The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-12-07
RECALL LIVES OF THE DEAD
Attorney Mortimer E. Walker, Of Ra-
cine, Pays Tribute to Work of the
Order and Speaks Feelingly of Life
of the Late Benjamin T. Windsor.

Lodge No. $50 of the Benevolent and
Protective Order CT Elks met at the
lodge rooms on Sunday afternoon for
the annual memorial services and in
keeping with the regulations of the
order the same ceremony was held in
every lodge of the order throughout
the country.
In honor of the event the lodge
rooms We're most deliberately decorat-
eel, the program was one of soul inspir-
ing music and touching tributes to
the memory of the departed. The
rituahstic work for the occasion was
carried out by the officers Of the lodge
under the leadership Of Exalted Ruler
i. M. Mathews. The music for the
afternoon was furnished by the Ingle-
side. Quartette of Chicago, assisted by
Mrs. Cora Zimmerman Libberton of
Chicago and Mrs. Burnet G.. Kalten-
bach of Kenosha. The annual eulogy
was delivered by Attorney Mortimer
F.. Walker, Past Exalted Ruler of Ra-
cine Lodge No. 252. Mr.. Walker paid
Ia tribute to the teaching Of the order
but spoke especially Of the annual Gus
tom of remembering the dead. He
said in part:
eve may derive benefit from this
ceremony as, standing in the twilight
of each year, with eyes turned towards
it's descending sun, we call the roll
Of our departed brothers and conse
crate this day to their memory.
Though we wait in vain for a response
to the roll call Of the dead, many
bright memories attend the sad
thoughts that crowd this hour. The
mind is constantly recalling some
event of the past, some fact long I'M
seen, some past occasion of joy or sor-
row. They quickly come and as quick
ly go. We strive to pass over the sad,
but the pleasant recollections we dis
miss less hastily.
Sorrow is unweleome, yet it has a
refining and uplifting influence. 1t is,
it some times seems, needed element
to round out to highest perfection, the
human life. We know it lives in nat
ure. Walk alone in the darkness Of
night by the shores of the sea and
hear the message the moaning waves
bring from the further shore; listen
to the falling rain upon the quiet
fields; or in the deep forest hear the
winds among the swaying trees.
Your heart is made heavy with grief
for the sorrow that seems to be pres
ent everywhere. You then realize
how your thoughts are uplifted there
by from the turmoil of life of striv
ing, your mind is unconsciously turn
ed to better things and you are i'm
PEELED to wonder if your aim in life
is not too low; if you have not mag
nifed the things of least Importance
and overlooked the true ends OF life.
Unless that chord in our nature were
now and then touched we would wan
der far from the right course.
Upon this day of our memorial
service, we turn from the thought Of
life to contemplation OF what is to
follow at it's close, and we recall the
words of the brilliant American states.
man delivered in the senate of the
United States in eulogy of deceased
colleague:
TN the democracy of death, all men.
at last are equal. There is neither
rank or station nor pferogative in the
republic of the grave. At that fatal
threshold the philosopher ceases to be
wise and the song of the poet is Silent.
At that fatal threshold Dives relin-
ouishes his millions and Lazarus his
rags. The poor man is as rich as the
richest and the rich man is as poor
as the pauper. The proud man sur
renders his dignity, the politician his
honor. the wording his pleasure.
But if death be the end; if life ter
inmates upon this bank and shoal of
time: if no morning is to dawn upon
this NIGHT. then sorrow has no con-
ISOLATION.
Neither veneration nor reverence rs
due the dead if they are but dust; no
cenotaph should be reared to preserve
for posterity the memory OF their
achievements, if those who come after
them are to be only their successors
in humiliation and extinction.
If after this world we have no hope
Of consciousness, duty must be chin
era; our pleasures and our passions
should be the guides to conduct, and
virtue is indeed superstitution if life
ends at the grave. This is the eonclu-
sion which the philosophy of negation
must accept at last. Such is the
felicity of those degraded precepts
which make the epitaph the end. If
life is . taper that IS burned out, then
we treasure the memory and the ex-
ample in vain and the last prayer of
the departing spirit has no more sane
+;tv IN ne wha soon or late must fol-