The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-05

10 tHtTcIOTc
| whose early history is closely allied will
the birth. traditions and development
| our country.
While our order Is listinctlvely Ameri
! can and purely fraterna., one of its object
/ Is TO perpetuate the memory of that grea
race OF aborlgnes destined TO soon pas
away; to emulate their nobler traits o
| character, their love of freedom and devo
tion to their friends
The main objects of the birth and earlier
periods of our order having been long since
obtained and accomplished, as before men
toned. II became the pleasure OF oul
fathers and ourselves to perpetuate the
organization, with all its wealth of tradi-
ton and to so shape and model It's opera
lions as TO prove a blessing TO its members
and help to humanity. Today all over
this great. broad land Of ours there are
thousands OF orphans and widows who
are breathing prayers of blessings for the
gallant, watchful and friendly care of those
OF our members who have exemplifed the
teachings of the order in their daily lives
and conduct. They have smoothed down
and softened the rufhed pillows OF pain;
they have clothed the naked, fed the hum
CRY, relieved the distressed. gave drink
10 the thirsty, helped the needy, extended
friendship, given charity and liberated and
imprisoned souls from their chains Of sor-
row.
Freedom, friendship and charity.--wh At
a sublime tribune of sacred virtues. Pa
triotism, honesty, sobrlety and integrity
what a brilliant quartette of noble quail
ties. These virtues are the corner stones
of our order, and upon them the structure
is reared. Their beauties and grandeur
are displayed in our ceremonies, imparting
lessons of thrilling interest and lasting
benefits to the members,
Above all, our order teaches patriotism
IL, lab, . lxI 81 Rt1 .tt of
man. II Is the soul of freedom the full
crum of liberty, the lever of independence.
II scars sublimely above self and aims at
glorious ends. II is opposed to all OPP
preston, ahhors all tyrants and rejoices
In the PRONUNCIATION of liberal principles.
No sectaranlsm can swerve it, no mon
arch oppress it, no obstacle paryize it, a
patriot may be crushed by illegitimate
power but his principle never Chains
and dungeons Will kindle it into brighter
flame, persecution will increase its vol
ume.
Patriotism amid the other virtues of this
world is like cathedral tower wKcn
begins on earth, and at first surrounded
by other parts of the structure, at length
rises above the buttressed wall, tho arch.
the parapet, the pinnacle and shoots spire-
like into the air so high that the huge
cross upon its summit glows like n spark
III lue uluS iSnL ana SHINES ike "a
star in the evening sky, while the rest OF
the pile is enveloped in darkness. Like
wise patriotism is surrounded by the
other virtues but they will have long
felt the wrap of night and darkness when
it shall shine luminous against the sky
OF eternity.
The benefcent teachings of our great
order may be, in part, attributed to the
wealth OF patriotism and the spirit OF
our American soldier. statesman and civ
ilian What body of American people
can meet to celebrate this day without re-
calling to mind in holy reverence the
heroic deeds of our noble ancestry. whose
love of liberty and Independence they sac
riiiced upon the allars of their country,
which they baptized with their own
blood, thereby hsqueathing to genera
tions unborn a most glorious inheritance. |
The history of American independence
is ever subject of deep and thrilling
interest to the patriot and philanthropist |
1t has no parallel in the history of ma
lions; 1t is surrounded by a halo that fills |
us with sacred generation for those mo- |
BILE sages and patriots who planned and
achieved our National and personal lib |
erty and Independence. and they shall |
forever command the profoundest respect
aud veneration from the entire civilized |
world
A particular veneraton is felt for those |
whose names are enrolled upon that soul |
stirring document, the Declaration of In
dependence Their names viii glide down |
the centuries Of time on the peaceful
waves of admiration and gratitude. until
merged in the end and contamination OF
his whrling planet, THE wreck of mat
er and the crash of worlds
Campires of liberty and independence
Ia tNs.fp. 1tfv1.t
hton aud Concord are still burning shed
ling their golden CLEANS of light almost
lfound this great world. 1t has reached
]uba Porto Rico and the far off Philip
'lnes. What beautiful stream Of light,
wollen 10 a mighty river, forever now
ng on. Little did the sages and heroes
# the revolution dream that the clear,
rysial tide was to be crimsoned by the
Hood of a quarter of million Of the
ravesi and best of Americas sons, split
pon the cruel, storm swept fields of car
age and civil war. o. what incompre-
ensible price, o. how unfathomable the
'ays of Providence.
noble, heroic spirit never dies.
lartyr TO noble principles may be buried
rom human sight, but his deeds will live
n In the gratitude of humanity forever
axe grains of wheat when sown In the
round they die, but with the new year
hey spring forth in myriads of blades and
talks. ripening into golden harvest so
he sages and heroes of the rev Axiom
assed away. but in their stead and from
leir seed there sprang up myrads of
ariots whose deeds have contributed 10 |
lumine the pages of our country's hip-
Dry. In the great picture gallery OF .
merica's herioc dead, high above all,
ay be seen the portraits of Lincoln and :
avis. Grant and Lee. and of whom Il /.
ay well be said none greater or nobler
'er lived. In the language of one OF
merica's greatest living soldiers, Cen
ri Joseph Wheeler. Grants generosity
his. defeated countrymen has made its {
delible mark on the character of the
merican soldier, as shown by their con-
let In the recent war with Spain, when !
eir treatment OF the enemy's wounded
Id prisoners gained world wide admira-
on. II was the generous magnanmity !
Grant toward the defeated Confederate
mics that did more to bring about the Y
union OF States than ten million troops
uld have accomplished"
Looking back through the flight OF 7
ird of century. We realize that the /
vii war with all its horrors, with all its Y
oodshed, its broken hearts, It's empty I
mes. its anguish and desolatien, may
I'VE been necessary to the solution of d
o problem of human liberty. and to eff i
ctually and forever unto the enfeebIed
It sacred ties OF the Union and To cement
gether in fraternal concord the broth
hood of our citizens. II is not for us Ia 7
lestion the wisdom OF that awful con- !,
ct, in which the law of the nations lifa
a c g,.tt t..,. IT, - |