The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1908-12-17
Judge Derby's Tribute to Departed Elks

Below will be found the euIogy de
livered by County Judge A j. Derby
on the occasion Of the memorial s r
vices OF the Dslles lodge OF Elks Sun
day, December 9th. Couched in
simple but eloquent language Mr..
Derby's tribute to the departed men,
hers Of the order are as follows:
1.-The faults of our bIothers are
written upon the sands. Their Virtues
upon the tablets of love and memory" "
"Friends and Brothers:
"We have come today, according to
the time honored custom OF our
order, to do reverence to the memory
OF our absent brothers, who have
grown weary OF striving against the
inevitable and have surrendered to
the remorsel-ss conqueror. Walking
daily as we do amid the active scenes
Of life, we grow careless, too often, OF
our better selves-forgetful OF the
flickering spark OF H. mortality that
fingers in our souls and binds us in
kinsbip to Divinity. 1t Is good for
us therefore, that on occasions we
appoint time to sauctify our hearts
In love and memory to our friends in
heaven.
at Ia cad when We search our
affection for those, who in youth and
manhood have grown dear to us as
friends, to find how tbinned the mum.
ber 10. Yet 1t is no vain sorrow that
causes us to feel thus, but rather a
deeper self knowledge, closer ac-
quaintanoe with our interpretive
selves, taught US by our associations
with Chem as they walked with US on
earth.
Each Of us can recall friends now
gone from earth, VINO have meant the
better part of life and love and happi-
ness to us. They have known us so
we'll they have had such sympathetic
knowledge Of our soul wants, our as
pirations and our trials, and could
give us that freedom 10 the inter-
change of secret thought for which We
yearn so longingly on occasions. We
have wandered with them hand In
hand through the tangle- wood OF life,
we have seen them battle with life and
its sdversities, as we still must.
"We have seen their courage fail
and revive again under the stimlation
OF affeotionate counsel We have Lost
our way together In the desert OF life,
and have mingled our voices In
Thanksgiving, when the oasis in the
distance gave hope Of delivery, and
last of all, we have walked with them
to the rivers brink and have seen
them come into their inheritance OF
immortality.
"Our hearts are filled with un.
speakable anguish at such times, for
our finite minds will not understand
that they are better there; yet let us
not submit to sorrow but rather bind
to oui hearts the lesson of patience
and submission under afiliction which
they have so hopefully taught us, and
gain strength and consolation from
them. Let us learn at the grave OF
our lost ones how to live with the
living. Let us remember that the life
we are now living, the words We are
daily saying, will be lived over 8gair
in memory over some future grave
and II we would truly know how tt
measure our words to our livinl
friends let US see bow we feel towarC
the dead. Let ua profit by the les
sons their passing teaches us, remem
bering that death Ia but transition
to more perfect state; that life, al
we know 1t, Is but a preparation. ant
Its short hours but resting place be
tween the two eternities,
"FIiends and brothers, as for me-
when | lay down my burden, th'
sweetest thought OF all is that ! liy,
again in memory in your hearts, anc
that you soon or late, will come tt
join the Choir Invisible of those i'm
mortal dead, who live again In mindl
mnda better EY their presence.