The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-06-22
IN nEnORIAM.

The tender heart of Masonry
mourns to-day. One of her principal
supports has fallen: and her devout
disciples in the agony of grief have
sad lesson of the ''broken column"
awful fact, written In the Book of Fate,
that the young may die and the old
must;" and that none, from the
youngest initiate on the tesselated
floor of LIES temple, to the Master
who presides in its Sanctum Sancto-
rum, can retard Deaths coming, or
escape his blighting touch.
And while we, as Masons, always
meekly bow in reverent obedience to
the fiat OF the great Architect of
Heaven and earth, who in his in
scrutable wisdom and mercy doeth all
things we'll, still Death must needs leave
a bitter sting in the human heart when
one We love, honor and revere passes
ava y from our pleasant companionship
here into the dread mystery of the
unknown hereafter. While it is true
that we do not sorrow as those with
out hope: while we know that our
brother has passed triumphantly
through the shadows with which
Death has curtained earth from Heav-
Ell; and that there is not a single en-
try against him in the Book of Life,
(which would require the tears of the
recording angel to blotits record out -
still sorrow must continue to prevail
among his comrades who loved him
here, although they know that his
gentle spirit has broadened into
brighter and happier life.
A life like his, so full of all that is
fair, true and useful, should not be
unrecorded; and the footprints of his
many virtues should be illumined.
consecrated and perpetuated, so that
those, who will come after US, may
revere and emulate, as we do. the
splendid manhood and lofty character
of our brother who has solved life's
latest and greatest mystery: therefore,
Be it resolved, That in the death
of Brother John r. Todd, Franklin
Lodge No. 81, F. s. A. NJ, has lost one
of its most honored members; Mason
ry, true exemplar OF its principles
one who practiced faithfully through
all the days of his being the great
Masonic doctrine of the fatherhood
of God, and the loving brotherhood
of man; and this community, wherein
his gentle and useful life was spent
grieves for one of its most worthy
and respected citizens.
Resolved, That our lodge room
and altar be draped in mourning:
that the brethren be requested to wear
the usual badge of mourning for
thirty days as token of their sorrow.
and that special page in our record
book be dedicated to the memory OF
our deceased brother.
Resolved, That we tender to his grief
stricken family our sincere sympathy
in their great bereavement.
While we know that words of SYM
pathy, hOwsoever tenderly spoken,
cannot assuage grief like theirs, still
we feel that they should find comfort
in the sweet assurance, that, when on
that peaceful Sabbath morning their
loved one; weary with his burden of
pain, dropped off calmly into the sleep
OF death, he saw the sign and heard
the word of welcome coming from the
immortal shore, as his pure soul
winged its way through the beauty and
glory of its heavenly voyage to rest
at last within the effulgent glow OF the
Great White Throne Of the Master
there in Gods peace, to await their
coming.
Resolved, That these resolutions
be spread upon our minute book and
published: and that a certified copy
thereof be Forwarded to the family Of
our lamented brother, John r. Todd.
A. M. UNDERWOOD,
F. e.. MARSH,
]. c. FOUHMY,
r. w. ALLEN,
A. G. ALLEN,
Committee.