Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-06-05
RANDALL PARRISH'S SCHOLARLY
ADDRESS PREPARED FOR STATE ELKS

Ayi of the old" perhaps, but not of
the new. The 'old" is history, and l
study it with 5est and interest; in
Imagination walk the long trail with
Boone and Kenton, with Kit Carson
and Jim Bridger-the trappers of the
mountains, the hunters of the plains.
French voyaguers are my companions,
and l lie down with the lonely pros
pector at night under the desert
stars. / draw again, as best l may,
fresh picture of it all on the page Of
fiction, mingling fact with fancy. 1t
is there forever. it is part of our ma
tional -story-that old heroic age,
when men were called upon to meas
uri their strength and courage against
nature and savagery.
But God knows there is frontier
enough still-a place for every ad-
venturous soul; dim trails leading
away into the unknown, leading
through hardship and danger to the
very valley of the shadow" Every
generation is a generation of pioneers
called upon to face the new, the I'M
| known. The dawn of each day is
! frontier. Tomorrow in your life, and
/ in mine, is a greater mystery than
was the unexplored west to the men
of the revolution. Through every mo-
ment of life we tread an unknown
trail, and, when death meets US on the
way, we know not what it means. We
| live in mystery; all about US the great
woods UNEMPLOYED, the vast plains I'M
mapped. Every hour brings its chal-
lenge to manhood, its demand for
courage and sacrifice. The call of the
pioneer comes TO us, even as it came
of old to our fathers-to press bold
ly on, reckless Of peril and of toll, do
ing our part in the great work of the
world.
AGE THAT IS PASSING.
Elks, do you grasp my thought? 1t
is this-the age of the purely ply
steal is passing by; it is nearly gone.
The man of the rife, and the axe, has
had his day and done his work: In
toll, loneliness and peril he has cleav-
ed a road for US from ocean to ocean !;
he has fought great battles, and won
great victories. He stands forever
in the history of the world as a vast,
heroic figure But life is an evolution,
ever steadily tending upward toward a
higher form of development; ever
drawing-closer to God Himself. Prob
lens change, and environment. So
we are standing today on the verge
of a new frontier; no longer merely
physical, but mental and moral. The
present, and the future, demands a
courage, a devotion beyond compare
The call 81 action comes to the brave;
to the unafraid. 1t calls men-real
men-red- blooded men-out from
among the mass of their fellows to
lead the way. And they will come;
they are coming. They will be
Boones and Kentons, Carsons and
Bridgers in the future, as in the past
They will face the unknown and con
; quer. The spirit of the pioneer in
, this America of ours will never die
1t is part of our race, our blood. We
+, who have sternly fought our way VI
from tad-poles to men are not going
to stop now until we attain these
heights ordained of God. We came
creeping forth from the jungles ant
the marshes, and have struggled
blindly on across cons of time, will
our eyes on the stars. Year by year
through darkness, and through light
we have marched onward down tht
ages. We have followed the pillar o
fire, and the pillar of cloud. Today
: has been our reality; tomorrow hal
been our dream. We have fought, ant
died, loved and lost; we have slipped
and fallen, yet won to our feet onc'
i more, and pressed on. We have tough
. useless battles, and been led far astra,
by false prophets. We have seen ma
Il tons wrecked, and hopes shattered
= We have seen "the glory that wa
, Greece, and the grandeur that wa
= Rome" crushed under the feet of bar
> barians. We have mistaken wronl
I for right, and paid the penalty. Oh
= but it has been long. hard, wear
= journey down the centuries. At time
,, it has seemed as if humanity stoo
still. Yet ever before Us there ha
= been the pioneer-the man Of clea
{ vision, of dauntless courage, of ad
venturous soul; the man who wen
on alone. He has been the hope Of a
the ages, he is the hope o. all tn
- ages yet TO be.
" Men of Elkdom, revise your though
:. The day of the pioneer has not passe
q away, and never will while humanit
= exists. The fringed hunting shirt n
:, longer ranges our forest depths; tn
y voyageur no longer drives his fra
=" canoe along our rivers; the squire
- and armed men ride no longer on
" bOundless plains. That peculia
i phase of life has passed and gone. Bu
y the indomitable spirit which CAV
:, these birth is as strong and vital q
ever it was.
= II yet seeks its opportunity, II
= heroic achievements. its adventurou
n career. God give US men" has bee
q the call of every age-it is the call {
our own. The finger OF advance point
z still to the frontier Ay. and ther
= are those who answer.