The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-12-29
PALESTINE COMMANDMENTS OBSERVANCE.

PALESTINE CoMMANDERY'S OBSERVANCE
About ten days ago Palestine Commandery,
No. IA, Knights Templar, sent out the follow
ing sentiment to the Maine Communicates, the
Grand Commandery officers and Past Com
maaders:
To you and the Sir Knights of your
Commandery
Palestine Commandery, No. Fourteen, Knights
Templar
extends most cordial Christmas Greetings,
May the glad tidings of the coming of the Prince
of Light fill your hearts with goodwill to
all mankind.
"Oh holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend on us we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in;
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
o come to Us, abide with US,
Our Lord Emanuel"
May the New Year, through all its days, hold
for you rich
blessings of Peace, Happiness and Prosperity.
Courteously and Fraternally,
WILMER J. DoRMAN
Eminent Commander
Over 40 of the Belfast Knights assembled in
their Lodge room at noon Monday for their
Master, VIM. B. Melish, Cincinnati Ohio, is
read in all the Communicates in the United
States and its dependencies at one time, rang
ing from a. m. in Hawaii to p. m. in Green
wich. The hour in our section is IL o'clock,
and just as the clock struck the hour the fol-
lowing was read by Sir Clifford ]. Pattee
To our Most Eminent Grand Master, William
al; h. oIx ;.;. L.
fortunate, and may our Brotherhood fully real
ize our mission: To feed the hungry, cothe the
naked and bind up the wounds of the afflicted in
the name of our Lord and Master, Emmanuel,
whose birth we celebrate.
The Grand Masters response: The senti-
ment proposed is unconsciously in line with
what has been in my mind for weeks. While
it is true, that, with most of US, the Spirit of
Christmas broods and sings of happy, hopeful
helpful things, all for you and me; it is also
true there are thousands who are needy and
whose necessities appeal to us, and some of
these are undoubtedly those left near and dear
to our departed fratres.
81 call upon each Grand Commander to ask
each Commandery in his jurisdiction to make
notable the l31O celebration of the birth of
I1lIu WHo is our IFedL EdeHnpldT Ey lne giving,
as Commandery, or by voluntary contribu-
tions collected by each Commandery of its in
dividual Knights, of special offering of
thankfuness and love, in the spirit of the Mas
ter, to the destitute widows and helpless or
phans of departed fratres, or to Masonic
Homes, Children's Homes, or to any charitable
organization that reaches the helpless poor at
Christmas time.
"If my beloved fratres will but do this, l will
appreciate their compliance with the spirit of
the toast proposed to me as Grand Master
much more than any personal compliment
shown me by letter, message or telegram.
Our thoughts will go out at the happy Christ
mas time to each Templar in the land, wishing
him Joy in all his Deeds and Days, wishing
him Time for the Task, Wisdom for the Work
Peace for the Pathway, Friends fer the Fire
side, and Love to the last"
The responses included Grand Commander
Warren c. Philbrook, Waterville; Grand Mas
ter Ashley A. Smith, Belfast; Grand High
Priest of the Royal Arch Chapter Thomas H.
Bodge, Augusta and the Grand Captain Gen.
eral and Grand Warden; also three Past Grand
Commanders, Herbert Harris, Clayton ]. Far
rington and Harry R. Virgin, all of Portland.
Thirteen Maine Communicates responded. Past
Grand Commander of North Carolina A. B.
Andrews; Horeb Commandery of Concord, N.
q. and St. Johns of Nashua, N. H., sent mes