The Dickinson press., 1911-12-09

required to practice charity, fidelity
and the other virtues, and 10 bear ill
will toward none. are oblivious to
these teachings and do not differ from,
and are not more ~brotherly, in their
conduct than outsiders, is equally un-
worthy of consideration.
he whose ideals and aspirations are
not higher yes, immeasurably higher.
his practices, has unworthy
ideals; and his life is aimless.
The value of these associations can
not be measured by such standards or
methods. 1t is not a question of COM
parison with others, but solely of com.
parison with ones self. No human be-
ing is competent to judge what another
might or would have been without the
influence of fraternal teachings. We may
erovel in the dust in spite of worthy
examples and associations yet without
them we might. and doubtless would be
in the mire and slime.
With centuries of civilized ances-
tors behind, seem OF us are as yet only
modified savages. With a different
heredity and in different environments
we might be wearing rings in our noses
instead of on u fingers.
Creed and religion are largely matters
OF habit and temperament. No single
creed is adapted to all men and without
detracting from the merit of any creed
it may be said that the orders of frater-
nifty are steps by which we may ascend
to planes of greater service and attain
virtues which 60 to make this life toll
cradle and the future hopeful.
The difference between Anglo-Saxon
civilization and the so called civiliza-
tions of other nationalities lies in the
tact that the former breaches the practice
OF Faith. Hope and Charity. These are
unknown virtues in all pagan and
heather religions.
We are assembled today because. fol-
lowing the precepts of the order, we
hold sacred the memory of our dead.
we congregate to dedicate no tablet
OF brass or monument of stone. We
gather with no purpose to specify, OF
discriminate, between the virtues o.
our dead. or between the virtues anc
the deeds of one brother and those Of
any other. We are here because we be.
lieve that if weighed in the scales Of
justice. the virtues of each will faI
outweigh his faults. We come together
because the evil is to be forgotten an6
the good forever treasured, and because
no life has been inspired by our pre-.
cepts from which we cannot embody
some element in our own lives with
profit.
We do not come 10 mourn but to re-
joice in their lives and their fidelity.
1t has been said that mourning for de-
parted friends is but an expression of
the animal instinct. The dread of the
physical suffering. the pangs of separa-
ton and the lack of knowledge concern
ing the future give to death its terror.
All peoples agree that there is a here
after. but it as never been proven. All
agree that the character and motives of
the life here, have some relation to the
ability to appreciate and enjoy that
other life Is it too much to feel that a
Of wasted opportunities, of
Of" oppression, of malice, hatred
and unkindness toward our fellows may
lessen our capacity to enjoy the So
ciety of the charitable, the just, the
true and the faithful as to give us a
sense of disappointment akin to terror?
Man is his W. star, and the soul
that can
an honest and a perfect man
all life. all influence, all fate.
Nothing to him falls early or too late.
Our acts our angels are. for good or ill
Our fatal shadows that walk with US
STILL"
One night, while on board a ship at
anchor off the coast of Central America,
attention was attracted to a group
of natives carrying torches and engaged
in the dance. The drums were beating
and other rude instruments were
All moved in procession
around several fires in the forest on the
shore. On inquiry l learned that they
were celebrating the death of a child ;
that according to the creed of these un-
civilized people. a child at death be-
came an angel. The occasion was,
therefore. made one for rejoicing rather
than for sorrow. Semi-barbarous as
this tribe was. this belief might afford
a worthy lesson TO many who call them
selves enlightened.
Time was when among civilized
people the infant life was transferred
at death to a world inhabited by dis
solute and characterless people. Time
was when men believed that each act
on this stage. however minute. was
weighed in scales exactly balanced.