The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1899-05-20

stood ycu arec t the bedside
of one yaa lowed lecter hanlte,
and saw the lose hrhtot hor eyes
as they looked in yours w.ta a
last long, lingering gaza, In
which all the intense passion III Al.
never dying affection was PIC
tured, and As you stood with your.
heart bursting, your life blood
running cold, the very marrow ofI
your bones becoming chilled,
that light faded, the clasp OIL
your hand weakened in the pres
ence of hated death, and then all
was still? If not, my friend. i'll
will come, and in that hour, tho
surrounded by kith and kin, and
neighbor vies with neighbor to
alleviate your sorrow, you will,
if never before, realize what is
solitude-what it is to be alone
Then, or never, you will UNDER
stand Byron when he says that
TO sit on rock, and muse o'er flood and
fell,
To slowly trace the forests shady scene
Where foot OF mortal hath ne 'er or rare
" been,
To climb the tracllless mountain all un-
seen
With the wild flock that never needs d
fold;
Alone o'er sleeps, and foaming fails %
lean.
This is not solitude It's but to hold
converse with
Natures charms ana view her stores un-
rolled.
But midst the crowd, the hum, The shock
To feel, to see, to know and to possess.
And roam along the worlds tired deni-
Minions Of splendor shrinking IRON dis
tress,
With none to bless Us, none whom we
can bless,
None with kindred consciousness cndued
Who, if we were met would seem to
smile the less
OF all that followed, flattered, sought
and sued,
This is TO be alone-this, this is solitude.
At such time we stand, our
brain reeling, reason almost de-
throned, and in our misery ready
to cry out at the DEGREES of prov.
dence. But a brother comes
not a word is spoken-his hand
falls gently upon you, his right
clasps yours. his eye looks into
yours, you realize that you are
in the presence Of one bound to
you by a solemn covenant-that
a deathIess friendship. conse-
Grated by love and purified by
truth exists between you-and
you are hidden as far as possible
roll your burdens upon him, that
all your cares of life for the time
are his, to vex not nor harrass
yourself with affairs; to place all
on his shoulders, and commune
if you so desire with your sorrow,
but do it remembering the pre-
cepts of Odd Fellowship. That
all that is mortal must die, but
that the righteous are not for
saken nor do their seed beg
bread. Then it is that you begin
to know that there are those
whom, if we cannot bless, will
bless us; who, with kindred con-
seriousness endued, would smile
the less if we were not; and seek.
follow and pur:ue us in order to
relieve our distress as far as in
them lies, and bind up our
wounds, kindly deeds, and con-
sole US with tender, loving words
Of advice. 1t is therefore meet
that an Order with such princi-
Piles as have described, should
annually scatter these emblems
of immortality on the graves Of
our dead. The flower that blooms
today must soon lose its aroma,
its beauty fade and die, but with
the springtide it blooms again to
gladden. the heart of man and
glorify the Father. So man,
fashioned in the image of his
Maker, becomes first the laugh
ing, prattling child, goes into
the half-opened flower Of youth
and expands into the full flower
of manhood, but he, too, is cut
down, but like the flower lives
again, and if his life here is as
Odd Fellowship teaches, he in
herits that home not made with
hands, eternal and in the
heavens.
Odd Fellowship has builded monument
OF friendship, love and truth,
Which stands like some tall cliff
Whose awful form swells from the vale
And midway leaves the stone
Whilst round its base the rolling clouds
are spread,
Eternal sunshine settles on its head.
feel my duty to this Lodge
but half performed said / not a
word to the good women who
have graced this occasion with