The Portland daily press., 1897-01-11

EIlJdA on hOi6u huss leAfu nunuf6uS
of wears later that God is not only one
who sways the world In awful power,
hut is also the still small voice in the
soul urging to good deeds and holy liv-
ing, and be taught that his work with
men must be done in intelligent SYM
pathetic and personal influence letting
the love of his heart run over into theirs
and bid them cease to fear God and
learn to love Him
So down to the age of chivalry. The
dawn of knighthood marked new era,
the beginning of a general dissemlna-
ton of the principles of right.and truth.
The strength of manly ehearts and
strong right n arms consecrated to
the service of Jehovah, sounded clarion
call to unoompromisin warfare upon
hate of virtue and of all good. Such
has been the progress In right thinking
up to the fifteenth century A. D., and
from that time until the present every
age has proven the relative counterpart
of those preceding it, and we believe
our own day the brightest and best
the world has ever seen.
Sometimes the march OF progress has
been delayed, but with each halt, augu-
mented forces have pushed the battle
harder for the brief respite and the cry
has been onward. and with each new
leader springing from the rank and file
great results have been achieved, each
defeat of the forces of dar kness wheth-
er opposing armed force with armed
force or by gentle persuasion. has hast
ened the time when He, the Prince of
Peace, shall reign, having pur all enc
mics under His feet.
Early in February, 1865, young
school teacher, Justus d. Rathbone, on
the shore of Lake Superior, gathered
about him few members of musical
club, and in their hearing read the beau
tiful story of the wonderful friendship of
Damon aud Pythias, and proposed the
establishment of a society to have for its
cardinal principle the exemplifieation of
friendship by the practice of fraternity.
It was inevitable that the growth OF this
order should be remarkable ana SO 1t
has neutrality-suspicious. in all the his
tory of man. Thirty three years old. and
mem bership of 500, 600, nothing but
God planted Institution could thus
flourish, and the end Is not yet.
Pythianism has never pretended to be
church, but has proved itself to be
stepping stone to ID. From the wreck
and rim of our fallen nature We are to
bring forth with Gods assistance the
pure lily of moral character, and strive
to border the path Of life with the flow
ers of love.
1t has been said "the age OF chivalry
is dead" and in one sense it Is, but in
smother it is being quickened with re-
newed life every day. No longer do
mailed knights charge through the land,
but men by their deeds of love and un-
selfish devotion to others are winning the
admiration of men and the commeDda-
ton of Him who said: "Greater love
hath no man than this, that man lay
down his life for his friends"
This order, holding TO it's trinity of
virtues, Friendship, Charity and Benevo-
lence, teaches men 90 be lovers OF all
good in whatever form.
Our aim as knights of this day of light
must be-: To instruct the mind; to
develop social and moral virtues and
make men more fratsrnal; to make every
knight true and good man, loyal citi-
zen, O good brother, husband or rend er
mutual relief, not only in material mat
tiers. but when a man is staggering un-
der heavy burden uphill, to respect the
bur.en, assist in bearing it, 80 fulfilling
Christ's law, or taking it upon our own
| houlders entirely if need be. Making,
rendering assistance mutually, cable of
habit, one strand woven at time I'M
til it becomes SO strong we could not
and will not break it, and become SO &C.
oustomed to being ruled by Christ's Of
loving we our lives may say:
"My bark is waited to the strand
By breath divine,
And on the helm / feel hand
Other than mine
| The congregation then sang "Ameri-
ca,'' the benediction was pronounced
and the exercises were over. The COM
mittee of arrangements whose exertions
did SO much to make the affair success
| full were: Melville A. Floyd, chairman,