The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-03
ELKS' D OF SORROW
ANNUAL MEMORIAL SERVICES AT
ENGLIsH's OPERA HOUSE
An Unusually Large Audience In At
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and Inn
pressive Services.

came that the gallery had &c be opened TO
accommodate them all. The stage was ap-
propriately and tastefully decorated in
honor of the occasion. The lodge furniture
was placed in its proper arrangement in
semi-circular form about the altar, the
latter being draped in the national colors
and surmounted by an imposing pair of
elk's antlers. The officers of indianapolis
Lodge. No. IL. occupied seats on the stage.
They are Exalter Ruler George r. Golfer.
Esteemed Leading knight Saul Munter,
Esteemed Loyal Knight James F. Quigley,
Esteemed Lecturing Knight Alpha B. Han
son, Secretary II. S. B~eissenherz, Treasurer
William Kotteman, Tyler Charles p. BALI,
Chaplain Louis A. Harmeyer. Esquire
Frank Item, Inner Guard Thomas Cecil,
Organist Conrad Mueller.
The unusually fine musical programme
of the services was under the direction of
Mr.. Paul Teichert, who also acted as ac-
companist. The exercises were opened
with a voluntary. executed by Mr.. Teichert
OH the vocation.
INTERESTING n IMPRESSIVE.
Following the voluntary came the most
interesting and impressive portion of the
services-the calling Of TIM roll of absent
Elks. After a few appropriate Introductory
remarks Exalted Ruler Golfer directed the
esteemed secretary to call the roll of the
deceased members. A curtain to the rear
of the officers was suddenly elevated, dis
closing a picturesque cemetery view, with
a simple, stately monolith towering alof.
In the foreground. At the base of the shaft
was a laurel wreath, in the center Of
which the name of each absent Elk APP
peared in Illuminated letters of gold as
the roll call progressed. With the lower
ing of the curtain the strong, clear tenor
or Mr.. o. W.. Williams was heard in the
solo, One Sweetly Solemn Thought" with
delightful cello accompaniment by Mr..
Adolph Schellschmidt. The exalted ruler
gave the signal for all Elks in the audience
tc rise TO their feet and give heed TO the
opening ceremonies. These were conducted
made a deep impression upon the audience,
a well as the members of the order. Lodge
and audience then joined in the touching
memorial ode, Aud Lang Syne," after
which the invocation was offered by the
chaplain, Lewis Harmeyer. The intro
ductory address was delivered by Mr.. Bert
F~eibleman, chairman of the memorial COM
mittee. Mr.. Feibleman. in a brief, neatly
worded talk, explained the object and ma
ture of the annual memorial services or
lodge of sorrow" held on the first Sun
day in December of each year.
AlEMOINlAL aDDftESo.
The principal memorial address was made
by Mr.. John Calvin. of Cincinnati Lodge,
No. 5, past grand exalted ruler, and was
characterized by it's eloquence and lofty
diction. Mr.. Calvin spoke, in part. as fol-
lows:
1.-THE poet Riley. speaking of a dear de-
parted friend, said:
~ cannot say, and / will not say,
That he is dead. He is lust away.
With a CHEEKY smile and a wave Of the
hand
And left US dreaming how very fair
1t needs must be since he fingers there.
land yet. oh, we who the widest yearn
For the old-time step and the glad return,
Think of him faring on as dear
In the land OF there as the land Of here.
Think of him still as the same. 1 say
He is not dead, but just away.
w believe that sorrow should be but a
fieeting shadow crossing the sunshine of
our lives; that the heart should be so full
OF the gladnesS and sweetness of life as
TO leave little abiding place there for
grief. Sorrow comes 10 us unsought, un-
hidden and unwelcome. 1t should belize
an unwelcome guest-accorded no place at
cur hearthstone. One of thg grand OBJ
Jects of our order is TO Danish sorrow
from our lives and from the lives of those
with whom we are brought I'm contact.
Tho purpose, therefore, of these memorial
services is not so much 10 grieve about our
departed brothers or TO weep tears of
bitterness or pity that they nave been
taken from us, but it is rather to kindly
touch the heart-strings OF tenderness by
gently referring to those who were our
associates, TO bring the memories of them
back to us, perpetoated only by love:
to recall the hours CT pleasure we passed
together when they lived, loved, laughed
and liked life well; TO commemorate their
virtues-farits they had none-to recall
III. @AI ..tN. .I2s. I.-1l. -
tons, their abiding love of home and
kindred, to draw lessons of good from
their lives TO aid us liz living ours, and
to be reminded by their absence that the
call will come for each of us in cur turn,
and to- prepare ourselves for that call and
for the reunion with these our loved ones
in that place where no memorial services
are ever held and where absences are I'M
known and where all is peace and light and
happiness. In these memorial services we
honor not only the memories Of the dead
of our special lodge, but of all with whom
we are connected by the mystic tie which
binds the hearts of all Elks with cords of
love-not only our own dear friends whose
warm hand clasp and genial faces shalt
greet us no more, but the friends of our
friends and the friends OF our friends
friends, those whom we never knew, but
who were and are our brothers,. . . g
Is death the end of all? Is it all when we
close the eyes and spread the winding
sheet over the dead and shut ur the
TOOIl II IL VI WHcH WIFI Dtdulllul SeTN-
ices we bury our dead Is II all when
earth has done her work and has taken
to herself again-'earth TO earth. ashes to
ashes and dust to dust'-the outward forms
or our loved ones? All, no. there is some
thing beyond. Death is not the end. 1t
has been the universal belief of all peo-
Piles and all ages that the soul of man sur
wives after the death of the body. 1t is
that belief in immortality which comes
not TO the heart of man from without
but which issues from IL in a resistless
flood of conviction that prompts exercises
like We are holding to-day"
MUSICAL PROGRAMME.
The musical programme, which prom
nent Elks declared was the best that has
yet been rendered at any memorial serv-
ice, included, in addition to the numbers
previously noted, a violin solo, Carl Bohm's
"Nordische Sage" by Miss Bertha Schell-
schmidt; contralto solo, Mascagni's
Prayer" by Mrs. Alice Fleming Evans,
accompanied with violin obligato by Miss
Bertha Schellschmidt. Italian harp obli-
cato by Miss Louise Schellschmidt and
on the piano by Mr.. Teichert; cello solo,
Goltermann's "Cantilene,' by Mr.. Aldolph
Schellschmidt: baritone solo, s. @. Glea-
sons Seek Ye the Lord by Mr.. Louis
Dochez; and the trio, Mietzke's "Medita-
tion." by the Misses Louise and Bertha
Schellschmidt on the harp and violin and
Miss Pauline Schellschmidt on the piano.
The closing ceremonies were ritualistic.
conducted by the officers and members OF
the lodge. The services were brought to a