The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-17
OUR SISTER SOCIETIES.
Beautiful Response to This Toast by
walter {. HartrHlge, Esq.

walter 4. HaFtrNlGe' FISH,
The response of Walter c. Hartridge,
Esq. to "Our Sister Societies was
beautiful one. 1t found a responsive
chord in the hearts of the Elks and
their guests.
"Your sister societies, like you are
daily seeking to make smoother the
way of the unfortunate, to lend the
strength of the strong to the weak and
stumbling, and to lift with gentle arm
the fallen, that the steps Of life's
march might again be caught to be
held firmly and bravely until at the
command of the Great Exalted Ruler
above release comes and all burdens
are laid down forever more" said Mr..
Hartrd@e.
THE storm that hurls itself with
hurrican fury upon the kingly oak,
which has bravcd and breasted a GEN.
turys stress, is the same wind that
again comes as a zephyr to sing with
gentle and soothing voices of soft skies
and summer seas and golden days
when nature, CARRIED in her Vesture OF
green, enchanted youth with dreams of
a future that held naught save hap
piness so bright that the shadows were
lost in the dazzling sunlight that leap
ed and played over all things.
THE wave that, running mountain
high, tears with Titanic hands at sail
and timber and seeks to engulf man
and his work, comes as a swift and
steady stream that bears and carries
to all peoples the arts of civilization
and the wealth of commerce.
THE lightning flash that strikes
and sears and Stays is at last but the
current that, understood, becomes the
servant and agent of man tor purpose
of usefulness.
"And so 1t is that mans nature like
wise is twofold. If it be true that he
is at times forgetful of others and,
seeking but his own ends, roughshod
makes his way over hearts that throb
and beat and cry out for mercy to ears
that heed not, il is just as true that
he has his gentler moments when PHYS
whisper stirs sympathy's quick pulse
and courage bravely finds the way,
though danger guards the path, to
reach and succor and soothe.
An these impulses find no more GER
tain expression and no higher form
than in these societies where organ
lied effort makes efficacious the indi-
viduaTs desire to be of service to his
fellows.
And within the organizations OF
which you are a type there is no mar
rowing policy of creed or nationality
Jew or Gentle, Protestant or Catho-
lie find there an opportunity to be of
practical service. Any man whether
his eye is first opened to the light of
day beneath the grand banner whose
stars have never yet been eclipsed by
the darkness of defeat, save when
Americans themselves raised on high
for brief but brilliant period anoth-
er flag whose stars flashed across the
armament and burnt out in a blaze of
glory, such as history never witnessed
or ever will; or whether his mother
country lies across the broad waters,
where the Rhine sings it's way to the
sea amid the splendors OF agriculture;
or the Lifsey tells with never ceasing
tongue the tale of d peoples yester-
day before the foot of that invader
profaned the sod whose greenness ever
keeps fresh and youthful the hearts of
her sons; or the Thames, the COM
merce of a world on her bosom, with
the stateliness of pride goes out to
meet the sea when her sons have ever
displayed and illustrated the qualities
that show their race: these. all these
find common ground in the doing of
good in the manner afforded by such
organization as are embraced in the
term Sister Societies"