The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-06-10
MACCABEE DAY.
One of the Largest and Most Orderly
Crowds Ever Seen in Paw Paw.
Friday morning daWued bright and

One of the Largest and Most Orderly
| Crowds Ever Seen in Paw Paw.
Friday morning dawned bright and
fair
Nature seemed to appreciate the
benetcent aims and charitable OBJ
iects of the orders of the Knights and
Ladies' of the Maccabees, and smiled
ner sweetest welcome to those VINO
came To Paw Paw on that day for the
annual county reunion and jubilee of
the Maccabees The crowd that was
in town is variously estimated at from
| 5000 To 5000, aud all enjoyed the occa-
sion hugely. 1t is a credit to the village
/ aud To the people of the county To say
that the best of order and good feeling
prevailed, not single arrest being
made and there being but little work
| for the marshal and his force of special
| policemen to perform
1t was II O'Clock before the process
sion was formed, in the order previous
ly published in this paper. and it was
an interesting spectacle Four bands,
Whites Military Band of Kalamazoo,
the Bloomir gdale Maccabee Band, the
Lawrence and Paw Paw cornet bands
were in the parade and furnished plenty
of excellent music throughout the day.
The Bees" in line were fine looking
lot OF men-tt representatives of a
noble order. The showing of the Paw
Paw fire department was excellent, and
the long line of bright faced students
of our schools called attention to the
leading educational institution OF the
county
Nearly every business place in town
was decorated with emblrmatic colors
1 s 81 "A
decorations were prOfuse
AT THE RINK.
After dinner, the program at the rink
was in order. The bands furnished
music, and male quartette, Messrs.
Cummings, Gilman, Haworth and Squier,
gave some fine vocal selections.
Hon. ID. ID. Aitkin of Flint was the
chief speaker of the afternoon, and his
eloqueEce held the large audience for
an hour, interested, in spite of the in
tense heat He spoke entirely ON Mac
cabeeism.
In his address of welcome, Judge
Heckert appropriately and beautifully
expressed the sentiment of Paw Paw
! people. He spoke as follows
&" LadieS and Gentlemen: The Mdccd-
JeeS:-The pleasing duty of welcoming
you W Oll DGdulllui NllldSc Ou lllS OC-
casion has been assigned to me by the
local tent, as well as by our citizens in
general To he favored by the presence
of the best citizenship of our magnif-
cent county, is no ordinary compliment
To our people. In arranging this meet
ing at Paw Paw, those having the mat
ter IN charge have shown the greatest
degree of good sense There is no more
beautiful spot for your coming together
i'm the great commonwealth of Michi-
gan; no place where your benevolent
purposes, your splendid parades and
your manly and womanly presence
would be more highly appreciated; no
place where your grand objects are
held in higher esteem. Your order
stands for three pre-eminent traits of
human character, viz: Fraternity, char
ty and benevolence. Your banding to-
gether for these purposes is commend
able indeed. BY their proper develop
ment and exercise you strengthen your
own characters. You make your fellow
men feel happy in The thought that they
are environed and bound to you by IA
double tie of fraternity They are
taught that when the brittle thread of
life shall be severed and they shall be
launched into the dark and silent river,
into that bourne from whence no trav-
eler returns, their loved ones who sur
vive them and who are dependent upon
them will be left in the hands of a band
of friends who are bound by the sacred
VOWS imposed by reason of membership
in this society, TO contribute of their
substance to their temporal wants and
TO guard, honor and protect them in
their relations TO the society in which
the mutations OF time shall place them.
You make better citizens; you strength
en- the state in which you live; you
break down and aid in obliterating a
narrow, sordid and selfish feeling: you
scatter to the winds mean, stingy and
grasping disposition. Some persons are
so hide-bound and Indifferent, so wrap.
ped up in self, that they can witness
unmoved the most squalid poverty, the
most excruciating suffering, the most
dire consequences resulting from, illness
and misfortune. You teach your mem
bership to give to others, and giving to
others means working for others. Be-
nevolence, as rule, Is plant Of slow
growth; 1t needs great deal of stimu-
lating. Any society which has benevo-
lence for its object, accelerates this
growth until it becomes not only easy
to give, but it becomes a pleasure to
give and to alleviate the sufferings and
supply the needs of others. So, we wish
you God-speed in your good work. You
are one of many kindred institutions
in our country which are scattering
seeds of kindness, binding up the
wounds of misfortune, and making the
world better and happier for your
being. All these things are the frultion
of the civilization to which we are now
advanced. There should be no back
ward movement, no hating, and GER
tainly no indifference; but we should
steadily advance until the savagery of
barbarism is entirely eradicated from
human nature. Let us carry forward
the good work. Let us storm the cita-
del of ignorance and superstition and
plant the banner of faith, hope and
charity, as well as that of benevolence,
over every fortress within which turks
the demon of selfishness, penuriousness,
narrowness and small mindedness. Let
us cultivate that nobler sentiment-the
universal brotherhood of man Instead