we forget, for the time being,
the cares OF home and callings.
We are lost in the contemplation
Of the possibilities Of Pythianism,
the extension of it's bounds, the
perpetuation OF it's principles;
how mankind may be made better
by 1t. May our deliberations be
of the wisest nature, our conduct
that OF tried and brave men, our
proceedings most profitable. Our
progress in secret organization,
but indicates our general advance
ment. We but struggle against
the time honored maxim that ga
house divided against itself
must surely fall; )" and we but
cleave to the more stable one that
sin union there is strength" Bound
together by the ties which held
Damon and Pythiss together our
friandahin for one another. such