The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-17
TRIBUTE TO ELKS.
Eloquent Response of r. J. Travis,
Esq, TO the order.

ElOquent hespOnse OF n. d. NraNIsg
Esq, TO the order.
To THE Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks." r. ]. Travis, Esq,
responded. His was a beautiful trib-
ute to the order and the speaker was
frequently interrupted by applause or
laughter.
Il have come to a discussion of the
Elk with little previous knowledge of
the habits of that animal" said Mr..
Travis. For this reason. l have been
since yesterday a most Jealous student
of natural history. l find that the Elk
is most usually adorned with horns.
These. l am told, are merely for pro-
lection. Again, he has large and
cloVen feet. They, however, enable
him TO travel more swiftly as his
pleasure may direct. He is accustom-
ed to Craze almost continually, while
not chewing the cud. There, is no
doubt, a continual demand on his
resources. He drinks but little water.
The streams of his native wilds, are
no doubt unsanitary. Whether there
is any thing suggestive, or not, in
these characteristics of the elk, as to
the habits of those of this order, who
have adopted the name of this famous
animal one thing is certain,-it is an
order which has for it's encouragement
the noblest principles known TO man,
charity, brotherly love, justice and fl
deity.
Orders That Have Come to Stay.
Orders, like your own, have come
into modern civilization and they have
come to stay. They have a great work
To do nd of DOING III
Whether this work is done truly and
well depends in a large measure upon
how clearly you perceive and how con-
tinuously you keep before you the I'M
DERIVING principles of your order. Its
principles are as well known as the
name of the order itself-charity, broth
erly love, justice and fidelity. They
should be kept before your eyes as a
pillar of clouds by day and a pillar
of fire by night. I need not respond
with words as to the loftiness of these
principles. OF these virtues all nature
seems to speak, had you but ears to
hear. This the lilies tell in white; the
violet speak in blue. Songs of praise
come from the dew-drop, rainbow
hued, glistening in the morning sun,
and even from the streams of the
marshes, ever Withholding and free, as
they run home to the sea, with their
lapsful of stars and Dreams and from
the eyer-restless sea, raised into bill
lows by the morning breeze that it
may cross it's white hands to the sky.
The twitter of the birds as the music
bubbles from their joyful threats and
the music of the spheres, as rolling
from the finger tips of the Almighty,
they sweep through space in stately
course, all swell the grand chorus of
praise of these virtues.
IF there is one result more marked
than another flowing from membership
in orders like your own it is a fuller
appreciation of the brotherhood of man
the kinship of all things the Father
hath fathered. The life of tc-dsv 10
not like the life of yesterday. The
scenes through which our fathers NOV
ed as princes among men nave passed
away forever A gr6sser material day
has come, when their gentle hands
could garner. but aseantily, and their
guileless hearts fond. but feebly,' In
the fierce competition of IN 1dern life,
in the mad struggle for success, mo-
rality fails, it's principles are discarded
and oft religion seems pacalyzed.
How gracious then to behold and be
upheld by the brotherly love of our
fellowmen.
An Age of Fraternity.
II rejoice with you my friends that
this is a day of fraternity and of peace
and good will among men. Some
thirty-eight years ago the army of the
invader swent in disastrous course
from the mountains of Dade to the
marshes of ChathaTn-in broad circle
of ruin. AS the Northern soldiers
went southwark, there silently fell
like countless snow-fiakes from the
army wagons of hay millions of tiny
seeds of the daisy. A few months later
and peace was declared, and lol from
the mountains to the sea there has
suddenly sprung myriads of the dainty
daisies, hitherto strangers to our soil.
1t suggested the rainbow of promise
which the Almighty places in the
clouds after the flood as a promise
to man. This rainbow of flowers cover
ing oftimes the very site of carnage
and slaughter, is a promise to US of
the Southland that never more will
brother be arrayed against brother in
this our native land; that hereafter
we shall ever recognize the brother
hood of man.
With an honorable past, with the
most ennobling principles, trust that
your order will ever continue to in
crease in strength and grow in use-
tulness until your spirit of fraternity