Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-22
ANNUAL VISITATION
GRAND OFFICERS, Z. OF P, WITH
MT. VERNON LODGE.

The officers of the Grand Lodge, Knights
| of Pythias. of the District of Columbia paid
visit In grand visitation to Mount Vernon
Lodge last evening at Pythian Temple. The
officers, after completing examinations in
connection with the charges committed to
them, expressed themselves as being salts
| fed with the condition of Mount Vernon
, Lodge, which Is the next to the Oldest
Pythian lodge in the world.
The doors of the temple were then thrown
open to the guests and a smoker followed.
Past Chancellor Robbins presided. He in
troduced Past Chancellor Burton T. Doyle,
| who delivered an address on the objects and
principles of the order. T. H. Maxwell
sang Love Me and the World Is Mine. "
The accompanist was G. N. Carozzi.
The next grand visitation will be at Capt.
toll Lodge, No. Is, Tuesday evening. Web
ster Lodge, No. Z, will conclude the series
OF grand visitations December 4 next.
Cornerstone Of Pythianism.
Mr.. Doyle's address, which was well re-
ceived. was, in part, as follows:
There are many spurious kinds and in
ferior qualities of friendship the corner
stone of Pythianism, and the word, In its
ordinary acceptation. is used to cover many
kindly, impermanent and unstable rela-
tionships in this life, but the genuine article
is rare indeed. 1t depends not upon fancy
imagination or selfish purposes but upon
character Without stability and decision
OF character back Of 1t, there can be no
real, substantial, firm and abiding friend
ship between man and man in this life. To
have good friend is our highest privilege
and to be good friend is our noblest mis-
sion In this world. 1t is one of the most
difficult undertakings in this life, and yet
we have all undertaken it. No man is SO
poor that he is not rich If he has one real
friend and no man is SO rich that he is not
ha 10 NIL
True friendship, when found, is strong
firm. unyielding, self-sacrifcing and long
suffering 1t is the union of faith, conf
dence, trust, hope, charity, benevolence
and love; 1t clings as hope clingeth; it con-
fides as confidence trusteth; 1t nurtures,
overlooks and protects; it sustains, builds
up and forgives; 1t Is as strong as faith, as
sweet as charity and as blind as love; it
pursues the even tenor of its way through
sorrow as well as through joy, through
sickness as well as through health, in ad-
versity as well as in prosperity, through ILL
report as cheerfuily as through good re-
port, through the night Of dependency as
well as through the day Of sunshine and
mirth, and clings closest in the hour of
trouble.
Glorious Gift to Man.
'Its perennial heights are placid and serene
and it's tranquil valleys are cloudless and
clear-it is at once Gods most glorious gift
and mans most magnificent requirement,
richer than gold, purer than diamond and
more precious than individual success. To
| aspire to it worthily one must cultivate
unlimited capacity for pure unadulterated
affection, answering dsinterestedness,
clear discernment and an Unsuitable thirst
for the beautiful in this life.
I'VE, as an order, seek to give it and to
acquire it, and great is our undertaking.
Noble is our mission in this world. To be
| the creator, the promoter and the preserver
of that noblest Of all human sentiments Is
surely a mission worthy of the best effort
of man. To you and to me, true, noble
and steadfast friend is the greatest earthly
gift, save one; for you and for me to be a
true noble and steadfast friend to some one
else Is alone greater; it involves all of the
nobler virtues of the heart and the mora
sterling qualities of the soul-hope, faith,
truth, loyalty, courage, confidence, charity
and love, and the more these noble off,
springs of the very spirit of divinity are
nurtured in our hearts and lives the closer
appraach to hea this ca rth >,