The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-06-21
Depends Upon the Mother,
Says Rev. Evans.
X. OF P. MEMORIAL SERVICES
Departed Brothers Fittingly Remem
bered BY the Organization; Graves
Are StreWn With Flowers.
From Mondays Daily.

The annual memorial services of the
Knights of Pythias were held last even
ing at the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist
church on State street. During the aft
ernoon a committee from Mankato
| lodge No. SO, Knights of Pythias, car
ried out the beautiful custom of
| strewing flowers on the graves of the
| departed brothers, numbering fourteen,
who have died since the lodge was or
gained ,twenty-one years ago. During
the past year there have been no deaths.
The lodge attended the services last
| evening in a body, marching from its
Castle hall. Each member wore but
tonaire of pansies. The church was
beautifully decorated with flowers for
the occasion. Extra good music was
ing solo part by Miss Hannah Jones,
and one by |. N. Griffith, in connection
with the hymns.
The pastors welcomed the lodge, and
read the names of the deceased broth
ers, and said that they were thankful
| that no deaths had occurred the past
year. The order was not transplanted
from a foreign shore, but was a true
American plant, and full of vigor. 1t
was started in Washington in 1864,
which was an appropriate time to start,
| for it's expressed objects were peace on
earth and good will toward men, and to
| disseminate the beautiful principles of
| friendship, charity and benevolence. The
growth of the order had been gradual
but healthful, and in Minnesota alone
now numbers $500 members. Mankato
| lodge was founded in 1886, and several
| were present at the services who were
present when the lodge was organized.
There were many things to be thankful
for in the history of the lodge, for it
| is very prosperous one. They were
present to honor the memory of the
brothers who had gone before. The
members should endeavor to live up to the
high standard for which they as an or
der stand. At the sermon year ago
he had invited the attention of his hear
ers to the first two cardinal principles
of the order, friendship and charity, and
now he wished more especially to cali
attention to the third, benevolence. The
three cannot be separated, for charity
is the protection of friendship, and be-
| nevolence is the practical result of it's
development. Take the word benevolence
in its broadcast sensez-the disposition to
do good, good will, charity, the love, of
mankind, accompanied by the determi7
nation to do good. - -. .,s .,,.s,
Rev. Evans. announced as, his text,
Genesis ga: "The Lord said unto Cain,
Where is Able, thy brother?' Cain said,
4 know not. Am | my brothers keep
er?'" Cain and Able were separated by
! two distinct principles in the moral
government of God. This fact led to the
| first tragedy in the history of the hui
man race. Cain thought that the mat
ter was closed and would never be open
ed up, but the Avenger demanded to
| know where Able was. He could not
answer, but he revealed the mean, mis-.
cradle principles that governed his con-
duct. ~
| Gods question involves responsible
| ity of man to God. If men could be
! brought to believe this we would no
longer hear of oppression and destruc-
ton, the high would not dispise the low,
nor the low envy the high. What is
nicer than this feeling of responsibility
It shows itself in acts of love and SYM
tifully illustrated by the feeling of re-
| sponsibility that the late President Nc
Kinley felt toward his mother. There
is nothing finer than his going to the
old home on Saturday night to try
to tighten the burden of old age.
The speaker said that if he was an
artist he would draw two pictures, one
of young mother leaning over her boy,
her heart filled with anxiety for her
first born, teaching him noble principles
of conduct. The future of America de-
ponds upon the American mothers. The
other picture would have the back
ground from the life already referred to,
the same mother, overtaken by the
weakness and WEAKNESS of old age, seek
| ing the sanctuary, leaning upon the arm
of her son, who measures his footsteps
to hers and urges her to lean more
heavily upon him.
There are some parents who entirely
ignore their responsibility to their chill
dren. They will hear the question again
and again, 'Where are thy children %
|
in city slums, or in the reform schools.
Sin has overcome love. They have for
gotten.
| Benevolence bids us to comfort the
neighbor who is overcome with sickness
and pains, and the slave whose hopes
are based beyond the grave. Every
true Knight believes in the fatherhood
of God and consequently in the brother
hood of men. Benevolence is as incom-
prehensible to some men as tear was
to the Stole of old.
| Rev. Evans said that he believed that
Gains spirit was dying out of the
world, and he would like to see it killed
and buried never to rise again. 1t i'm
plies denial of all responsibility to
our fellow men. They have become
selfish and this prevents them seeing
anyone else than themselves. They
think that they are the ultimate end.
We should cherish the memory of those
Knights who have gone and endeavor
to follow John Wesley's golden rule