Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-07-26

I feed and olothe their little children
and send them to school every school
day in the year, than right here in
the great commonwealth of Illinois.
.'.Not without thy wondrousstory,
Illinois. Illinois.
Can be writ the Nations glory,
Illinois, II inois.
On the record of thy years.
Abraham LincoIns name appears,
Grant and Logan and our tears.
Illinois, Illinois
at was the men from the cornfields
of the northwest who answered the
guns of Sumter when they challenged
this young republic to do battle for
existence. They faced the fiery
mouths of Fort Donelson's cannon
and gave TO a faltering cause the
courage of first great victory gained.
They plucked victory from defeat at
Shiloh. They waited with Grant in
front of icksburg until that place
gave way before their grim determin-
alton. They marched with Sherman
to the sea- In the Wilderness they
poured shrapnel into Lees defeated
legions. They heard the glad acclaim
of the people when the bottom fell out
of the armed rebellion upon the field
OF APPomattox-
For Home and Peace.
These people were your people,
YOU are the children of these brave
sires. In this territory have we
planted the Modern Woodmen of
America. Our organization is not for
glory and for war, but for the home
and for peace. But the bravest are
the tenderest and the loving and the
daring Show me a a man who loves
his family and | will show you a
brave man; show me man who de-
serts and neglects his family and 1
will show you a coward. Among the
more than 10000 foresters of our
society are as brave men as ever
swan river with Funston, or sank
the Merrimac with Hobson. As brave
as the men who stormed the heights
of FL Caney or San Juan with Roose-
welt, or fought the Spanish fleets with
Dewey, Sampson or Schley. As brave
men as formed the phalanx of Caesar
or followed the eagle of Napoleon.
Wonderful is the growth of the
Modern Woodmen of America, be-
cause it has back of it 400, 900 of the
strongest, brainiest men the world has
ever known. The very flower of the
manhood of this great republic. Our
society is strong with the people be-
cause it protects the home, nurses the
sick, lifts the fallen and buries the
dead. 1t belongs to the great COM
mon people, they own it and govern
it. 1t springs from that great spirit
of cooperation, the battle cry of the
10Th century. 1t is the product of the
MONDAY of our present civilization.
Il is of the people, for the people and
by the people. The ominous crescent
of the Saracen was not more awe in
spring, nor the cross of the Crusader
more worshipful than this banner of
Woodcraft lifted up in our midst to
guard and protect our homes. Won
derful has been the growth of Wood
craft. In this year alone we have en-
rolled so, 900 new members. We are
now the largest organization of the
kind in the whole world. Last year
we wrote more insurance than any
other society, old line or fraternal, on
earth. This year we will double the
of our next highest competi-
tor. There are now more Woodmen
than Grand Army men in the United
States. In six months we will have
more members than the Knights of
Pythias. In three years from today
there will be more Woodmen in this
than Odd Fellows or Masons.
1t will not be many years before we
have more men than any other organi-
Zation on the green. round earth. We
will take off our hat only to the federal
Next to their God. their
hal &c ho
Woodmef in the hearts of it's mem
bership.
And this great order has it's home
in your beautiful city of Rock Island,
in the Tenth congressional district of
Illinois. l congratulate you on the
great success of these exercises held
under the auspices of this congress
sional picnic association. Here in |
the heart-center of Woodcraft your
association will grow and extend its |
influence until it becomes the greatest
Of all Woodmen annual picnics. 1t |
will soon be at the head of the col |
lmn, in the front rank of all similar !
Good Words for Mai. Raves.
Il felicitate and congratulate my |
friend, Maj. Charles w. Halves, upon |
he fact that here. where he was born;
here, where he has lived long life;
lere, the home of his wife and chill
iren and his children's children, he /
'eceives the honor and respect of the
people among whom he has spent his
ife. May he long live to enjoy this
lonor he so richly deserves and to
the affairs of the head
Jerks Office of the Modern Woodmen
# America.
MATERNAL RENFFICIaRy SYSTEM