Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-06-20
Memorial Sunday, !. o. OF,

Agreeably to established custom aud in
accordance with the proclamation OF the
Grand Master, Sunday last was observed
as Memorial Sunday by the various Odd
Fellows lodges throughout the state. At
Island Pond some 60 or more of the
members of Essex Lodge met at the
lodge room and at P. NJ. took up the
march to the cemetery where the graves
of 10 brothers aud two sisters belonging
to the Rebekah degree were profusely
decorated with flowers amid the service
prescribed for such occasions, at the
close of which the brethren proceeded
to the Congregational Church. The
church was well filled. After singing
and scripture reading, prayer was offered
| by Rev. Z. j. Gale, and Tennyson's
Crossing the Bar" was beautifully sung
by Miss lnez Dale. Following this Rev.
| Mr.. Hall announced his text as found
in Galatians >, l3, by love serve one
another" He spoke first of the appro-
priateness of observing such a day, a
memorial day. If it is of 40 benefit to
the dead it is an impressive and helpful
thing for the living. Then referring to
some of the things for which the Order
of Odd Fellowship stands, he spoke to
the members in substance as follows.
Your order stands for sociability. Mans
social nature should be cultivated. You
have an opportunity to choose your COM
pany and thus develop sociability under
very favorable circumstances. Your
society also stands for unseltishness.
This is a most difficult thing to attain
unto. Man is naturally selfish. He
formerly acted upon the assumption
/, that all he has is his own, and all you
have is his if he can get it. But the
world is making progress in this respect.
The time of individualism is the time
of selfishness, but we are gradually al
preaching the era of socialism, and Sc
, cialism is unsefishness. Many people
are alarmed by the combination of CAPT
tai into trusts, but such state of things
should rather be welcomed for it is a
=, step towards socialism. The time OF
! great trusts is the time of great beneyo
G ence. Andrew Carnegie and Cecil
. Rhodes are illustrations of this fact
:. The age of individualism was the time
! OF small benevolence. Progress in un
selfishness is also seen in the wars this
nation has waged. The first, though
! just and right, was selfish war. The
E last, for the freeing of Cuba, was wholly
o unselfish. Your order also stands fol
self help. You believe in self reliance
and seek to develop it among your mem
, bers. Yours is service of love, ant
n love is the highest law of service. We
a serve God by serving our fellow men
g In that respect you are seeking to fulfil
the law of Christ. Your order can be
o great force for good. May it always bt
such force. 1t was an earnest
. thoughtful and helpful discourse, ant
e much appreciated by those for whom il
d was primarily intended.
= In addition to the graves decorated al
Island Pond Essex Lodge made arrange
ments to decorate the graves of othel
brothers buried elsewhere, as follows:
e N. E. Bonney, Norway, Me.
, II. f. Folsom, North Stratford, N. II
4 w. II. Gilbert, Montreal, Que.
f. p. Rosebrook, Lancaster, N. II.
c. Holmes, Morgan, VT.
n F. f. Leonard, Colebrook, n. ii.
n F.W. Carlton, st. Johnsbury, Vt.
/, Thus did Essex Lodge honor the mem
$ DRY of those of its members "gone before