The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-06-21
KNIGHTS OF PYTHlAS LODGE PAID
" HOMAGE To DEPARTED BRE 7IlREN

From mondays Oaiiy.
Pythian knights gathered at Gen.
tenary Methodist Episcopal church
last night and listened to sermon
in memory of their dead brethren
and preached by Rev. W. N. jamie
son. He selected his text from He
brews liza, ,"Apd through it he being
dead yet speakeths The pastor S
sermon was entitled Some Cohli-
nuities of Life" He spoke in part as
"One of the most universal ques-
tions that has ever exercised the
mind of men, is THAT OF duration al
life. There are few sane person
alities which would voluntarily choose
obliterationr or extinction. The de
sire 10 live on is almost universal
and there are few lives that are not
dear to some one. This question
of grave concern, for the felloWshlps
of time are constantly being inter-
rupted by death. The deepest con-
fiict known to man is that between
life and time,, love and death. Lie
and death are in absolute antagon-
ism. They are inevitable, lrrecon-
cilable enemies, and love sides win
life against death. Life and love
stand together, supporting the same
great cause We hear them tonight
raising the time old query: IT man
die. shall he live again" we are
here tonight not in memory OF lhaL
which has ceased to be but to con-
firm once again our unalterable pc
lief i'm the fact that the duration oil
individual existence is not arrested
by the fact of physical death. This
story of Abel whose end came in the
midst of his activities, if it teaches
ANYTHING, teaches the cOntinuitieS OF
life. The writer OF this DOCK CITES
this case as Il proof OF the lmpos-
sibility of a man losing his enort
though losing his life. More than
forty generations have passed away
and still he is a speaker for the
Highest. His existence on earth was
brief; his was a tragedy; but his
life did no end at the grave. 1t
continues potent influence down
the swiftly passing centuries.
Let us consider racial continuity
and what is implied in it. We are
only in the dawn of this great prob
lem. We are still afraid to breathe
our conviction out on the air. We
have little interest in the great pos
Utilities of the race. There is moth
! ing more appalling to the awakened
mind than the idea of the prepetu-
alton of individual wickedneSs in the
organic tendencies of the posterity.
To be wicked and to take chances
! on perpetuation of such wickedness
| is to make possible the cursing of
ones name for evermore. ,...
| What | have thus limited at is
said to be trivial Immortality. Is ii
really so? Shall the tide of life as
lit flows from us TO the future cit
liens be a river OF God or stream
of ink? Shall it be cleansed as ii
flows through or will you add to its
| possibility OF course. Will you be
. a filter, or a sewer? Will you live
so as to be remembered as the giver
of wings or milestone, to the race
which is . to follow. If this is not
a noble Immortality, there is none
and if this is not motive then motive
does not exist. The Lily of Pythian
Brotherhood lifting up it's noble, i'm
maculate cup cries out for such i'm
mortality.
There is continuity of individ
ual existence through literary rec
ord and self-denying achievement
Great men live in the historical e OF
traditional record of their greatness
| Perhaps there should be included in
this class those who live in great
monuments and the men who live
because they designed and executed
these.
Monumental fame, if you will
permit the phrase, is by many the
only kind that endures. But wheI
you consider just how few are en-
titled to place in our own Hall Of
Fame you will see that countless
millions of the race are to be for
gotten. To any sane student of his
tory this will not satisfy. 1t is like
going out into calm clear night ant
gazing into the heavens above you
While you are impressed with the
multitude of shining orbs which
wheel and circle above you your at
tention is very soon called to the
fact the spaces between are in
finitely more in number and the
stellar world fades into insignificance
So of the human family so few are
fitted for the shine that makes it