The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-20

I ing, we wish you one and all a merry
Christmas and a happy. prosperous New
81 Year,
TT would be a labor of love for me
to extol the goodness and greatness OF
Golden Gate 'comn1andery, but it wouIc
1 create in you a desire to affiliate with
us, and Masonic charity bids me spare
my praise and save your membership.
Il can say, however. that we shall
| gladly unite with you in elevating
1 knight Templarism and in the building
4 up and betterment of San Francisco
Mankind hopes that Peace on earth.
good will toward men will eveutually
prevail. but remembering that our sa-
vior said I come not to bring peace
put a sword we realize that universal
peace and good will. can not be ex
/ pected until we have higher ideals of
fright and duty, and hope to point out
briefly the practical trail leading
toward that goal
DUTY
! Sir knights. let us illustrate this
virtue in our daily lives by deeds. and
not mere lip service. Be loyal to our
ofncers. companions and prescribed du-
! ties. loyal to the high principles of
our order and to the ideals and pur-
poses upon which it is based: then we
shall, in very truth. be worthy sue
cessors Of those valiant warriors who
! bore our standard to victory when
battling for. the cross and what it
stands for
And viii you tell me the man who
uses the cover of Masonry TO make a
| corrupt proposition to his brother is
standing for these ideals of Masonry for
4 which the organization was created ,
No; never. He is betraying his order.
he is destroying its usefulness he is
calling off the good that the order can
and has done for Chrstendom these
many years.
VIRTUE VITAL NECESSITY
TOO often in life we only exnect
the highest manifestations of this viz
tue in our countrys military defend
ers, but if government of the people.
by the people and for the people shall
not perish from the earth. then is
virtue as vitality necessary in peace as
in war.
Its violation in war is treason. its
punishment death. Its violation in
peace should be dishonor, its punish
ment social and financial ruin and the
prison"
And let me add expulsion from the
ranks Of that great order which has
been so beneficial to mankind.
| In war we shoot the soldier who
sells the countersign and promptly
hang the wretch,.who bribed him"
What? In war don't they let the
briber so and confine themselves TO
hanging the men who is bribed? No:
IT seems that they shoot one and hang
the other. and the one who is hanged. as
being the more disgraceful of the two.
Is the one who committed the bribery
Are we willing to admit that our sol
diers are expected. to have higher
STANDARD Of honor and fidelity than our
civilian officers?
Is the spy more dangerous and less
entitled to consideration than the cor
rupter of the ballot, the purchaser of
jurors, the debaucher of sworn pnb
lie servants? IN war courage is ex-
pected and demanded: cowardice il 4
capital crime Do we in civil life have
similar standard for this manly at
| tribute2 And yet the moral courage
to act rightly and speak honestly is
as. necessary in peace as in war
Charity is one of the most sublime
tenets of Masonry, and ! would not
take one stone from the beautiful edi
fee we have erected upon this divine
foundation. but loyalty TO our govern