The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-12-07
EuIogy BY Mayor ParkilI.

At>the regular meeting or OwOsso
Lodge of Elks Tuesday evening, S. E.
Parkill delivered the following eloquent
eulogy on the life of L. A. Hamblin,
who died recently, Mr.. Hamblin being
one of the best known and most loved
members of the order:
Who hath not lost a friend?
Who, looking into the shadow land
beyond the grave cannot see faces and
hear voices now forever hidden to
mortal sense?
If such there be, for him our Sa-
cred hour of Eleven has no meaning
and our toast ''To our absent broth
ers" is but empty sentiment.
We are gathered tonight in our
annual lodge of sorrow, with no alien
soul beside to disturb our family
circle, to speak of our brothers who
have passed into the beyond, to recall
their virtues, to forget their faults
and to draw inspiration from their
example and accomplishments.
Lawrence A. Hamblin was a fine
example of what an Elk should be.
He represented the best things in his
fraternity, as he stood for the best
things in citizenship and good gov
ernment in his community.
Tribute has already been paid to
our Brothers good qualities, perhaps
only his most intimate friends can
add to that eulogy to his memory.
Lawrence A. Hamblin was not an
ordinary citizen whose identity was
merged in the great majority of man
kind. From my point of view, he
was a most unusual member of So
ciety, not aggressive it is true, not
pushing and thrusting his way into
public notice, not so glib of tongue
that he attracted attention by his
professions: so our Brother was re-
garded by many of superficial ac-
quaintance, as among the great num-
ber of easy-going and Indifferent citi-
zens who, while right personally. are
content to let things drift along, or
right themselves.
l do not believe Lawrence Hamblin
| lived this colorless kind of life, or
would wish to be remembered in this
passive fashion. His was not the
| careless good fellowship that forgot
| it's own obligations or overlooked
wholly the lapses from duty on the
part of others. Our Brother was OF
the few, not of the many. Not only
ijust himself, he hated injustice; not
only law-abiding himself, he deplor.
ed the lawlessness OF others and was
a generous contributor to the support
of law and order movements, and a
dispenser of charity, large in proper
ton to his means, for his was a kind
| ly, sympathetic nature.
Brother Hamblin could not we'll be
| otherwise. It was his fortune to be
we'll born. His mother, Cassie Hath
away, was one of Gods noblewomen
who thought more of other peoples
sorrows and trials than Of her own.
She spent her life in the service of
early days when it required courage,
even in the north, to be a supporter
of that cause, was friend of William
Lloyd Garrison, and later of Freder-
ick Douglas and many other workers,
including that good old soul, Sojourn-
er Truth. Her family was active in
that secret underground railway that
gave freedom, life and hope to many
an escaping slave, and her last illness
was the result of exposure while on
an errand of mercy. 1t is such wo-
men and such mothers who, perhaps
unconsciously, lay the foundation of
free government and preserve its ira
ditions. So our Brothers early train
ing was good. and the lessons he
learned "at that best academy, a
mothers knee" remained with him
through life.
I can offer no higher tribute to our
brother than this:
If all citizens were as peaceful, as
just, as law abiding, as generous, as
careful of the rights of others, as
earnest in supporting law, order,
morality, and all the functions of
good government as was our Brother
most of the problems of the state
and society would be solved. There
would be no saloons, no gambling
dens, no questionable resorts. for he
was too just to engage in the busi-
ness himself or to be patron when
conducted by others. The functions