The Saint Paul globe., 1900-12-03

pier in their daily living, to bury conten-
tion, jealousies and criticism, to create q
generous rlvaIry IN seeking each others
advancement, to bury self in strife for the
general good. "Ah," some one saws
that cannot come until we meet the mil
iennium." Possibly probably, but it will
do no HARM but infinite good to try it.
and will bring delightful satisfaction to
him who persists in it; and If all the
world were to try it, what a metamor-
phosis there would be- 1t may not be
has taught it for Centuries, and vet the
universal brotherhood of man. is far
away from reality. Averslty still somes.
Suffering seems to be the birthright of
humanity. 81 -
Have you ever stopped to contemplate
the mystery of human suffering? it is
the greatest, seddest, most unfathomable
OF mysteries. Go where you may, among
the rich or poor, into any country or
cline, wherever human foot NAV tread.
it ever confronts you, the awful fact of
P1y slcal ana mental suffering is always
present. The human family seems to
be engaged in a mighty endless and
uravailing struggle to escape it, and
yet whether our efforts be crowned with
success OF tailui 1T brings its correspond
ing burden. The whole universe is an un-
fathomed mystery and the good in it is
just as mysterious as the evil.
Ihere is no more beautiful trait OF the
human heart than that of love of fam
lily and friends. That, surely is God
given; and yet, it has it's mysteries When
fostered it cements the fondest ties-ties
that death alone can sever We cherish
1T because it is good, and pure and beaut-
Iful, and we are happy in proportion to
the perfection of love attained; but in
just that proportion is the mental dis
treSs, and the anguish and the heartache
the greater, more uncompromising and
unyielding which follows upon the lacer-
alton OF our affections-those affections
which, because God given and beautiful,
we think might be exempt from the
touch of deaths fingers. When the af-
fections are so lacerated search as we
may, we can find no satisfactory reason
those whom we loved, and in whose love
we are happy, should be taken from us;
and thus love itself brings us, all too
soon, to recognize the mystery of hui
man suffering.
We might multiply examples, without
avail. Every. life has its dark side 1t
is popularity of man that he thinks
his neighbor more blessed than he. 1t is
because he gets down to and stands upon
the discOuraging hard pam of MS own
HE and imagines that there is no such
thing IN his neighbors existence But
depend upon it, that neighbor has his
hard pam he is hiding his skeleton; he
is doing his share towards reaching the
solution OF the mystery Of human suf-
fering.
1t was in the effort to solve this mys-
tery that our fraternity was founded
Our fathers may not have been con
Scious OF it, or may have looked upon
1t from that standpoint. But they sought
TO create 4 brotherhood wherein suffer-
ing and want might be alleviated unob-
trusiVely with cordial iberality With
out ostentation and free from ennbarrlss-
ment to the recipient They sought a
coter1e, from Wnom they might receive
that fraternal encoGragement. sincere
sympathy and hearty cooperation that
neips over the rough places and smoothes
tile aSpertes Of life. We should i've
not Tor the dead. but for the living We
should seek to solve the mystery of h11
man suffering. The solution may never
be rea ched, but the labor in that direc
ton will not be in vain. AS Elks we
sfrlve ssiII to help one another; but do we
give our best efforts to the cause? Do
we continue INCREASINGLY in well doing?
Does not our ardOr too often cool? Are
we not too prone to remain inactive TN
III some untoWard accident or circun-
stance, like death, brings us with men
tai shock TO our senses? And when q
oEother lies dead before US, we lay kim
away, possibly we make his family tha
OBJECT of our special care for reason
ana then he is but q memory, to be re-
HNlled upon each recurring memorial
GGdy' Alter ms death, We could do moth
Iilg more Tor him than to bury him and
noId MS name and good work in loving
I59eIlhehlorahce. 5el The grave question is
@ ala we DO our duty to him while he was
we should be of our duty to the Ivtng9
Ihere are sometimes other yea even
greater gIiefs than those that death NAV
bring: There are men to whom fIpa n
would be a sweet release from crutbintr
sorrow mental and physical suffering.
thelr families and friends might nouTn
"a n,,a eilein Tor season, and then acknowl-
SoSe tIle justice of the great deere
TIis 1Iat paced them among the absent ONES
IIleFe are men who may need but frar
of Of brotbarsg fn R or the helping hands
$9o6Ia $.o6m and distress that seems impaneo
trable and unending except as deatb
! enc elos s, az AZ Does our charity extend be-
neath the surface? Do we dig it up from
the heart Of hearts and carry il mos
tenta tOusly to lay it at the feet Of
iSJrlGken 81 SI friend? There is something more
tlr nT 0iis15ItS ~ man the mere giving of mon
Sy. eSi DO we charitably gather about a
friend who may have fallen into dis
grace and seek by all lawful means to
t5 hIlie MN b,i4t PACK to himself and family
20 re-estaphsh him upon a firm found9-
t1on and to make for him the opportuni-
~ 70 walk again erect and unab 4shed as
a man among men? Do We go out among
our fellows, seeking to uplift or do we
tearing that an opportunity for doing
sood may be afforded, quietly steal aWaS
ana wait with unchristian coTlpIa cency
10 be brought, head on, to the last ex-
! irene, the granting of decent burial?
1t is fact that we, as Elks NAV con-
template with satisfaction that this spir-
- o1 true oularlty (not that of mere Civ
n.4l' is developed within our circle to a
greater degree perhaps than in any other
ti@teInlty, and yet there is room for fur
! ther development. Should we not hold
Ihat spirit as men-not merely as Elks9
| ShouId we not get out of ourselves. sten
| beyond the circle, and make the worIS
! cur fraternity? - ~ !"
1t is the lack of this spirit in the world
! at Iafge, and the desire to create it
among the few that may be reached bv
/ cooperation that has caused fraternities
70 come into existence. We talk in a
gTaa+ ana yaln-glorious way of the
great brotherhood of man, Of the univer-
/ Sality OF ira ternity; and there is much
! IN 1t. But careful inspection will discover
Ipdt the foundation stone upon which It
Tn T1E-fT /
! OF man is not broad enough or solid
enough It should be composed of love.
l; e. charity in its broadcast sense; but in
the world at large charity flows from
mere pity and commisera ton; thev oniy
/ prompt man to the perfunctory perform
! ance OF present duty; they simply
j AWAKEN IN man the latent self-pride that
dIClaIes the doing of some act in order
tFat he may not lose the respect Of his
heighhors; they are found in those who
slrlXe TO avoid, rather than seek oppor-
! tuhitles tnat call for charity. We may
! DC thankful that the feeling of pity NAV
move men to good works, even when die
tated by self-interest or pride, but if we
! might. by some strange metamorphosis
/ cIanSe Ihat pity Into true charity, how
glorious would be the consummation! 1t
lS-an end that cannot be attained In a
Gay, or IN generation; we may not
make 1t universal but 1t may be created
Wlthin the vicinity of our homes; it can
! not be developed by mere preaching or
/ honeyed words of legislation, nor can It
/ w u ven lnlO Ine n6arCS OF men, 1t must
come from within, out OF the heart, from
! the soul of man, and show itself in prac-
tce and by its works, mad these works
! viii in turn kindle the flame in others,
like the leaven in the measure of meal
So, 1 say, this development of the
! broader spirit OF charity beyond the mere
/ seIf1shness of him who gives 1t; this ex-
tension of brotherly love beyond the cir
! cumscribing circle Of our friends and ac-
] quaintances into universal brother
sion of the Benevolent and Protective