Arizona republican., 1912-12-02
Yet both so passing strange and won
 derful"

Yet both so passing strange and won
 derful"
 Again we gather in memorial service within the confines of the broad fields of love, to mourn the loss of those who once met with us in the Lodge Room. but who have now answered the mid night messages of IsraeIs God.
 On this day in each and every year, wherever the glad sunshine of Elkdom diffuses it's luminous warmth and cheer, there may be found a band of loyal and devoted brothers, who with bowed head and reverent mein are paying a fond tribute of affection to the memory of their dead
 Our departed brothers, fatigued with labors and wearied by their heavy bur dens. have gone to sleep.
 We believe that beyond the sunlit stars their names are written in hal lowed letters on parchment radiant and refined. Fhe present is the proof of reality, the past the record of events, the future the hope of the un- born years.
 Life is the summary of these three FraternaI love, undevelOped, was dis played by Hamitic, Semitic and Ary- an people, and was in evidence in all creeds and denominations from the first Armenian to Mohammed, from Rameses to Cleopatra, from Romulus | to Caesar.
 Our friends have departed to the golden glories of the sunset and though | their hands be forever folded upon l their breasts, the harp strings touched l by their fingers have not ceased tC | vibrate, the voices of their minstrelsy are not hushed, the songs they sunS | still finger and the echoes of their mu- | sic will forever cheer our hearts. l Pursuant to the laws of Elkdom, we meet today beneath the glorious dome l of ritualistic ceremony, in the warm
 and glowing heart-light of brotherly l love and honor the memoirs of our absent brothers now sitting in the pallied halls of death. In this me- morial service we do for them that | which some December day must be done for each of us, my brothers, when our passing is marked as flash of 8 fire fly in the night
 Today we meet as a Lodge of Sor- row The melancholy strains of the funeral march supplants the opening ode; the roll call of officers yield t. the roll call of the dead; the sign ol grief takes the place of the hailing sig nal: prayers for the salvation of the departed, fond recollections of those in the city of DarksOme Grave:
 suspends solicitious inquiry re garding the suffering of the sick ant
 afflicted.
 |. What inspiration more grandly beau tiful than the one decreeing that WI should meet this in solemn memoria l service in the dying month Of each de
 parting year, and from the fountains 0
 fond memory, pour forth our lovin; l anthems in tribute to our dead. "I pledge you in this cup of grief l Where floats the fennePs bitter leaf, , The battle of our life is brief / The alarm, the struggle, the relief, 7 Then sleep we side by side" l This custom of revering and honor ing those who have preceded us on tn < long dark journey is as ancient as tf chronicles of life itself.
 , Down through the marches of tn g centuries it has gone hand in han g with the spirit of human progress. It
 wholesome influence has chastened an V enabled this world of chaos and strife
 It has received the sanction and en
 | couragement of all races, creeds an
 sects in all climes. It offers a marvel l ous testimonial that we hope for nor
 than the conquering worm for ore tha
 the dark caverns of dissolution. n Today you have heard the secretar
 call unon oI1r absent ones but unavail
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