The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-02-24
Pf1HIANS HEAR
ANNUAL SERMON
Continued from Page one.)

/ grateful remembrance of all that has
! passed. and Of what is now his own,
/ all coming through the sacrifice ana
death Of his dearest friend. he speaks,
TO the memory of Jonathan. the words
of my text, Thy love TO me was won
/ derfuI.'
/ \ second picture changes the scene
/ from afr. GiIboa 70 Mt. Calvary. Both
/ the back and fairgrounds are the dark
est within the history of the world A
! greater than Jonathan has made yet
{ a greater sacrifice. for far less un-
/ worthy subjects than David. who, by
/ his admirable life, won after all the
| distinguished titles sweet Singer Of
/ Israel" Brave Warrior" kindly
| King, Friendly Priest and Prophet
/ of God" Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
the sinners Friend, the Savior Of the
world the only possible sacrifice for
| sin, has made that sacrifice by YIELD
| ing his LIES blood for the redemption
/ of all who Will come to Him. A few
/ faithful souls surround the cross. and
/ with conscious appreciation of what
| the Savior has suffered for them. me-
I thinks / can hear them whisper. in
/ grateful expression. to the Spirit Of
/ the Master. Thy love to me was won
/ derfuln
And yet another scene, laid in Syra-
I cuse. Sicily. just without the city
| gates. Prominent in the center stands
/ a guiII0tine. accustomed 10 receive the
| blood of culprits beneath its murder
/ Gus blade but just now robbed Of its
/ intended victim The kings officers
| and executioners. and the king him
| self, who for the once had come forth
| TO see q brave man die, stand in
/ amazement. at two knighted heroes. in
| fond embrace. and hear one say TO the
/ other, if not in the words of my text,
| the sentiment indeed. Thy love to me
was wonderful
The history of the first two pictures
have briefly described is familiar TO
every person before me this hour. It
may, however. be profitable to have
more extended explanation OF the last
Living in ancient Syracuse. under
! the reign of Dionysius, four centuries
before Christ. We're two ehfyalrous
knights. known as Damon and Pythias.
! They were disciples of the great phi.
| losopher Pythagoras. They had sat
at his feet and learned principles Of
true friendship. and there came sud-
denly in their lives an opportunity of
exempIifying the doctrine with such
striking force that the lesson should
never be forgotten. One of the two
/ brought ofTense TO the king and was
/ condemned to pay the penalty. on a
given day. with his life. He asked of
the court permission to visit his dis
tant home and arrange his private af-
fairs. and offered as his bond the body
Of his friend. who himself appeared
agreeable to the transaction in hand.
/ Unavoidable delays coming to the con-
femned imperiled the life of his friend
and at the appointed hour he was led
forth to die. His executionerss and even
his acquaintance ehfded him for serv-
Ing as bondsman and pointed out the
apparent fnffdelity of his so-called
friend, who had evidently failed to
keep his vow. His confidence in his
companion was not at all shaken, how
ever. He attributed his absence to
some act of Providence. and. with
quiet demeanor, counted his own case
worthy one and made use Of the
expression. ..'Tis sweet TO die for those
ne love" At the critical moment. and
Just as the axe was TO fall. the con-
demned one made his hurried appear
ance. ard. rushing upon the scene,
dragged his friend from the block and
placed. instead, his own neck 10 re-
ceive the fatal blow. The unusual act
Of heroisrr and fidelity 50 pleased even
the tyrant king that he freely fergave
both and asked that he might be adj
mitted 10 the circle of their true
friendship and love.
Noble deeds never die, and the
knights of Pythias order stands to-
dav as one Of the monuments Of the
fidelity of Jonathan and David. Christ
and His beloved disciples. and Damon
and Pytaias of the long ago.
HISTORY OF K. OF p.
In the year 1864. when the storm Of
the rebellion was sweeping over this
land of ours-when brother was at war
with brother. over the black face,
brother of them both-when it seemed
that fratricide was destined to sweep
away all the affections between man
and man. God chose TO swing alongside
OF the righteous pulpit and press this
fra+ernal society. that these allied
forces might rekindle in the hearts OF
men the love which they ought 70 bear
one toward the other. On February -
Of that year. Justus r. Rathoone OF
Washington, d c., together with some
FIVE or six other men, brought into
existence the organization known as
the Knights Of Pythias. which with
stood the thunderings of rebellion and
the hail and FIRE OF awful war. and has
grown with the years until 1t stands.
today. with more than eight hundred
thousand knighted men TO declare its
eternal truths
OF the many lodges now operating
our fair city boasts OF three, aggregat-
ing more than three hundred and fifty
members. together with a lodge Of
Uniform Rank. and also a lodge COM
posed of Pythian Sisters. Representa-
tives from these several lodges have
met with as here tonight, in keeping
with tirne-honored custom Of the
order. &c worship the God we lore. We
welcome you. my friends and as TO-
gether ne study the splendid primer
pies If your order. we. like Dionysius
of old. would fam be admitted 10 your