The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1909-12-11

Their warrant for assuming that charity
is the greatest of all the virtues was
found in inspired pages,
Fifteen centuries ago the founder OF
the religion which has been the greatest
barrier to the spread Of Christianity,
Mahomet, declared, Every good act is
charity; your smiling in your brothers
face is charity; an exhortation to your
fellow man to virtuous deeds is equal to
aims giving; your putting a wanderer in
the right road is charity; your assisting
the blind is charity; your removing
stones and thorns and other Instructions
in the road is charity; your giving water
to the thirsty is charity"
The true Elk believes in charity OF
thought and word and deed, and this
charity is as high above mere aims Civ
ing as the heavens are high above the
earth. The charity We preach and prac
tice includes consideration OF the rights
of others, tolerance Of opposite views
whether political or religious; charity
for the environment and temptations
that surround and beset q brother as he
journeys through life. Giving to the
the poor from an abundant purse; dis
tributing millions that may have been
acquired by wringing pennies from the
hard hands Of peasants, contributions to
charity balls in order that the name oi
donor may be heralded in the newspa
pers, signing subscription lists that all
may see how generous the subscriber is
these acts do not constitute the charity
we teach. Aims giving may be vulgar
Charity is always divine. Charity in
cludes understanding and sympathy and
help for those who have fallen in the
struggle, for those who have suffered
defeat where the more fortunate have
won success. Charity is humanity, char
ity is love towards our fellow man.
do not claim that the Elk is the per-
feet man, nor that all men who practice
the virtues Of charity. justice and broth
erly love are membe Of this order. We
all recognize the fact that in every com
munity there are high minded citizens
who have "a tear for pity and hand
open rs day for melting charity" who'
through choice or prejudice, have never
allied themselves with this fraternity,
These men are Elks without the fold.
What do claim is this, there il nc
man. whatever his character, who is NOT
better for being an Elk.
He who has stood before the altar and
taken the solemn and binding obligation
Of our order, is a better man than he
would have been otherwise. He has an
ideal which. though he may never attain
it, he holds high as mans hope Of i'm
mortality.
The apostle Paul found the voice and
sentiment that led him in the way oi
right. His fellows were being prosecuted
tortured, fed to the wild beasts. He fec
by the unfrequented way from Rome
The sacrifices that were being made te
cruel hate-and the history Of the worlc
shows that men have done more for hate
than for love-had made his heart sick
Footsore and sad he pursued the lonely
journey and in the by path he heard thu
voice of the lord: "Quo Vadis, Dominica
Whittier goest thou, preacher?
Thus rebuked he turned into thu
broad Appian way-back to Rome, bach
to his comrades, back to his fellow
Christians in distress, back to duty
back to receive that highest encomiun
that can be paid to man: "He neve
turned his back upon a friend, and ht
never turned his face from an enemy
He had found the way.
So with the brother who has taker
the obligation Of our Order. He ma!
lose the way. he may and does mak'
mistakes, but there comes in his life I
still small voice-the voice Of fidelity
and it whispers: "Quo Vadis?"-Whith
or goest thou? And straightway he il
an Elk, true to friends and home ane
manhood. He finds the way.
To keep the way OF right living him
self and to help lead back to the patti
tho wandering brother, is the highes
mission Of the Elk. In this work o
helpfulness, the Elk soon learns tina
life is too short for mean, petty, sel6sl
deed or thought,
We stand at that fittest place for al
Elk, beside an open grave, and as th'
beautiful words of the ritual are pro
nounced we realize that ten Thousand
golden dawns and numberless ten thou
sand more shall flood the eastern worlt
with flame while you and l dream il
silence through Times endless term, ant
that the journey on earth is all too brie
to satisfactorily carry out any policy
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