The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-06-17
MEMORIAL SERMON.
Rev. Lee W. Beattie's Impressive Talk
to Knights of Pythias.

The annual memorial services of
Mankato lodge No. SO, Knights of
Pythias, were held at the Presby-
terrain church Sunday evening, The
following is synopsis of Rev. Lee W..
Beattie's excellent sermon:
BROTHER KNIGHTS:
This is now the third time you
have honored me with an invitation
to deliver before you the annual
memorial address. 1t is an occasion
for sorrow that from our number dur
ing the past year our Brother Bean
has fallen from the ranks and been
called to his reward. Let our
fraternal sympathy 60 forth tonight
to his bereaved family. But with our
sorrow there also comes cause for
gratitude that death so seldom has
visited our Brotherhood and that
such a singular Providence has made
it possible for us to meet tonight
with but single link broken.
The occasion suggests to my mind
the unique character of John the
Baptist and the significance of the
mission he performed on earth which
was that of connecting all that was
good in the old economy that pre-
coded the sadvent of Christ with all
that was good in what followed that
event. From this life there come to
US three lessons:
1. The close connection between
the past and future of any life. For
convenience sake we speak of child
hood, youth and old age as separate
existences, but they are only differ
emit phases of one life. Childhood
runs into youth, youth into old age
and none can mark the dividing line.
The scars of infant years still remain
when old age comes on, to teach US life
is a unity. This is just as true OF
character as Of body. The moral de.
formity Of young men Can be detected
In the incipient habit of boYhood,
while the immoralities of gray haired
sinners are but the indulgences Of
youth gone to seed, No one of us Is
viewing life Alright who is not viewing
it in the perspective of the years gone
and the years to come. One years.
weaknesses projects itself with IN.
blushing insolence into the next
years experiences. Life's habits are
not like an old suit of clothes to be
laid aside at pleasure. You cannot
down by resolution the effects of yes
terday's irresolution. Life is q
solidarity in which poisonous sea
weed gathered along the shores OF
time is carried by life'S currents uI
on to the white beach OF old age with
its persistent venom in it still. The
Old prOverb Of 1.-The wild oats" is but
siren song sung to youth with en-
chantment now, but the charm will
turn to sad laments when in later years
! you discover sirens are only evil mon
sters to lure voyagers to their ruin.
III. Here the speaker showed how
in John the sense of justice taught
by the Old Testament was linked
with the gentle message of love of the
New Testament. And it took both
these hemispheres of truth to give us
the entire sphere Of truth.
John stood with one hand hold OF
all that was good in the past and the
other grasping all that was good
in the future exhibited the fulfill.
ment Of prophetic psalmody: "Mercy
and truth have met together, right
eousness and peace have kissed each
| other"
III. The third thought suggested
by Johns mission is that law will
finally be swallowed up in love. and
John as the representative of the