Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1907-06-06

of those whose names we honor today
and to bring to their memory, our ex-
pressions of admiration and our tri-
butte of love. We have not met to
place a loved one in newly made
grave, with our hearts bleeding in the
| first anguish of loss. Nature has al
ready lovingly and tenderly' thrown
above those graves her rich garlands
and flowers of spring. We meet in
the presence of the living, breathing
the fragrance of the first buds of ma
lures tenderness, and in this presence
we bring our thoughts, not saying
ashes to ashes, dust to dust, but
bringing with us our blossoms nur-
tured in grateful hearts to mingle
with the flowers these neighbors caus-
ed to bloom on earth. We come bring
ing our laurel wreaths and place them
upon the already laurel crowned brow
Of these noble lives. The lives that
these departed neighbOrs lived are
passed: their labors are'done, but the
deeds they wrought and the example
and principle they put before us still
live. The deeds, the labors, and the
good accomplished in the Order of the
Modern WOodmen of America will
never be forgotten and will bear fruit
for years to come. The sufferings
these men may have helped to relieve,
the Borrowing hearts they may have
cheered, the help they gave is only re-
corded in the great book of remem-
brance. The one word in all our lam
guage, which shall best describe the
dominating trait in our order through
the example set before us by these de-
parted neighbors is loyalty. Loyalty
to our order which these departed
loved so tenderly and labored so
faithfully to upbuild; loyalty to our
country, and last but not least our
lives should be spent in loyal grateful
sacrifice to the happiness of our
neighbors and friends. If we get no
other lesson in this hour, if we go
away from here with no other inspir-
alton to better living, let each and
every Woodman in this presence and
in this hour renew in his heart those
declarations of loyalty to the princi-
pie of our order, loyalty to the pro-
lection of the interest of each neigh
Dor, loyalty to your local camp and
loyalty to the head camp.
To me this service has in it much of
| the sentiment, much of the lesson that
we have when on Nations Memorial
day we strew flowers of love and ten
derness DER the graves of the depart
ed heroes who laid down their lives in
the wilderness at Bull Run and at APP
pomattox. There is more than the
| flowers, there is more than the tears,
| there is more than the sorrow embrace
ed in the nations day of mourning
when year after year we gather on the
Both day of May in memory of those
| who laid down their lives that we
might have the boon of free govern
ment. To me it is not only day of
remembering the past, but it is also a
day of inspiration to the living, look
ing to the future, teaching the rising
generation lessons of loyalty to the
government that gives US its protec-
Ltion; and soto me this day is not only
to drop tear upon the graves of our
neighbors to recount the good deeds
done by them, but it is time to in
spire the living to loyalty to the prin-
ciples of our camp. which gives us it's
protection and thus it may become
day of inspiration to the living as
we'll as memorial to the dead.
My dear friends we have higher
aim in life than just living for oneself.
Life for self only becomes hollow and
aimless without that inward satisfac-
tion that comes with life of devotion
and sympathy and love for your fell
bowman. How nicely this little para
graph illustrates the real aim of life.
II live for those who love me, whose
hearts are kind and true, for heaven
that smiles above me and awaits my
spirit too:3or the friendly ties that
bind me for the task that God has
given me, for the memories, left behind
me and the good that can do When
man was first created God thought il
unwise that he should be alone, so he
created him an associate and thus the
foundation to life in fellowship was
laid. All through ages man has more
or less grouped in numbers under
various names for the purpose of self
protection and disadvantages. And
so our association has grown to be
the largest fraternal association of
the world, carrying an insurance in
1906 of nearly one and half billions
OF dollars and paying out the policies
of 1000 deceased neighbors. Is not
this an order worthy of our admira-
ton? Look atthe widows, the orphans,
the helpless who are benefited by this |
great institution. | dare say, were it |
not for these orders our poorfarms
would be overcrowded, our orphans
homes filled to their utmost capacity |
and many a widow might be seen |
struggling with poverty and starvation |!
staring her in the face. A thoughtful |
father will not leave his family unpro-
tected, he will not stand by and see
suffering neighbor In want, The
sole foundation upon which our order