The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-12-11

be dumb and blind he can gaze upon
there is something in this order, in
the charity, b~enovelence, protection
and love, that will not altogether
perish and fade as the autumn leaves
or the flower hal blooms and with
ers in a day.
And now, brothers, on this sacred
day, free from noise and turbulence,
from the trade and toll OF the past
busy season, we turn our thoughts
for a little while from the living to
the dead.
I'VE may we'll rejoice because this
privilege is ours; to leave the arts
and trades of men and repose for the
hour on this Sabbath day is a pleas
ure and a comfort. while we seek
at the same time to bring these dead
brothers quite close to us. We are
not here to investigate the mysteries
of death. We tenderly take each
brothers mortality away from life's
storms and vicissitudes; to us, at
this time, grief sings d song, mem
DRY recites the virtues of the dead,
while to eager ears faith approaches
the immortal life and all voices say
AMEN.
This eulogy which we extend to-
day Is simply our charity; in the
death of our brothers we behold the
common fate of all. and the conclud-
ing proof, the unmistakable proof of
the universal equality of man, for
the strong. the weak, the rich, the
poor, all lie down at last in one
brotherhood in the embrace of nature
lin their death II judgments of
men are softened and their faults are
forgiven and forgotten.
"'Oh, why should the spirit of mortal
be proud?
! Like a swift iieeting meteor, Il fast
, flying cloud,
A fash of the lightning, a break of
the wave, NtH
He passeth from life to his rest in
the grave.
The leaves of the oak and the willow
shall fade,
BE scattered around and together be
, laid;
And the young and the old, and the
low and the high,
Shall molder to dust and together
shall lie.
The hand of The king that the sceptel
hath borne;
The brow of the priest that The mitel
hath worn;
: The eye of the sage and the hear
of the brave,
Are hidden and lost in the depth.
!, OF the grave.
It's the wink of an eye, It's The
draught of a breath,
From the blossom of health to tn,
paleness of death,
From the gilded saloon to the biel
and the shroud,
Oh, why should the spirit of morta
be proud?'
To-day this fraternity of men arr
, paying homage throughout our lane
to their regretted dead; to-day, tho
symbol of our fraternity directs IL:
to their last resting place, and re
minds us of the principles of brother
hood and charity. This is a time
when we can give renewal of GU
mutual pledge in a promise to hu
mainly.
: "In the departure of our brother.
we re-unite the charitable sentiment:
and acts of this order, which appeal
TO me, much like the gathered force
OF a mighty river; its elements are
5 pure and strong, but together form
Ilngg the current and wave, they sim
ply move in power like an army, IL
the sea. 1t is the gradual appracf
of men towards a universal fratern
ity.
"The charity and ~benevolenct
which belonged to our departed
brothers and to which they were SC
nobly dedicated, may we hope have
not all been in vain. 1t cannot be
5 that earth is mans only abiding
, place; it cannot be that our life il
only a bubble cast up by the ocean
!, OF Eternity and then sink back ant
dissolve itself into nothingness.
Our departed brothers, let us be
l1eve, were born for higher destiny
for there is a realm where little
children never cry for bread, where
the hand of want and distress is
never extended in charity, and where
the rainbow lever fades. We trust
our brothers are it's inhabitants;
there, where II silent, glitterine
star is ever before them, like a quiet
island that slumbers on the bosom
OF the sea-and where Aud Lange
Syne' is always sung.
brothers, bye and bye your names
Will be written on the tablet--who
next?
so live, that when thy summons
come to join
The innumerable caravan that moves
To that mysterious realm. where
each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls OF
death
Thou go not. like the q~uarry-slave
at night,
scourged to his dungeon, but, sus.
tanned and soothed
by an unfaltering trust. approach thy
grave,
Like one who wraps the drapery OF
his couch
About him. and lies down to pleas.
ant dreams.'"